Startup water too cold

[TriMax]

My tank, 375g, is almost full of RO/DI water.

I have not started my sump pump or my closed loop pump.

I do not have the MHs ready yet.

I have a 250w heater going.

My water temp is 62deg F.

I will get LR - uncured - in on Wed.

What do I do about the cold water before I can get the MH going?

Everything that might still be alive on the LR will die at 62deg, right?

Do I order more heaters? Cancell the LR? Need help before the rock is shipped Monday.

Thanks

Eddie

[Runner]

Sounds like your tank is at ground water temperature right now. How long have you bee running the heater? I assume not long because you are still filling it. What is the room temperature where the tank is located? The tank will at least be room temp plus a degree or three by the time Wednesday rolls around.

Your tank will heat a little more if you start up your pumps. Large pumps heat better than an extra heater.

[waynesworld]

too bad your so far I have 4-5 extra heaters you could use there should be someone there that have some old ones laying around

[EvilMel]

Hey Eddie, you have no pumps going at all? That could be part of the problem. If you have no pumps going then there's probably not enough circulation past the heaters to make them very effective. I would do this:
a) if possible, hook up that closed loop and see what the temp gets up to overnight with your existing heaters.

b) go down to petsmart and buy a couple of power heads and a couple of extra heaters (I personally like EboJager, but Scott may have another story to tell, and I am not sure if they are sold at Petsmart or maybe only at the the Aquarium or Coral Reef), then see what that does for you after a few hours.

I would imagine that not alot of stuff that is going to be alive at 80 deg is going to like 62 deg very much.

Maybe some of these guys will let you borrow some heaters. I only have one extra one and I use it every weekend (ok Art, sometimes every other weekend) to heat up saltwater for the water change. Anyone around here got a couple of heaters they want to let Eddie borrow?

[Runner]

I have a 150W that runs no mater what the water temp that you could borrow. :D But I am pressed for time this weekend and might not be able to get it to him.

I agree with Mel that water circulation will help you out.

[RCS]

Eddie, if you've got time, you're more than welcome to swing by and borrow my 500w Titanium heater for the time being. It's in my tank but not hooked up.

[TriMax]

Fred

I am afraid that me little heater and the two pumps are not going to be enough. If its ok with you, I can come by Sunday afternoon. If so, let me know what time would be best for you.

Thanks

Eddie

[cee]

Eddie:

To raise 375 gallons by 15 degrees requires 13.2 kW-hr of energy. So, with a 250 W heater, it will take 52 hours assuming no heat loss (can you insulate temporarily with styrofoam?). Probably double it to account for heat loss, so you've got plenty of time before Wednesday. I know that's probably not much help, but I thought it was kinda interesting...

Dave

[TriMax]

Dave

Yea, that made me feel lots better.

Eddie

[RCS]

Just give me a ring, I should be around most of the day.

[waynesworld]

hay one other choice is heet some water out of the tank on the stove that would get it hot quick:smokin: :mixed: :mad2:

[TriMax]

Well,

Fred has let me borrow his 500w titanium heater. By the time the shippment gets here, Thursday, the water should be about 80+ deg.

Thanks Fred.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Eddie

[reefstyle]

For the furture the rule of thumb is around 3-4 watts per gal . dennis

[imsqueak]

Originally posted by reefstyle
For the furture the rule of thumb is around 3-4 watts per gal . dennis
I get away with running 2 300w heaters. I keep them btwn the baffles in my sump.

And multiple heaters are better than 1 big one-just in case you get one like runner did that goes bad and stays on all the time. I guess with a chiller hooked up now it wouldnt be a disaster but would keep the chiller running more than needed so there's one more thing to add to the "to do list" - check the heaters to make sure they are not running all the time.

[RCS]

It may also depend on a lot of other factors (room temp, type of aquarium, open or closed top, amount of water movement, other heat-emitting pieces of equipment used, etc.).

I've found overall that titanium and most other non-glass heaters can be used in the 2-3 wpg range or even less sometimes, depending on the application. Since they don't need to cycle on and off like glass heaters do, they tend to heat faster and more effeciently.

I also (as stated ) don't use a heater in my tank, as the pumps, halides and room temp keep it solid within a 2-3 degree range 24/7...but I wouldn't recommend 0 watts/gallon as any reliabel rule of thumb. :lol:

[reefstyle]

Fred makes some fine points, I still use the 3-4 watts per gal just when helping people find a heater(its like 3-10 watts per gal when buying lights, it falls under each tanks is different, its just a old school way to guess). Room temps can change also to a high or very low temp. There are as many problems in the summer
with tanks getting to cold. The heaters are best used to keep temps stable. If the heater has to work to much it will not last as long and most important take forever to heat the tank up if the heater is to small when you need it the most. I would find a temp control unit and use a chiller and large enough heaters to run the tank. Heaters are there just for backup not used unless needed the same goes for chillers. If we all had great temps all the time there would be no need for a chiller or heater. I thank having a heater is a great rule of thumb:lol: dennis

[gflat65]

Even in the summer, with lights out, my tanks try to drop down to ~73 at night without a heater, so I have to run them for peace of mind.

[RCS]

At 73 I would definitely use a heater...unless it only got up to 75-76 during the day, but that's still a little on the cool side.

I've found that most of my heat comes from my pumps, as the temp only drops to 79-80 at night even with the halides off (open-top tank and the lights are a good 7-8" off the surface). If one of my pumps quits, then I've got worse problems than worrying about the tank temp (such as how to mop up all the water).

[EvilMel]

Yeah I do think that the best option for you Eddie, if you are getting a chiller at some point soon, is to get a dual stage controller that will control your heaters and chiller in one unit. That way you could get a humongous heater (or even better a few smaller ones hooked up to a power strip) and wouldn't have to worry too much about it getting too hot. You could keep it within the 1-2 degree temp range with both heater and chiller connected together, though honestly my heater rarely ever comes on.

[CaptainDave]

I just hooked up an Aquacontroller Jr, and am extremely pleased with it. Two-stage temperature control, in addition to TONS of other stuff. I'm not sure how much temp controllers are, but you might look into the Jr - Premium has a group buy going in their sonsor forum right now where you can get the Jr, a ph probe, and a DC8 (8 outlets controlled) for 275 shipped.

Just a thought.

[EvilMel]

Eddie...how is is going with the temps???

[TriMax]

Mel

LR is in the tank. Temp is about 78 holding good. Hope to redue plumbing and install Charles's 55g glass sump tomorrow. Haitian rock looks good, I think.

Eddie

[EvilMel]

Good to hear!