Equipment Review and Discussion :: Do I need a new heater?

[Brianthedog18]

I have a heater in my 20 gallon tank right now, and honestly, I'm not sure what kind it is. But I'm upgrading to a 55 gallon soon. Do I need a 'stronger' heater or are they all pretty much the same?

[jenaero]

I think all heaters are different. I do know that on the packaging it'll tell you how many watts you'll need per gallon so you'll probably need to upgrade. Keep that one tho...you never know if you'll need it for a quarantine tank or somethin.

[marisa]

I use 5 watts per gallon of water as a general guide.

[industrial_girl_2000]

I don't know if this helps, but when I had my 55 gal, I used a 200W heater so I know you won't need anything bigger than that. The water level was all the way to the top of the tank, and there was a basking area above the tank. I was able to have the water be anywhere up to about 84 degrees (not that I had it set that way, but at least you have the leeway in case you have to turn up the heat in a cold house).

Good guideline about the 5 watts/gallon, thanks Marisa!

[jenaero]

I'm actually using a 200w for my 125gal..hmm

[Muirner]

i have a 300watt for my 55 gallon tank right now. It's a Rena Top Fin Ultra submersible heater. This way i can upgrade to a bigger tank and have the heater ready... I havent knowticed the water fluxuate from 78 sense i got the temp locked in. Now i just wanna install a cover on the left side of my tank so i can keep air temps up too.

[marisa]

I'm using a 400-watt heater on my 110-gallon stock tank.