Yea that's a good way to look at it but in the winter I now have to run an extra heater and a DEhumidifier! :roll: With my electricity bill i'm suprised i havent got the cops burtsting through my door as well :lol:

Wow Canadian man, maybe you should bring in your aquarium from out side for the winter.... lol (J/K) wow thats a lot of heater going on. I find my MH keeps my tanks up to temp during the day and at night a 200 watt heater each takes care of them.... mind you I'm only running a 72 and a 77 gallon.

BCOrchidGuy
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Yea well my basement get's almost as cold as outside durring the winter. The basement sump in an unfinished basement contributes to the extra heaters :roll:

Durring the day only 1 to 2 of the heaters is on when my lights are on but it's the night time that's a kicker. The 175w halide on my sump dosent contribute much to the heating situation.
I never have to buy a chiller though :wink:

Hmmm maby your next DIY should be to build a room around your sump and stuff downstairs.. insulate it and heat it.. :wink:

Steve

Bryan, the 3MD is the pressure model and fan cooled. My 4MD non pressure model was as Tony says. Cooking hot casing. Thats why I only use the fan cooled now, regardless of noise.

Mitch, your point is a good one. Thats one reason why I was switching my beckett back to a Mag24 from a Mak4, before I sold it.

I do have a pair of 250w heaters running but in my case the wood stove runs pretty well all winter and keeps the tank, my wife and my dogs toasty warm.

My 400w halides also do a good job in the day, but at night with sump, two large 1 1/2in. overflows and an open top 225, it can get pretty cool.

Oddly enough last year through the winter I couldn't get my basement temp above 68 degrees and that was with TWO 1500 watt heaters going. I had an electrician friend come in and wire in a 220 volt circuit just for heating my aquarium room. I gave up on 65 tanks because I would have had to had a seperate heater in every tank.... $$$$$... Now I have a 400 watt MH and between the lamp and the ballast my room hits 82 degrees during the day, and doesn't drop below 72 at night, and I don't still have the heaters on.
I was shocked to find out a MH lamp and ballast make a more efficient space heater than ... well.. space heaters do...