Has anyone ever seen any other type of heater for an aquarium besides the traditional tube shape? I am specifically looking for one that will fit in my sump. Problem is the water where I could put it is only about 8" deep. A tube needs to be around twice that long to provide heating for my size tank. The alternative is buying multiple small wattage heaters that are short enough to fit in there. I am also looking at inline heaters which may be the best option.
alternative shaped heaters?
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This may be a dumb question, but you know you can lay them down, right? The water in my sump is about 4" deep, and I have a 300W heater in there.
The sump isn't really big enough to lay them down. It has the sponge blocking the path. I had thought about cutting the sponge some, but that would allow a bypass that I don't want. It is one of these jobbies with the skimmer removed. I am going to look at the inline heaters after work today.
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I switched to Hydor in lines for my tanks and would not go back to using a standard heater except for a tank that is too small to use a canister filter on. The in line heaters do an excellent job of keeping temps stable throughout the tank and reduce in-tank clutter.
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OK, so it was a dumb question. :hihi: You never know someone's experience level is.
A lot of folks around here give those hydor heaters good reviews. The biggest drawback to them that I am aware of is that they reduce the flow. The nice thing about a sump is that shouldn't be an issue, presuming that you have a slightly over-sized pump.
How about this: It looks like you could cut a hole through the sponge and run the heater through it. I don't know that I would do it, personally, it seems like it could be a pain, possibly ugly, and probably impossible.
And, by the way, multiple smaller heaters are a great solution, if you're ok with the cost. Usually a smaller heater is just a couple of dollars less than ones twice their size, so you'd be effectively doubling your heater budget. The benefit to this is that you reduce the risk of 'cooking' your tank with a runaway heater.
No such thing as a dumb question. I appreciate the response. The pump in the sump is not big enough to run the heaters I looked at. They all need a min. of 200gph and mine is only running at 150 gph. I have been meaning to upgrade it since my bigger one went out a few months ago, but have not found one at a decent price yet.
The first chamber is not tall enough or wide enough. It is only about 12" tall. I have a couple smaller ones in there now with a small power head to keep the water moving. It is going, but just barely enough to keep the tank warm. They run pretty much constant.
The first chamber is not tall enough or wide enough. It is only about 12" tall. I have a couple smaller ones in there now with a small power head to keep the water moving. It is going, but just barely enough to keep the tank warm. They run pretty much constant.
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