# Heater for 10 gallon tank...how many watts?



## tf1265 (Jul 26, 2011)

I keep getting different wattage numbers when I try to figure out what heater to buy for my 10 gallon freshwater fish tank. 

I haven't needed one so far because it's been very warm out - most of the summer I've been trying to cool down my tank. It's starting to get cold enough at night that the tank water temp is dropping to around 70 degrees.

For a 10 gallon tank, how many watts should my heater be? Is there any harm in getting a heater that might be slighter more powerful than I need? It seems like 75W is ideal, if a got a 100W that's meant for a larger tank, but has manual temp adjustment with automatic heat will that do harm or make the water TOO warm?

My home heat is set at a steady 68 degrees during the winter, which means I will in theory need to raise my water temp about 10 degrees, less during the day when I have the lights on (i've noticed the lights alone raise the temp of my water almost 5 degrees if left on). 

Advice? Thanks!


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## Strand (Jul 20, 2011)

Ebay is your friend here. I got a 100w adjustable heater for 15 bucks shipped. 

It's an "Aquatop"


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## flowerslegacy (May 10, 2011)

I agree with @strand! I have two 10-gals and the 50W heaters that came in the kits are too weak. 100W adjustable is perfect.


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## k19smith (Aug 19, 2011)

I got one in the mail I ordered today from kensfish.com for my 10g it was $10, I love that place.


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## tf1265 (Jul 26, 2011)

Funny...I was browsing ebay when I decided to double check the wattage on this forum. Hopefully it'll work out!! Thanks for te advice, I went with a 100W.


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