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You could, albeit its way overkill. I would highly recommend getting a temperature controller like an inkbird. Its an extra level of safety should the heater fail. But its better to have smaller heaters, and multiple smaller ones for larger tanks. So if one fails it takes a long time to cook the tank, and you have a better chance of catching it. That and a controller is pretty safe. Try and find a 25w heater if possible though.

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On 7/29/2022 at 11:17 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Can I use a 100w heater in a 5.5 gal or is that too many watts?

Diagrams available on request. LOL.

Usually you run into issues where the heater won't actually be able to stay in the tank because it's too big.  There's a few things you want to always do with heaters no matter the situation:
1.  Put the heater where the actual flow is highest, especially if you have a plastic cage on it.
2.  Make sure the tank doesn't have dead spots and if need be use lower power heaters, but x2 of them to even out the heat (reduces hot spots, especially helpful for shrimp tanks)
3.  Add an airstone or pumphead if you're having issues with parts of the tank being very hot compared to other spots.

SO........ depending on the setup, it'll work. Higher wattage is usually determined by a few factors like your lid, tank size, ambient temperature difference, etc.

I have a heck of a time even finding a 50W heater, so for me it's always going to be a 100W+ or I'll end up with one of those 5-25W ones they sell for a betta tank.  When I do run heaters I also have the issue of the ambient air being insanely cold compared to where I need the tank at, requiring much higher wattages.  In that situation, it's necessary. 

Hopefully that helps, but I don't know if I really gave you the confidence to say "yep it's fine" or not.

 

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On 7/29/2022 at 3:55 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Diagrams available on request. LOL.

Usually you run into issues where the heater won't actually be able to stay in the tank because it's too big.  There's a few things you want to always do with heaters no matter the situation:
1.  Put the heater where the actual flow is highest, especially if you have a plastic cage on it.
2.  Make sure the tank doesn't have dead spots and if need be use lower power heaters, but x2 of them to even out the heat (reduces hot spots, especially helpful for shrimp tanks)
3.  Add an airstone or pumphead if you're having issues with parts of the tank being very hot compared to other spots.

SO........ depending on the setup, it'll work. Higher wattage is usually determined by a few factors like your lid, tank size, ambient temperature difference, etc.

I have a heck of a time even finding a 50W heater, so for me it's always going to be a 100W+ or I'll end up with one of those 5-25W ones they sell for a betta tank.  When I do run heaters I also have the issue of the ambient air being insanely cold compared to where I need the tank at, requiring much higher wattages.  In that situation, it's necessary. 

Hopefully that helps, but I don't know if I really gave you the confidence to say "yep it's fine" or not.

 

Imma need that diagram 😂

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On 7/29/2022 at 1:13 PM, FLFishChik said:

Imma need that diagram 😂

This is how I setup my 55 / 75G

blue lines would be the "dead spots" but having over-filtered the tank essentially makes sure the heaters themselves don't burn themselves out.

image.png.c83217c3866ed4de3ffbbb075292d8a7.png
Non-optimal setup

image.png.d439388ac558d972df9c83c30ead5a4b.png

This is why when you get to a certain tank size you end up with canisters with input on one side, output on the other size to balance out the flow. 

This all goes down the rabbit hole of "heat soak" and spots where the heater is really only functioning on a specific area.  Some heaters like the Fluval E series (and some others I'm sure) have flow meters in them so that when you don't have enough movement to cool the device itself, it warns your.  I do think it actually turns off the heater itself until you let it cool and reset it, also.

It's a nice perk to have on a higher end filter that I find myself using more than I'd like. Even with the "optimal" setup.

😂

Hopefully that Diagram was decent 🙂
giphy.gif.2c240806f1ffdc9db63d0ff9a4560b83.gif
 

Edited by nabokovfan87
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On 7/29/2022 at 1:34 PM, FLFishChik said:

Ok, so I have a hob filter on the right side of my tan and a sponge filter on the left side. So… am I good?

Yep! should be fine!

And if you don't have a super long tank, less of an issue entirely.

I wouldn't sweat it unless you had something like a 40B or above.

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Forgive the picture, I took it while while cleaning and planting the tank but I have a 100w in this tank as it was the only one that I could find in this compact size that has temperature control.
All the little ones just pump out 15w or 50w or whatever it is, continually and on warmer days the tank was getting way too hot. This is a 6g. As long as the heater will stop heating - a 100w is fine. 

D068F177-C9A7-494F-B90F-1277D5AA94E1.jpeg

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On 7/30/2022 at 9:21 AM, ccc24 said:

Forgive the picture, I took it while while cleaning and planting the tank but I have a 100w in this tank as it was the only one that I could find in this compact size that has temperature control.
All the little ones just pump out 15w or 50w or whatever it is, continually and on warmer days the tank was getting way too hot. This is a 6g. As long as the heater will stop heating - a 100w is fine. 

D068F177-C9A7-494F-B90F-1277D5AA94E1.jpeg

the main issue with a heater of too much wattage, is when it sticks on, and eventually it probably will, you get boiled fish.

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On 7/30/2022 at 9:35 AM, lefty o said:

the main issue with a heater of too much wattage, is when it sticks on, and eventually it probably will, you get boiled fish.

I’d agree with this. It is a risk, but all the smaller ones that I could find online and at stores, stay on 24/7. So if they are plugged in, they are pumping out that wattage no matter what. We have temp swings where I am so I need it at night, but that much wattage during the day is a problem, or if the central air quits while I’m at work, same problem. I decided to take the risk in needing to replace it once a year and having way too much wattage and so I gain control over the day to day and have head precisely when I need it through the fluctuations day to day. Everyone has to weigh the pros and cons and for me, possible future failure (that one can theoretically prevent by putting in a new heater every 12-18 months) is worth the day to day stability of the model that can turn itself on and off as needed minute by minute. 

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