HEATERS

[Gator0930]

How many heaters and what watt do i really need? I am planning a 500 gallon tank plus sump

 

[fermentedhiker]

I think to calculate properly you need to know the temp in the room and the temp in the room where the sump is if different than the DT. The old standby is 3-5 watts per gallon. I wonder if at that size it might be economical to do some sort of closed loop heat exchanger with a hot water tank or heat pump type system?

 

[AlexG]

I would suggest using a radiant heating system for a system this large. They are more efficient and will save a ton of $$$ over electric heaters. Radiant heating also eliminate the risk of an electrical fault in the water since a heat exchanger in some form is used to heat the water.

 

[New Jersey REEF]

I guess it is all relevant to what temperature outside and how your system will be designed.

I have designed my system to be in the basement where emperature stays 73 degrees all the time. Being in Georgia we rarely see cold (below 32 degrees) weather where a need for heater is maybe required.

Can you tell us more about your design and location?

 

[Gator0930]

I think to calculate properly you need to know the temp in the room and the temp in the room where the sump is if different than the DT. The old standby is 3-5 watts per gallon. I wonder if at that size it might be economical to do some sort of closed loop heat exchanger with a hot water tank or heat pump type system?

I would suggest using a radiant heating system for a system this large. They are more efficient and will save a ton of $$$ over electric heaters. Radiant heating also eliminate the risk of an electrical fault in the water since a heat exchanger in some form is used to heat the water.

I guess it is all relevant to what temperature outside and how your system will be designed.

I have designed my system to be in the basement where emperature stays 73 degrees all the time. Being in Georgia we rarely see cold (below 32 degrees) weather where a need for heater is maybe required.

Can you tell us more about your design and location?

My tank will be located in my living room. I normally keep my house between 68 and 70 degrees

 

[New Jersey REEF]

My tank will be located in my living room. I normally keep my house between 68 and 70 degrees

Will you have a fish room as well? Somethings to keep in mind: While running all pumps/ lights skimmer etc , all of that will generate lots of heat. If those items will be enclosed in a small space, that may act as your heating source.

my fish room is about 500 square feet size where all that equipment stores. I actually run vent with cold air from outside 24/7 during winter to keep temperature stable at about 78-79

summer time is different, that’s where I am relying on my separate AC system with chillers ready for backup.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I run twin 800wt titaniums in my 660g

 

[ca1ore]

THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE gets pretty cold in the Winter. The heater wattage needed for any tank is a function of ambient, how many degrees above ambient your tank operates without any purpose heating, amount of evaporation ..... in other words, it’s a WAG. I have similar volume, tank runs 2-3 degrees above ambient (which is 67 in the Winter), and I need about 1000 watts of heaters.