Heaters

EnglishRebel · 12/10/2008, 12:30 PM

I will be installing a 200 gallon display and will have a 30 gallon sump and a 30 gallon refugium. The sump and refugium will be in an equipment room in my basement that is generally around 50-55 degrees year round (maybe 65 in the middle of summer).
I know that you should not rely on one heater so here are my questions.[list=1][*]Should I use two or three heaters in the sump?[*]The heaters I see in the online stores have their own temperature controller. How do I set up the heater controllers? Do I set each one at a different temperature[*]I will be using an AC III controller. How do I integrate this with the two or three heater controllers?[/list=1]
Thanks for any help as I'm totally new to this hobby.

tspors · 12/10/2008, 12:45 PM

Hello, I have a 150g in my living room, with sumps and pumps in the basement. I live in Wisconsin (so you get a temperature idea). I have 1 500w Azoo Titanium heater in the sump. It is set at 77. It rarely ever comes on. I have 4-96w dual actinic lights and 3 150w MH. They keep the tank at 80.5 during the day and it drops to around 78 at night. So depending on your lights you may not need a heater.

Playa-1 · 12/10/2008, 06:59 PM

I would probably set up a couple of 300 watt heaters. I would put one in the DT and one in the Sump. You can set one at 76 and one at 77. You could also split the wattage among 3 heaters if you want. I like to keep one in the DT just in case of issues with the return pump when I'm not around. The way that I integrate my controller is to set up a failsafe with the controller that kills the power to the heaters anytime that the tank temp goes over 80 degrees. I've got MH on the controller too so that the controller will kill the power to the MH's if temp gets up to 85 degrees. The chiller kicks in at 86 degrees.

mg426 · 12/10/2008, 08:25 PM

I use a dual stage Ranco controller to turn on my Heaters(which are in my refugium) at 78 degrees and turn on fans at 81 degrees.

EnglishRebel · 12/11/2008, 06:23 AM

So you are saying get a couple (or three) heaters and hook them up to a single controller (Ranco) and then have the AC-III turn the power to the controller off if the temperature goes above the setpoint. I checked the Ranco and I see that it can only control one heater and one cooler. How can I control two or three heaters set a different temperatures with a single controller. Sorry about my confusion but although I'm an engineer I'm new to this hobby.

der_wille_zur_macht · 12/11/2008, 07:34 AM

You don't necessarially need them set to different temperatures. Half the reason to have multiple small heaters instead of one big one is to lessen the impact of a failure - if you have one 500w heater and it gets stuck on, you're in big trouble. if you have three 200w heaters and one gets stuck on, you've got a safety net.

Of course, if you're talking about using a heater plugged into a temp controller plugged into a reef controller, you've already got three (!!!) levels of failsafe, since each of those three devices will be able to (try to) turn off power to the heater if need be.

epstein · 12/11/2008, 08:32 AM

I agree with Der.......go with 3 heaters independently plugged in with separate controllers ....and have then in your sump.....Use the smallest heaters feasible......That way if one sticks on you will not have a huge meltdown

I utlize 2 in my 92 corner

Brian

12/10/2008, 12:30 PM	#1
EnglishRebel Retired Rebel Reefer Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Triad NC Posts: 1,902	Heaters I will be installing a 200 gallon display and will have a 30 gallon sump and a 30 gallon refugium. The sump and refugium will be in an equipment room in my basement that is generally around 50-55 degrees year round (maybe 65 in the middle of summer). I know that you should not rely on one heater so here are my questions.[list=1][]Should I use two or three heaters in the sump?[]The heaters I see in the online stores have their own temperature controller. How do I set up the heater controllers? Do I set each one at a different temperature[*]I will be using an AC III controller. How do I integrate this with the two or three heater controllers?[/list=1] Thanks for any help as I'm totally new to this hobby. __________________ Alan "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. " Sir Winston Churchill praising those young RAF pilots. August 20th 1940 Click on my name for drop down list and select "Visit EnglishRebels Home Page" for my build thread. Current Tank Info: 60x30x24 200G AO custom glass tank, basement equipment room, 30G and 55G Fuges, LifeReef sump & 30" skimmer.

