Heater, filter and light for your tank
Build a stock in the planner and this sheet sizes the equipment for it: heater watts from the temperature the fish share, filter flow from the heaviest feeder, and light from the dimmest-loving species. Below is a worked example; your own plan replaces it.
- Tank
- 80 x 40 x 37.5 cm
- Usable water
- 102 L
- Heater
- 75 W
- Water temperature
- 25 C
- Filter flow
- 610 L/h
- Flow style
- Medium
- Light
- 510 to 1,530 lm
- Light class
- Dim
Why these numbers
Heater. Every fish here is comfortable between 24 and 26 C, so the heater is set near 25 C. The size comes from the gap between room and tank temperature, then rounds up to a heater that is sold in that wattage. For a big gap, two smaller heaters are safer than one large one.
Filter. The filter should turn the water over 6 times an hour at its rated flow, scaled by the flow style. Your fish disagree: some prefer still water and some a strong current. Aim for medium flow and give still corners with plants or décor. Real output is lower once the media is dirty, so rated flow above the figure is no bad thing.
Light. The dimmest-loving fish sets the class. Give brighter fish a lit end and the others shade from floating plants. Lumens are a planning range for the whole tank, not a measurement at the water.
Stock on this sheet
- 10 x Neon Tetra
- 6 x Bronze Corydoras
- 2 x Freshwater Angelfish
Rough planning figures, not guarantees. Check the spec on the box.
Where the plan comes from
The sheet reads the tank and stock from the address of the planner page, so a link to your plan keeps working. Nothing is sent anywhere. The sums and their limits are explained in how the checks are made, and the stocking verdicts live in the planner.