Reservoir heaters/aquarium heaters

[NorthofEngland]

I am considering buying an aquarium heater to warm the water/nutrient solution in my Wilma res.

The advice on the heaters says:
"USE 1 watt of power to every 1 litre of water"
but the 140litres capacity of my res varies from a maximum of 140 (very rarely this full) to a minimum of 15 to 30 litres.

Some of these aquarium heaters allow for desired temperatures to be inputted, they have thermostats, but do they self regulate and adjust to temperature??

I am interested to hear from anyone who has used equipment to warm the liquid in their hydroponic reservoirs.

 

[superstoner1]

DONT DO IT. Having colder than normal temps is much better than introducing something that will create a pocket of much warmer water around it that just begs for slime to start growing. The only time I ever lost a plant was due to thinking I needed a heater in my cloner. I almost lost 5 of my strains that time.

 

[Illegalbreather]

Hey North!!!

Yes, if you get one with a tstat it will certainly maintain the temp it's set at. I purchased one for my reservior and took it out a short time later. I keep my grow room at between 75 and 80F. I have read that you never want your reservior to go above 71F. Sooooooo, since my grow room is so warm (and the reservior is located in the grow room) the water temp climbed on its own. I took the insulation from the bottom of the floor, which is located under the plywood where the res sits, in an attempt to keep the res a little cooler than the room. So far it has worked. I change the res water every week and the water temp out of the well is 63F in the winter so it takes a few days to heat up, when it gets above 71F I am ready to change the water again.

My only question, which I need to research, is what the bottomline temp should be. I didn't worry because the well water temp was high enough, but if you lived somewhere where the temp is extremely low, this would be problematic.

I purchased the heater at WalMart, the lowest setting was 70F. Hope this helps.

 

[Illegalbreather]

Oh, another setup I noticed, someone used an insulated cooler (ice chest) to keep their res water in. I will be purchasing one soon, I think it's a great idea!!!

 

[Ibex]

Why are you heating your rez?

My rDWC chiller was set to 65 with a few degree increase assumed in the plumbing and buckets.

Wrap you rez in reflectix to insulate it.

But if youre set on it, yes they work with an interal thermostat and will shut off and kick on as needed. I had an expensive fish hobby for awhile. The lower the water temp the higher the dissolved oxygen content the water can hold. Thats why plants and fish die in hot water.

 

[superstoner1]

My tap water is 44* and goes straight into the res.

 

[NorthofEngland]

My tap water is 44* and goes straight into the res.

I have a 220lt barrel that collects rain from my roof.
I mix 60% rain with 40% tap to create EC0.2 water (my tap=0.5).
and a 50lt barrel that I prepare feed solution in (I always complete and check it before it goes in the res)

January in Northern England can be cold
The temps are hovering around 0 outside
and I try not to use the heating because I need to keep the bills from skyrocketing and attracting the attention of the energy company.
(They inform to the police if they notice certain patterns).

 

[JohnDee]

NoE,
I used a titanium salt water aquarium heater in my ebb and flow res. Yes, the thermostats are self regulating...I mean that's what thermostats do, right?

You will need a submersible one...not all are. Aquariums tend to have a stable fill height where hydro reservoirs don't. I would try and refill your res more frequently.

The airstone keeps the temp uniform throughout the res and I never had algae or root rot. The res should be covered. Seem to recall I kept mine set in the high 60s through the winter. Didn't need it once the weather warmed up.

Ebb and Flow is a well aerated system and not at all prone to root rot. Maybe for DWC it might be better to keep water cooler.
JD