Question about ViaAqua Heaters

[firenze00]

Im looking to get a Viaaqua titanium heater but im not sure how much wattage i need, My tank is 75g. Does anyone have experience with this heater?

 

[pecan2phat]

3 to 5 watts per gallon is the standard. If this is not housed in a cold basement then a 200 to 250 watt will work.

I use two 200 watt version of this heater in a 120g tank. Two so that if one fails it will not quickly cook the tank in the on position and if failed on the off position, I will see that the tank is having a hard time keeping the temperature at the set point.

 

[firenze00]

So you think 300w would be to much for a 75g?

 

[pecan2phat]

I don't think that a total watts of 300w is too big for your 75g, I also use a 300w for a 90g office tank because I had one lying around. What makes me a bit more comfortable is that I also have this plugged into a $65 Ranco temperature controller to minimize the failure portion of the heater's internal thermostat switch. The choice I would make though is to use two 150w heaters for the one heater failure scenerio if I was buying from scratch. If I had the 300w already, I would still use it if I was the type of person that always looked at tank conditions on a daily basis.
A single 300w heater stuck on the "on" position can get your tank temperature to 90+ degrees in less then half a day.

 

[Awibrandy]

What ever heater you get please put it or them on a controller to avoid cooking your animals in the event of a failure on the on position.
I also like to have 2 heaters per system in the event of a burn out. The other should keep the water warm.

 

[dsgray16]

I use the 250w Via Aqua on my 58g. It works well, temp never dips below 78 even on cold nights.

 

[firenze00]

Thanks a lot guys i will prob go with 2 150w like you guys say just in case one fails. One more question- what thermometers do you guys use? I cant seem to find an accurate one that is reasonably priced.

 

[mr_X]

i use the glass ones that float with the little suction cup. they are accurate, and the cheapest.