Help me figure out Heater wattage

[AmyBolton]

Tank:
96 gallon display
20 gallon sump

I want 2 heaters in the sump but i'm not sure how to figure out the size I would need.
Any help appreciated.

 

[fishski13]

2 300 watt finnex titanium elements connected to an inkbird or another controller would be more than enough.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I'd do 1 x 100W and 1 x 300W in a staggered setup.

 

[AmyBolton]

Then my other question is that some of the heaters (Eheim for example) the heater size for 300w is 20" long.. Isn't that too long to fit in a sump compartment

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

the 'rule of thumb' is 3-5 watts per gallon (IMO sticking with 5 watts/gallon is better)

 

[All_talk]

What the ambient room temp? Tank size suggestions from heater manufactures are typical based on a certain "raise above room temp". Cooler rooms will need more watts.

My house is fairly cool in the winter (about 68 F), and I run about 6 watts per gallon. The suggestion of 2 x 300 watts sounds about right to start.

I think a dual heater setup works well when each heater is just enough keep up on its own. That way if one fails, either on or off, the tank will not heat up or cool down very fast and you should have time to catch the problem.

 

[Cell]

Use your heater's manufacturer recommendations for sizing. Definitely factor in ambient temps. I had to oversize the heaters for the tanks in my basement here in MN. General rule of thumb is take your recommended wattage and divide by two if you are going to run two heaters. I'd go off the high range.

 

[TheBear78]

Then my other question is that some of the heaters (Eheim for example) the heater size for 300w is 20" long.. Isn't that too long to fit in a sump compartment

The titanium heaters most people use don't typically have built in thermostats which means that a) they must be used in conjunction with a controller and b) they're usually very short.

 

[TheBear78]

For context, here are two 350 watt D-D titanium heaters in my 112 (US) gallon system. These are rebranded Schego units and are ample for this volume, easily outperforming the two eheim 300 watt units I had previously (laying down because they were so long...).

 

[All_talk]

For context, here are two 350 watt D-D titanium heaters in my 112 (US) gallon system. These are rebranded Schego units and are ample for this volume, easily outperforming the two eheim 300 watt units I had previously (laying down because they were so long...).

Those heaters are very compact for the wattage, certainly makes them easier to fit in the sump. I have mounted mine with some angle as well but they are in the return section and with the amount of flow in there I don't think it maters. I do like to keep the tops out of the water to reduce the risk of seal weepage, but mine also have the built in thermostats with seals on the little knob.