Spare Heater

[fishmanphil]

I'm looking to buy a spare heater for my 110l tank. It currently has a 100w one, but looking at prices there is no difference between a 100w and a 200w.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages of going for a 200w heater?

 

[Akasha72]

none that I can think of! If you buy the larger wattage and decide to upgrade the tank at a later date then your covered 

 

[fishmanphil]

thanks, I was thinking that, plus, I suppose a 200w would work less hard in maintaining the tank temp

 
I'm not too clued up when it comes to watts, amps, ohms etc

 

[Akasha72]

me either really ... bit of a girl when it comes to stuff like that! Got common sense by the bucket load though and that gets me through lol 

 

[fishmanphil]

give me common sense anytime

 

[Akasha72]

shame it's not that common anymore! lol

 

[Byron]

Your thinking, Phillip, is actually correct.  The higher the wattage, the less hard a heater has to work in the same tank.  And this means less wear and tear on the heater, and less chance of a malfunction.
 
In a 110 litre (roughly 30 gallons) tank, I would use no less than a 150w heater.  Or a 200w.  So if buying a new one, I would get a 150w or 200w and use it as the heater, keeping the 100w as a spare.
 
Byron.

 

[fishmanphil]

Thanks Byron

off to the shop tomorrow.

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

In my experience, you should not oversize your heater. In the chance that it fails on, a higher than necessary wattage heater can cook a tank full of fish.

 

[Byron]

In my experience, you should not oversize your heater. In the chance that it fails on, a higher than necessary wattage heater can cook a tank full of fish.

 
This is true, but I have also had a 50w heater in a 33g tank do the same.  It remained on during the night and in the morning a tank of dead fish.
The higher wattage heaters tend to be more reliable.

 

[fishmanphil]

According to the Juwel website, a 100w is standard for my tank and a 200w is compatable so I should be OK with the 200w.
 
Thanks for all your advice

 

[Ch4rlie]

I always go by a rule of thumb that for each litre of water you need 1w of heater, minimum. Certainly in UK where its not so warm as USA and AUS etc.
 
As Byron says, for a 110l tank, I'd go no less than 150w min, and max, a 200w heater.
 
The higher the wattage, the less work the heater has to do to maintain a tank at your desired temperature so therefore will last longer than say a 50w heater whihc would basically have to be on constantly to keep water at temperautre.
 
Failing heaters are becoming less common, especially those of half decent brands, but is does happen.
 
And one last proviso, I always buy a NEW heater from LFS or online, I do not trust second hand heaters, no idea how old they are, how long has been in use and difficult to tell if working or not until its actually in water.