I’m Getting A New Tank Soon How Many Watts Should My Heater Be?

In a few months from now I’m gonna get a new 50 gal fish tank and I’m wondering how many watt my heater should be. I currently have a 80 watt in my 10 gallon. Should I just put the 80 watt in the new tank I’m gonna get in a few months or should I buy a new heater?

 

I like 50 to 100 watt heaters for ten gallons, they heat well.
You can get by with 25 watts, depends what you are trying to heat the water to.
Not sure how well an 80 watt will heat a 50 gallon.

 

I like 50 to 100 watt heaters for ten gallons, they heat well.
You can get by with 25 watts, depends what you are trying to heat the water to.
Not sure how well an 80 watt will heat a 50 gallon.

What kinda heater should I get then?

 

No less than 200w.

 

No less than 200w.

Thank you

 

It all depends on your room temperature and the difference to the wanted temperature in the tank.

 

The room is 77 degrees Fahrenheit and I want the tank to be 78-80 degrees OR 68-70 degrees depending on what kind of fish I get. I was thinking of

1. 6-10 neon tetras, 1 female betta, 4-6 Rasbora hetamorphas. (78-80 degrees)
2. 3 koi fish (68-70 degrees)
3. 2 angelfish, 8-10 neon tetras, 1 female betta (78-80)

I’m probably gonna do 3 but your opinion would be great.

 

No less than 200w.

What about if the tank is a 30 gallons?
and which heater is better?

 

What about if the tank is a 30 gallons?
and which heater is better?

I would go for about 125-150w.
My personal choice is the Aqueon Pro Series. Best bang for the buck.
Mine is extremely accurate. It's set at 78°, and my temp hasnt fluctuated.

 

The room is 77 degrees Fahrenheit and I want the tank to be 78-80 degrees OR 68-70 degrees depending on what kind of fish I get. I was thinking of

If you go with the latter, how do you plan on getting the water cooler than the room temperature? Would you use a chiller?

 

If you go with the latter, how do you plan on getting the water cooler than the room temperature? Would you use a chiller?

Probably

 

I would recommend getting a 150w heater. 200w and higher heaters is for aquariums closer to 100 gallons and above which would be too powerful for your 50 gallon.
Most heaters have an adjustable dial to set your desired temperature.

I would not recommend a chiller for a few reasons..

1- chillers are expensive and must be committed to maintain them. (Ex. R134a refrigerant recharging, periodic hose connection checks, air filter cleaning, well ventilated space, etc.)

2- There is no reason to have a chiller and a heater working against eachother. There will be temperature imbalances with no way possible to control that.

3- Your aquarium is a little small to consider a chiller. You could if you really wanted to but size will affect accuracy with chilling

4- chillers are most commonly used for aquaponics and larger salt water aquariums to where the fish and live rocks are extremely sensitive to temperature fluctuations and desire a colder environment.

Hope this helps and I wish you luck with finding the right heater and your aquarium.

 

What kinda heater should I get then?

 

I wouldnt really focus so much on the make of the heater but don’t completely disregard it. You just want a reliable 150w heater. There are so many makes and models of heaters out there. I would recommend going with a brand that is well known such as Aqueon, topfin(by petsmart), Hydor, Cobalt, Ecotech Marine, etc.
While keeping the makes and models of heaters in mind, I would not recommend basing you decision solely on the make of the heater since different heaters have different functionality’s you might prefer better over another.
I would recommend just taking some time doing some research on 150w heaters and then compare your results to make a decision. That is what I have done with every piece of equipment I own to my name for all my aquariums.
Hope this helps

 

I think I’ll go with a aqueon 150w submersible aquarium filter. It has plenty of good reviews and it looks great. I also decided that I will have
14 neon tetras
7 corydoras catfish
2 plecos

 

I think I’ll go with a aqueon 150w submersible aquarium filter. It has plenty of good reviews and it looks great. I also decided that I will have
14 neon tetras
7 corydoras catfish
2 plecos

I’ll probably get some angelfish in the future

 

Get an Aqueon pro on line.
Guaranteed for life [they will mail 1 replacement ] and they are indestructible basically. They are an extruded aluminum tube encapsulated in a black plastic.
I have like 40 of them and I will say it is not worth skrimping on heater . One and done !
Aqueon also offers a chart [the only accurate reference ] like Piaelliott showed . Scroll down just past half way .

50g is 150 -200 watts depending on room temp .
If you can't find them for around $30 go to Kensfish.

 

Get an Aqueon pro on line.
Guaranteed for life [they will mail 1 replacement ] and they are indestructible basically. They are an extruded aluminum tube encapsulated in a black plastic.
I have like 40 of them and I will say it is not worth skrimping on heater . One and done !
Aqueon also offers a chart [the only accurate reference ] like Piaelliott showed . Scroll down just past half way .

50g is 150 -200 watts depending on room temp .
If you can't find them for around $30 go to Kensfish.

 

I’ve decided that I’ll have
1 Pleco
6 neon tetras
6 black neon tetras
6 harlequin rasboras
Possibly angelfish but as of right now I don’t think so

 

AI'm for 5-7*tank size, esp if you are keeping more sensitive species.