Is it a bad idea to have a heater that is too big?

Hi,

I was just wondering if it is bad idea to have a heater that is too big.
For example, I have a 26 Gallon bow-front, and the recommended heater size is approximately 100 Watts. But I was wondering if it is okay to a 300 Watt in it. It would be the Fluval E Series 300 Watt.

Also, my room gets pretty cold in the winter time.

And the only reason that I'm asking this question is because I can get a really good deal on a 300 Watt Fluval E series.



Thanks

 

It should work fine,

 

You don't think that it's too many watts, I saw a post were someone was had a 16 gallon tank and they were wondering if a 300 watt heater was too much and people said that it was a bit overkill as the heater would have to turn off and on very frequently, because of how powerful it is. But you don't think that it is overkill on a 26 gallon?

 

A 300w can easy do a 60 to 75 gallon,. Look at it this way, if the house heater broke the 300w would still keep the tank warm. An oversized heater doesn't have to work as hard so it should last longer. The Fluval E resets itself 100 times a minute so turning on and off is not a problem. And they're make to turn off if the heater malfunctions.

 

You're sure? I'm just really concerned because I've read quite a few posts saying that a 300 Watt heater is even overkill for a 55 Gallon, let alone my 26 Gallon.

 

It is overkill and capable of doing a much larger tank. The only time overkill would come into play is if the heater sticks on and cooks your fish. If you use a 150w which is the right size it will take 3 or 4 hours to cook your fish, with a 300w it will take about half that time. So if your lucky enough to be watching your tank if this happens, you have some extra time to react and chances are you won't be there if this happens.

 

Okay thanks I've decided not to go with the 300 watt

 

It is overkill and capable of doing a much larger tank. The only time overkill would come into play is if the heater sticks on and cooks your fish. If you use a 150w which is the right size it will take 3 or 4 hours to cook your fish, with a 300w it will take about half that time. So if your lucky enough to be watching your tank if this happens, you have some extra time to react and chances are you won't be there if this happens.

3-4 hours is an insignificant amount of time anyway. If you're worried about the heater sticking on then don't buy a garbage heater. Buy two smaller good quality heaters. Or get a heat controller.