Heating a 75 gallon tank

NewFishFiend

Wondering how long it takes for water in a 75 gallon tank to heat up with a heater for up to a 100 gallon tank. We set our heater to 79 after we filled the tank up. The water was at 74 last night and is still at 74 now and the heater only comes on for a few minutes at a time. Is this normal? I figure its gotta heat up slowly but this seems too slow. Is the heater malfunctioned? Its a Pen-Plax Cascade heat

MoneyMitch

their might be a problem with the thermostat inside the heater, is ur heater placed vertically liek up and down or horizontally left to right? do you have water movement to circulate the water around the tank? i know my hob is on one side and i have a smaller circulation pump on the other side to make sure the water is evenly heated. i use the stealth line and have trouble keeping my water cool enough.

NewFishFiend

Its vertical and near the HOB filter. The tank was just set up yesterday. It is a 300w heater. I'm wondering how good of a product Penn Plax makes.

AbbeysDad

The temperature settings on most heaters are relative but not absolute. I would increase the setting slightly, waiting several hours in between adjustments until the desired temperature is reached. My Aqueon Pro heaters are set around 80 to deliver 77F.
Also, I use two heaters in my 60g (200w and 250w) to ensure consistent operation.

Romad

+1 on the two heater option. I've got one at each end of my 75 gallon and it works like a charm.

ZivaD

Yep - +1
Also, what is the actual wattage rating for the heater, the "up to" guidelines can vary from company to company, so knowing the actual rating can help.

AbbeysDad

The OP indicated it's a 300w heater which should be fine assuming avg room temperature. (Basically need 3-4 watts per gallon at room [72F] temperature.)

NewFishFiend

Well it took it awhile and i had to turn it to 86 but it finally got to 80. I ordered a marineland heater yesterday too so i will install that too when i get it
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Byron

Now that the tank is warm...does it need to be this high? No mention is made of fish species, and 79/80F is pretty warm for many of them.

And BTW, welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

Byron.

NewFishFiend

Well we havent stocked it yet but the ones we know for certain will be our black neon tetras and our 2 angelfish
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