DaveP

Good to hear from someone with the same tank. The COOP article says three 100-watters for a 75 gallon. But I'd really rather not buy three and my tank is more than double the size. I'll be putting them into a sump. Both sump and tank are acrylic. I like the idea of two both for back up and to limit overheating from a malfunction. But I'm also interested in the concept that we all tend to overheat our tanks. I'd like to at least try temps in the low to mid 70s for African cichlids. So if I go the two under-powered heater route, what size heater do I need for a 180 gallon in a 69 degree basement room? I'd like to get temps up to around 74-75ish.

I'm trying to figure the minimum size heater I need for a 180 gallon aquarium in a basement room that is 69-70 degrees F and will contain African cichlids. The post on heaters does not address aquariums of that size and I'm finding conflicting information - 3 watts vs 5 watts/gallon - elsewhere. I understand that two heaters rather than one large one may be best. Is it?