Aquarium Heater Calculator V1.11

This calculator determines the minimum size heater required for a given tank size and difference between the desired water temperature and the room temperature.

It implements the equations found in the Aquarium Thermodynamics chapter of Aquatic Systems Engineering by P.R. Escobal.

This program is for information purposes only, the author assumes no responsibility if you make fish ice cubes or fish stew with your tank by following its advice.

Tank dimensions

Please use decimals for entries, not fractions (i.e. 0.25 instead of 1/4).

Sides		Walls
Length	Units inch cm	Top thickness:	Units inch mm
Width		Wall thickness:
Height		Bottom thickness:

Notes:

If you are not sure about the dimensions of your tank, see the web pages of standard tank sizes [English units] [Metric units] in a separate window.
The model only works for aquariums with a top.
A typical glass top thickness is 0.125" (~3 mm)
Typical wall and bottom thicknesses:

10 gal (38 L)= 0.125" (~3mm)
30 gal (114 L) = 0.188" (~4mm)
55 gal (208 L) = 0.25" (~6mm)

The thickness is of the wall/top of the aquarium only (not the entire light hood).

Tank (wall) material

Glass
Acrylic

Bottom support

Wood
Felt
Open bottom

Notes:

This is what the bottom of the aquarium is sitting on.
The model assumes that all four walls and the top are uninsulated.

Temperature difference

Difference between room temperature and desired tank temperature

Temp. Diff.	Units:
	°F
	°C

Notes:

If you keep your house thermostat at 68°F (20°C) and you want your tank at 78°F (26°C), this value would be 10°F (6°C).

Source code?

How does this work?
I think the math or results are wrong.
The site is too boring, I want pretty colors.
I'm an l33t h4x0r 4nd w4n7 2 oW3r yUr s1tz.

Click here for the source code.

Thanks to NetMax for debugging and helpful comments.

Aquarium Heater Calculator V1.11

Tank dimensions

Notes:

Tank (wall) material

Bottom support

Notes:

Temperature difference

Notes:

Source code?

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Genesis 1:20-22