Heater in the sump?

I am upgrading from 55g narrow to 135g cube. This will be my first tank with a sump. Before I've done hang-on stuff only.

The sump is pretty big. It's actually a 30x30x18 tank with compartments for skimmer, return, fuge and top-off reservoir.

Question are:

- Do I still need heaters in DT? Or can I put heater in sump only?
- Which compartment does heater go into?
- What heater(s) would you recommend for setup of above size?

Thanks.

 

The sump is where I put my heater. I've got a fuge compartment and it's in there. My thermostat is placed at my drain, figuring that's the coldest part of my tank before it goes back down toward the heater. I keep the heater at 78, and my temp in the DT generally stays around 76-77.5.

 

Lots of possibilities, Most put their stuff like heaters, etc, in the sump if they have one.

Be careful if you have an acryllic, or even a platic sump like mine.

I've read several posts of people doing water changes, forgetting to turn off their heater(s), and burn a hole thru the wall whnen the water level is down!

It's rare, but it's happened more than once.

 

I have two heaters in my 55; both in my sump. One is in the first section (skimmer), the other is in the second (refugium). More due to space constraints than anything, otherwise I would prefer them both in the same section. Both are controlled off of my controller (temp taken from my overflow). Both turn off during water changes

Edit: The biggest concern is that if your return pump ever failed, you would not heat the DT, just the sump.

 

Answers:

- Put your heaters in the sump.
-I'd put it in the section that your return pump is in or anywheres you have room.
-The size of heaters you'd need would be 250-300Watt.