12/10/2008, 12:45 PM	#2
tspors Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Appleton, WI. USA Posts: 774	Hello, I have a 150g in my living room, with sumps and pumps in the basement. I live in Wisconsin (so you get a temperature idea). I have 1 500w Azoo Titanium heater in the sump. It is set at 77. It rarely ever comes on. I have 4-96w dual actinic lights and 3 150w MH. They keep the tank at 80.5 during the day and it drops to around 78 at night. So depending on your lights you may not need a heater. __________________ Everything is Good with Moderation. Current Tank Info: 150 Gal Oceanic, 30g Sump, Gen-X PCX-150 2250 gph, Red Sea Clasic Turbo Skimmer, 18w Turbo Twist UV, Ocean Clear Filter w/live rock, Several Buckets,

12/10/2008, 08:25 PM	#4
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	I use a dual stage Ranco controller to turn on my Heaters(which are in my refugium) at 78 degrees and turn on fans at 81 degrees. __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

12/11/2008, 06:23 AM	#5
EnglishRebel Retired Rebel Reefer Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Triad NC Posts: 1,902	So you are saying get a couple (or three) heaters and hook them up to a single controller (Ranco) and then have the AC-III turn the power to the controller off if the temperature goes above the setpoint. I checked the Ranco and I see that it can only control one heater and one cooler. How can I control two or three heaters set a different temperatures with a single controller. Sorry about my confusion but although I'm an engineer I'm new to this hobby. __________________ Alan "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. " Sir Winston Churchill praising those young RAF pilots. August 20th 1940 Click on my name for drop down list and select "Visit EnglishRebels Home Page" for my build thread. Current Tank Info: 60x30x24 200G AO custom glass tank, basement equipment room, 30G and 55G Fuges, LifeReef sump & 30" skimmer.

12/11/2008, 07:34 AM	#6
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	You don't necessarially need them set to different temperatures. Half the reason to have multiple small heaters instead of one big one is to lessen the impact of a failure - if you have one 500w heater and it gets stuck on, you're in big trouble. if you have three 200w heaters and one gets stuck on, you've got a safety net. Of course, if you're talking about using a heater plugged into a temp controller plugged into a reef controller, you've already got three (!!!) levels of failsafe, since each of those three devices will be able to (try to) turn off power to the heater if need be. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

12/10/2008, 06:59 PM	#3
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	I would probably set up a couple of 300 watt heaters. I would put one in the DT and one in the Sump. You can set one at 76 and one at 77. You could also split the wattage among 3 heaters if you want. I like to keep one in the DT just in case of issues with the return pump when I'm not around. The way that I integrate my controller is to set up a failsafe with the controller that kills the power to the heaters anytime that the tank temp goes over 80 degrees. I've got MH on the controller too so that the controller will kill the power to the MH's if temp gets up to 85 degrees. The chiller kicks in at 86 degrees.

12/11/2008, 08:32 AM	#7
epstein Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: NYC transplant now in CT Posts: 1,501	I agree with Der.......go with 3 heaters independently plugged in with separate controllers ....and have then in your sump.....Use the smallest heaters feasible......That way if one sticks on you will not have a huge meltdown I utlize 2 in my 92 corner Brian __________________ I'd Rather be a failure at something I love , Than a sucess at something I hate . George Burns Current Tank Info: 150 DD Cube / 100 Gal Sump(basement) 30gal cube frag tank plumb Panworld 250ps return/ Reef Octopus SRO3000 Skimmer/ Bubble Magus Doser/Lumenmax reflector with 400 watt Radium bulb Ice Cap Ballast Apex Controller 2 MP40wes 2 gyre 150