Hi, I have a new 6ft tank and am in the process of setting it up for tropical fish (silver dollars + others). Do I need one heater (and if so where do I put it?), or two on opposite sides of the tank? As the tank was 2nd hand, I already have one 300watt heater.

Hmmmm, Annagh

what gallon is it? (width/height?) the rule of thumb is 5watts per gallon. it might be different for huge tanks, but a 300 would be good for a 60 gallon so most likely you'll need another heater.

The smallest 6' standard tank I'm aware of is 125 gallon and a 300 watt isn't enough for it. For a tank that large, you really need dual heaters and filters too, one on each end. Minimum wattage is 3 wpg but as mentioned, 5 is better. Filtration is one that will process the water a minimum of of 5 times per hour but 7 or 8 is better there too. I would definitely go with canister filters (a pair rated 400 to 500 gph each) and you might want to look into the inline heaters. They work with the canister filters and is less hardware hanging in the tank.

It works out to be about 80 US gallons (if I've done my caluclations correctly), 6ft long x 1.16ft wide x 1.64ft height. I hadn't thought of two filters, and I like the idea of inline heaters. Can I get those at a LFS? Will have to look around

Cheers,

Annagh

personally I don't like 'in line heaters' as that is just 2 more pipe connections that have the potential to fail
using 2 in lines would make 4 more pipe connections thus quadrupling the chance of a catastrophic failure.

is it possible to have a sump on your tank?
that way you can customise the sump to your own filtration needs and keep the heaters
(I'd say at least 2x 300W or 3x 250W) out of the tank.
also a sump would add an addition gallonage to your overall tank gallonage
more water = more stable enviroment.

if a sump is not possible
I'd go with 3x 300W heaters (one at each end) and either one or two cannisters rated for that gallonage.

another possibility might be a pressurised pond filter, like a hozelock bio-force
but that would depend on your stocking plans. if you don't plan on large messy fish like common plecs
that would be overkill.

my 400ltr tank has 2x 300W and 2 cannisters (eheim classic 2215 + tetratec ex1200)
but I do wish I'd gone the sump route now

i'd say two 200w heaters, or 300 if you wish. and a sump.

Never heard of that tank size before. A standard 125 is 72" x 18" x 21". In either case, I think dual filters and heaters is best simply because of the tank length. As for the inline heaters or any equipment for that matter, they are much cheaper if you order them online. You will probably save 40% to 50%. It's been a while since I bought filters last but when I set up my 75 gallon, I got both my filters online for only slightly more than what I would have paid for one of them at Petsmart. Here is the thread from back then.

well i must say the fish keeping world is full of things that don't exsist, from your point of view rdd1952. tanks can and do come in all sizes. Boss,in the uk, make tanks of any size, for not much extra cost, as all their tanks are made to order, though perhaps you know better! can't you just take what the poster says instead of trying to contradict him?

I didn't say the tank didn't exist. I said I had never heard if it before and that it wasn't a standard tank size. Do you know every tank size ever made? I certainly don't.

like you i do not. so why comment on it? it was of little relevence to the thread, as the poster had given us the size!

In any tank 55g or over I would use 2 heaters with both half the watts of what the tank would need.

Much safer that way.

Maybe the line about the tank size had absolutely no relevance to the thread. The rest did.


But this one is relevant. I seem to miss the connection.

boboboy, this isn't about you and me and who knows more or doesn't know anything. I was simply trying to offer advice on purchasing online vs in store and relate a personal experience as an example. What does it matter that I made a statement about the tank dimensions and whether it is standard or not? I certainly hope the poster took offense with it as she made no comment, why should you. I certainly wouldn't if it were my thread.

that's what make forums so much fun, everyone is different. my comments are still valid though. IMO END!

Thanks to everyone whose replied, I don't know if my tank is a standard size or not, I bought it second hand and I know the original owner had to have the stand and light specially made for it.

However, back on track, what is a sump in relation to a fish tank? I've never heard of one before, and what does it do exactly?

I plan on keeping silver dollars in my tank, along with some other fish.

In metric, my tank dimentions are L 183cm, W 35.5cm, H 50cm. Volume 324.83ltrs

With those dimensions, your tank is 85.8 gallons. So with the rule of 50 watts per 10 gallons (I think), your tank would need a 450 watt heater. Since you already have a 300 watt heater, I would just get another one. IMO having two heaters would give better distribution of heat with a bigger tank and if one heater every failed or broke, the second one would be there so you don't have a single failure point.

Good luck setting up the tank.

Thanks Wendy,

I'm really excited about it and can't wait to get fish into the tank. As it was second hand, when I got it, it was really dirty, so have spent lots of time cleaning, rinsing and repairing. Wish I'd taken before and after photo's now, oh well. My dad has done a fantastic job sanding the stand and hood back, and re staining them, they were really badly stained, and looked awful!!!

Yeah, second hand tanks are the right price, but boy are they alot of work. Nice score on having your dad sand and re-stain the stand.