Rattliffc12

I am getting ready to purchase a 60 gallon tank for my Jack Dempsey. I currently have a 35 gallon RENA Smartheater in my 30 gallon long tank. My question is if I set the heater at a higher temp will it work for the larger tank. Eg. 35 gal heater set at 87 degrees in a 60 gallon tank=80 degrees

Tony G.

yes... i have a 100watt in my 35g and its set at 84 and it keeps it at 78 which is great. IMO its better to be underheated than the appropriate heater since you never know if it is faulty and nukes the whole tank...

Jaysee

I'm going to have to disagree. Using a heater that is not powerful enough for your tank is asking for trouble. For starters, it'll ALWAYS be on because it's not powerful enough to reach the desired temp. Setting the temp at 84 to get 78 is a prime example of this. If you don't pay for you own electric bill, this is nothing to worry about. Another concern is burning the fish because the heater is soooo overworked. Also, the heater is more likely to malfunction and break because it's doing a job it was not built to handle.

It is far better to have a heater that is more powerful than you need. There extra power means the heaters wll take less time to heat the water, meaning it'll only come on here and there. This is MUCH better than having it run continuously. Also, you'll be able to PRECISELY set your tank temp.

Ratliff - get a second heater and run both, or pony up and get a heater rated for 75 gallons

Tony G.

I understand. Sometimes heaters over time give different readings than what you programmed it. Ive read numerous cases on people who'se heater nuked the tank or came close to. Some heaters are off by 5-8 degrees, which is basically the same. Thats just my opinion. Its better to have a heater than not have one...

Jaysee

That's why it's important to buy quality products. I have stealth heaters in almost every one of my tanks and they are money. And you can't beat the no questions asked lifetime warranty.

Over the years I've realized the importance of spending the extra money to get a GOOD product (especially when it comes to heaters and filters), rather than getting something cheap that you'll likely replace shortly down the road with the one you know you should have gotten in the first place.

Tony G.

agreed, though some of the threads i read involved stealths going nuke. You never really know you know? the lifetime warranty is great, but nothing replaces the fish it killed.
thats just my opinion..

so, to the O.P. it is not recommended to keep that heater in the 60g. My guess is that you should get another heater for it, and leave the one in the 35g and keep angels or something beautiful

crazy4fish_123

It should work fine. Just make sure you keep an eye on the temp. of the tank.