heaters...one or two?

[annanymous]

I am setting up a 75 DT with a 29 sump/fuge. Now, I need to get haters for the tank. Im getting only 1 at the moment but will add another one as back up in few months. do I get a heater rated for total volume of my system, a little bigger or a little smaller? also I will have a 10-20 gal QT for which im getting a heater as well. can I reuse the QT heater as a back up in the sump once I no longer need the QT up and running? Im ok with buying a separate heater for each tank, but dont want to end up with a million heaters and powerheards and pumps lying around taking up space and budget money

 

[JimmyR1rider]

It's always better if the heaters not in a controller especially to split the wattage needed between 2.

This way if either of them get stuck on it won't be able to really overheat your tank most likely.

 

[dacaptain78]

I like to use two heaters on my display tanks for redundancy. As Jimmy mentioned it is best to plug them into a controller (Apex, Digital Aquatics, etc.). A heater is probably the most unreliable piece of equipment you will use on your tank. Utilizing an aquarium controller as the thermostat instead of relying on the heaters built in thermostat helps me sleep at night.

As far as reusing the QT tank equipment goes, well most people don't trust using anything in their tanks that has come in contact with copper medication. That said, I think if you wanted to reuse your heater in the display tank it should be fine. Many will probably disagree with me, but I just do not believe that the plastic parts of a pump, heater, or whatever will absorb so much copper, and then leach it out so quickly, that it will harm sensative inverts. Especially in a 75 gallon tank. JMHO/E.

 

[annanymous]

Thanks guys! I am planning on aquiring an Apex controller, but it isnt one of the priority items on the list yet (first need to get everything to set up the system and then will get the controller).

Based on your recomendations I decided to get 2 -1oowatt heaters for the DT and a 25 watt heater for the QT

 

[redfishblewfish]

Definitely two heaters, as others have said. But don?t take lightly the recommendations for a controller. For me it?s as necessary as the heaters themselves. It?s not a question of ?if? your heaters will fail, it?s a question of ?when.? They will fail! Either stuck on or just crap out.