Are heaters worth the RISK?

[snowmansnow]

I've read a lot of threads about heater malfunctions resulting in very bad things.

So.. over the last year.. my current 120 tank and the one before... I haven't had a heater up and running at all.

With the number of pumps, and the amount of heat that my lights produce my temp stays between 77 and 80 without any temp control whatsoever.

my home is temp controlled 27 / 4, and I live in NE alabama where the temp is fairly mild.

why run a heater and risk boiling everything with a faulty controler or thermostat?

so.. what does your tank temp fall to with NO heater? Is your heater even needed, or is it just a liability?

B

 

[mojo]

Temperature stability is the most critical component in a reef tank, IMO. I can see someone not wanting to go with the expense and hassle of a chiller, but a heater? Even on cool summer nights, my heaters may come on a couple times to keep the temperature at a stable 78 degrees.

If you're concerned about it that much, get several undersized heaters, so that you shouldn't lose more than one at a time? Ie- get three or four 50w heaters for your 120g tank, and set them all to 78 degrees.

Also- It's very rare that a high quality temperature controller may fail. The built-in thermostats in heaters, yes. Something like a Ranco or a high end controller will likely not fail. Lastly, you could have a separate temperature alarm, as a secondary backup.

But either way, I wouldn't go without a heater...

 

[snowmansnow]

your point is valad of course.

all im saying is that if the electricity stays on with pumps all running my temp WILL NOT fall below 77 with the particular volume of water I am dealing with.

With that fact, why WOULD I want to risk a heater malfunction?

Now in a power failure..in winter... for a few days... probably.. but even then a heater wouldnt help any way.

 

[mojo]

My tank requires the chiller with everything running, even in the winter. Without the lights, it can get down to 72 at night in the winter.

Some people don't run with skimmers, and some don't run with sumps, but I can't imagine running a reef without those either. If it's not worth the risk to you, then don't do it - you don't need to convince the rest of us if you have your mind set on it.

 

[snowmansnow]

not trying to convince you not to run a heater on YOUR tank. I think its a valad question "are heaters worth the risk".. and your answer is clearly yes.

fair enough

 

[snowmansnow]

all that being said.. if i had a failsafe heater... i dont guess id mind running one for insurance purposes

im gettin a RK in this week.. with temp probe.... is the RK temp probe a reliable temp control for a heater?

Im not ANTI heater

 

[mojo]

They've been known to have problems, although I ran a couple for years without issue.

One failsafe you can do is to set the heater's thermostat just slightly higher than your controllers, so that if your controller goes haywire, the internal thermostat will (should) turn it off.

 

[jaustin]

I do not run a heater at all. No need for one with my setup. If i did run one I would set it's temp to 80 and then hook it up to a ranco controller set to 78 or so. And it's a good idea to change out your heater regardless of condition every year.

 

[grouper therapy]

I run a heater for the stability of the temp. my tank does not drop below 77 but I don't want it to go from 81 to 77 in week more less in a day. Heater attached to a ranco set at 79 cooling device at 80

 

[snowmansnow]

it would remain stable as long as the lights came on, even if the sump was out of the equation. I've had it running for a week before with no sump while I did some work on it.

There are a TON of what - ifs

In my particular system I can't think of another item that could nuke the entire system if it failed like a malfunctioning heater. (as long as it is caught in a day or so.. but thats true with everything i guess)

I guess you have to choose WHAT you will gamble on.. not IF.

 

[mojo]

dawgdude wrote: Well what will happen if a major pump or current heat source dies? What will your tank drop to if your return died?

I finally solved that "main pump" problem the other day. I'll post pictures soon. Summary: two pumps tied into the same return line. Works beautifully.

SnowManSnow;394402 wrote: In my particular system I can't think of another item that could nuke the entire system if it failed like a malfunctioning heater. (as long as it is caught in a day or so.. but thats true with everything i guess)

Kalk/Nielsen reactor... it takes less than an hour... :sick:

 

[snowmansnow]

YES! TOUCHE!

kalk reactor

It is tied into my Osmolator though so it would have to get stuck ON.. instead of failing to work ( kinda like a heater eh haha)

I DO have a float switch alarm that would alert me to this if my ATO was running too much.. BUT I would have to be home for it to work.

Hmmmm... Can I tie the RK into the float switch somehow to automatically cut off the ATO power?

B

 

[rbredding]

SnowManSnow;394407 wrote: YES! TOUCHE!

kalk reactor

It is tied into my Osmolator though so it would have to get stuck ON.. instead of failing to work ( kinda like a heater eh haha)

I DO have a float switch alarm that would alert me to this if my ATO was running too much.. BUT I would have to be home for it to work.

Hmmmm... Can I tie the RK into the float switch somehow to automatically cut off the ATO power?

B

yes, Digitalaquatics sells a float switch assembly that plugs right into their SL1, SL2, or SL5 modules... (but you'd have to buy at least an SL1 module in addition to the base model RKLight)..


you could always purchase a "dumb" titanium heater that requires a separate temperature controller... no danger of that thing sticking on due to it's own "cheap" temperature controller.. (you'd connect it to your RKL and use that as your controller)

 

[glxtrix]

On my 140 I don't run a heater....I do have 2 in there, but they are only there for winter time, and just in case the tank dips too low. At night time though my tank rests at 79 and with lights on 82. My nano however, definitely has a heater on it. that's one tank I want as stable as possible.

 

[bobz]

In my opinion, the risk of not having a heater (or heaters) far outweights the risk of a failiure of a heater and over heating (especially is large volumes of water). I made the mistake of running my display with out a heater, and having my heaters on controllers in the sump and refugium. I was away one weekend during the winter and the return pump failed. The 210 display had circulation from the vortechs but the temperature swings between night and day were probably fairly dramatic (can't tell you the nums since I was not home) and affected my corals. I lost several large colonies. I'll always have a heater of some sort on a contoller (either my rKE or the ranco type) in both the display and the sump.

 

[ralph atl]

mojo;394403 wrote: I finally solved that "main pump" problem the other day. I'll post pictures soon. Summary: two pumps tied into the same return line. Works beautifully.

I would like to see this. hummm......I have a mag 7 and a mag 5, will that work, or would they need to both be the same?

 

[mojo]

mysterybox;394538 wrote: I would like to see this. hummm......I have a mag 7 and a mag 5, will that work, or would they need to both be the same?

In short, no. Stay tuned for details.