How many watts?

[Notsolostfish]

At those temps, you actually want two 200-heaters then. Equilibrium is 200W at those temps assuming you have 100W of heat from other equipment such as return, skimmer, powerheads, etc.

So 200w per heater would do it? And ehein is good or should i go with finnex or titanium?

 

[ZombieEngineer]

So 200w per heater would do it? And ehein is good or should i go with finnex or titanium?

The eheims last pretty much forever but they are glass, so if you drop something on them or drop them, you have quite a mess to deal with.

The titanium heaters don't have the breakage issue, but the analog dials don't last quite as long.

I prefer the titanium myself because they still last like 5 years vs the 10 you could get out of the eheim, but don't have the breakage risk. Still cheap enough that 5 vs 10 years isn't a big deal. For either set 1-2 degrees above apex setpoint and never above 82.

 

[Notsolostfish]

The eheims last pretty much forever but they are glass, so if you drop something on them or drop them, you have quite a mess to deal with.

The titanium heaters don't have the breakage issue, but the analog dials don't last quite as long.

I prefer the titanium myself because they still last like 5 years vs the 10 you could get out of the eheim, but don't have the breakage risk. Still cheap enough that 5 vs 10 years isn't a big deal. For either set 1-2 degrees above apex setpoint and never above 82.

Very confusing from finnex. Like why their heater without the controller.comes only at 300watts minimum https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/finnex-th-deluxe-titanium-heating-element-with-plastic-guard.html and the one with the controller starts at like 100w. How im supp9sed to get 2 200watt for a total of 400w.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

The answer is clear.

 

[Notsolostfish]

The answer is clear.

The answer is not clear. I dont want the version they have with the controller because i dont want the controller i want to use apex. And the controller is literally attached to the heater. The one without the controller they start at 300w. Per one. I need 2 of a total of 400w. Not one

 

[ZombieEngineer]

The answer is not clear. I dont want the version they have with the controller because i dont want the controller i want to use apex. And the controller is literally attached to the heater. The one without the controller they start at 300w. Per one. I need 2 of a total of 400w. Not one

You do want that. That is the oh **** backup in the rare event that the apex outlet fails stuck ON. I set that to 82 degrees.

This is the 200W version of what I have been using for years.

HMA 200 Watt Titanium Heater w/Controller (60-80 Gallon) - Finnex

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

 

[Notsolostfish]

You do want that. That is the oh **** backup in the rare event that the apex outlet fails stuck ON. I set that to 82 degrees.

This is the 200W version of what I have been using for years.

HMA 200 Watt Titanium Heater w/Controller (60-80 Gallon) - Finnex

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

So jus to confirm since i buy from brs. 2 of those https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hms-titanium-heater-w-digital-controller-finnex.html 200 watt? Per one.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

So jus to confirm since i buy from brs. 2 of those https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hms-titanium-heater-w-digital-controller-finnex.html 200 watt? Per one.

That one might be okay. I used the older HMX model and it burned up within a year and has a note now on their site not to use an Apex as primary control but only as a backup.

This model doesn't have that apex warning and it looks like they changed their architecture so it might be free from that earlier problem. I would email Finnex just to make sure.

 

[Tamberav]

Having a controller on the heater just means you now have an extra controller to prevent failure.

Technically the probe on the apex could fail just like anything else. Depends how much redundancy you want.

So the helios could be programmed to 77.5-78 degrees and plugged on an apex outlet and the apex could be programmed to turn that outlet off of it hits 80 degrees and send you an alert.

Just an example.

The reason for two smaller heaters is another form of redundancy as they both are unlikely to fail at the same time which will help prevent overheating or completely cold tank.

Hope this makes sense.