Wierd Thermometer Readings

[whip]

I was always told three to five watts per gallon. Three was minimun and the five was ideal. 55x3 is 165, So a 200 watt heater should be fine. However, if it is a low quality heater, that may be the problem.

 

[Durbkat]

No the heater is from Marineland which from what I hear they have good products. Actually the measurements of my 55g is 4' from left to right X 13" from front to back X 21" from top to bottom so what would the wattage I would need for the tank?

 

[tidytourniquet]

I have always heard its 5 watts per gallon, so that would be 275 watts. But as long as your heater keeps the temp and a good enough temp then I think its fine