I've looked everywhere and can't seem to get a good idea of what to do. I can't find heaters that would be sufficient and yet small (short) enough to lay in my sump. I have 2 corner overflows (bottom drilled), my idea is if I put a heater in each overflow of the DT and I run the temp probe on the wire for the wave maker, would that give any false readings? Would it be okay to do that?
Heater and probe
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Technically, yes. However, if you have a leak from the bulkhead then the heater will be exposed to air which can lead to overheating and possible damage to heater and piping. Another issue exists in that the flow in an overflow except for the top (above pipe intact) will likely not be sufficient for efficient heater use. This will likely have the heater on for longer than you intend.
Additionally, I like to have a two probes - one in my main tank display and one in my heater section of the sump/AIO. One is for keeping fish alive, the other is for making sure my heater is operating properly.
If you were not using the overflow for moving water to a sump and had the bottom sealed and a small pump to ensure good flow (essentially making the overflow a small AIO setup), then those concerns above are removed.
I don't prefer titanium heaters (just get too hot on surface too fast) but they are a great option to pack a lot of heating in a small space and I would definitely use one in your situation.
Good luck.
Additionally, I like to have a two probes - one in my main tank display and one in my heater section of the sump/AIO. One is for keeping fish alive, the other is for making sure my heater is operating properly.
If you were not using the overflow for moving water to a sump and had the bottom sealed and a small pump to ensure good flow (essentially making the overflow a small AIO setup), then those concerns above are removed.
I don't prefer titanium heaters (just get too hot on surface too fast) but they are a great option to pack a lot of heating in a small space and I would definitely use one in your situation.
Good luck.
+1 to all of the above.
I run a pair of 350w titanium heaters which are much smaller than any glass heater I've used and seem much more efficient at transferring heat. The smallest heaters will most likely need a controller which you appear to be all over. Regarding this, there is no need to run the probe(s) near to the heater. There are benefits to doing it this way but having them seperated can also be useful if you run a controller with heating time warning.
When flowing, the water temperature is pretty stable throughout the whole system and can easily be tweaked up or down if you need to correct for any difference.
I run a pair of 350w titanium heaters which are much smaller than any glass heater I've used and seem much more efficient at transferring heat. The smallest heaters will most likely need a controller which you appear to be all over. Regarding this, there is no need to run the probe(s) near to the heater. There are benefits to doing it this way but having them seperated can also be useful if you run a controller with heating time warning.
When flowing, the water temperature is pretty stable throughout the whole system and can easily be tweaked up or down if you need to correct for any difference.
The heater probe should always be in the same water compartment as the heater (Preferably upstream of the heater). The overflow is not a good place for various reasons.
2 or 3 smaller heaters are better than 1 large heater.
Always use a controller, and never the heater’s built in thermostat.
2 or 3 smaller heaters are better than 1 large heater.
Always use a controller, and never the heater’s built in thermostat.
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Late to the discussion but I just added a pair of finnex 300 watt titanium heaters that are only 10 inches long.
This is not gonna work because at some point your return pump will either fail or be shut off, and the overflow boxes will drain down over sometime maybe even a couple hours eventually leaving the heater air bound which will overheat it and damage it and possibly damage your tank
It depends on you tank volume and ambient temperature?
What did u end up doing? My heater is in the weir but I’m thinking about moving it to the sump as the temp seems to inconsistent atm.
I ended up putting the probe in between the baffle of the filter socks and protein skimmer, and put the heater where I marked on the previous photo
Nice, I’ll be moving my heater today it just doesn’t seem to hold its temp in weir and fluctuates too much. The heater is big and my sump is small that’s why it is where it is, but when I did originally have it in the sump the temp was consistent.
Whatever prove controls the heater needs to be with it.
What controller do you have?
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