Lets talk heaters....

[DMD123]

Lets talk heaters, what are you using what do you like or dislike about them.

I will start with my set ups.

300 gallon with two SERA 250watt
Like: Small and compact, heater guard included, no problem keeping the large tank heated
Dislike: After a few years seeing water/fog inside but still running

65B with 300w Fluval E Series
Like: Modern looking, heater guard, accurate... sort of, see dislike, exceptional suction cups
Dislike: Heater guard prevents proper reading and can sometimes make it so heater will not heat if it does not have good circulation. Tried two 300w in the 300g and it would not get temps up or keep them.

65B with 250w Aqueon pro
Like: Good looking, unbreakable heater, Good warranty that I have had to use now
Dislike: one unit has died in about a year and a half of use. No issue with warranty and they sent out a replacement. Question long term life span, already seeing jacket on cord by heater in the water looking like it has got too warm and seeing little pin holes in the cover

lets hear about what your using or like the look of when it comes to heaters

 

[FishBeast]

Nice writeup @DMD123 ! Great topic too.

My heaters:

4 or 5 Aqueon pro heaters ranging from 150 to 250 watts (made in Italy, not the new Chinese ones).
Like: Very accurate temperature, shatterproof plastic housing, LED is green when not heating so you know it's on, red when heating
Dislike: Numbers are extremely hard to read!

A 500 watt Finnex Titanium heater with a digital controller.
Like: Titanium construction (shatterproof), accurate, digital controller cuts power if heater malfunctions (less risk of bouillabaisse)
Dislike: Expensive

A couple of Eheim Jager heaters in the 25-75 watts range.
Like: German engineering , ability to recalibrate if accuracy is off, CHEAP (I bought at PetSmart on sale and they price match their website).
Dislike: HUGE! even smaller wattage models are quite long. I have to orient them diagonally to fit. ACcuracy can vary wildly and would have been a deal breaker if I wasn't able to recalibrate.

I used to use the small Aqueon preset ones but not anymore after one of them stuck on and heated my blue velvet shrimp to 98 degrees (they survived).

 

[DMD123]

Thanks for that @FishBeast, appreciate the reviews.

Ive been looking at that Finnex Titanium with controller for the 300 gallon. I was thinking to run two 300watt instead of a large solo.

I was going to mention on the Aqueon that was replaced under warranty was the older 250w pro. The replacement in the new 300w that I believe is the Chinese made. I have not used this one yet, I had another 250w pro as a back up and put it in my 65B and this is the one showing pin holes in the wire covering.

 

[FishBeast]

Yes redundancy is good I think especially for a tank that big! Glad they honored the warranty.

 

[sir_keith]

I now use Eheim heaters exclusively in all my tanks; have never had any problems over many years of use. German quality.

On the other hand, Marineland heaters are the absolute worst, in my opinion. They have a 'lifetime guarantee,' so when they quit working, usually after a few months, you can get free replacements, but this gets old pretty quickly. And when one gets stuck 'on,' and parboil all your fishes, that is small consolation. I once lost an entire breeding colony of Tropheus due to a Marineland heater malfunction. Never again.

 

[FishBeast]

I now use Eheim heaters exclusively in all my tanks; have never had any problems over many years of use. German quality.

On the other hand, Marineland heaters are the absolute worst, in my opinion. They have a 'lifetime guarantee,' so when they quit working, usually after a few months, you can get free replacements, but this gets old pretty quickly. And when one gets stuck 'on,' and parboil all your fishes, that is small consolation. I once lost an entire breeding colony of Tropheus due to a Marineland heater malfunction. Never again.

Ouch! Thanks for the real world feedback! I was about to get Marineland heaters at PetSmart then I saw bad reviews on Amazon and got spooked.

 

[Betty]

I had an Aqueon Pro heater boil a tank of P. demasoni a few years ago. I had several running and a lot of them malfunctioned over time -- I usually notice before the fish come to harm, but sadly it was too late for the demasoni. The company was good about replacing them, but I don't trust any heaters any more. Just have to pay close attention.

 

[DMD123]

I remember a time where Marineland had their stealth line of heaters that received high praise. My understanding is that it was an Italian based design and quite good. Of course to save money they changed production location or something like that and then there was the huge Marineland heater recall. I heard that the Aqueon Pro was based off that older Marineland stealth design. Seemed as if the first couple years of that design worked okay but not seeing a lot of good reviews on the Aqueon Pro any longer.

This is really motivating me to do a separate controller and heating module.

 

[Betty]

I had some of those stealth heaters go bad too! I had forgotten about those. On a couple of my heaters that have stopped working, I have seen water come out of where the cord goes into the heater. These were fully submersible heaters. Also, on some other brands that you can see inside through the glass, I've noticed beads of moisture. That can't be a good thing.

 

[DMD123]

I had some of those stealth heaters go bad too! I had forgotten about those. On a couple of my heaters that have stopped working, I have seen water come out of where the cord goes into the heater. These were fully submersible heaters. Also, on some other brands that you can see inside through the glass, I've noticed beads of moisture. That can't be a good thing.

Yep it worries me when I see that moisture inside the heater. This is why Im looking for replacements for the SERA heaters in the 300g. They still seem to work great but it does worry me...

So I am looking at a brand called Catalina on Amazon. They have a limited amount of reviews but all seem good. They have a controller for around $45 and then I would do a 300w Finnex Titanium heater with guard. While the controller can handle two of the heaters, I was thinking to do two separate controller/heater combos as a safety measure. Very unlikely for one to overheat the tank on its own without me catching it.

Not sure if theses pictures will show:

Catalina 800w combo

Or the controller and Finnex heater combo.

 

[fishguy1978]

Ya, I like da Eheim day have dot yerman engine yearing dat is so over da top. Like, is dat a rocket in your tank. Oh, no dat is just my 50w Ebo Jaeger. I know it's huge, like her say.

 

[DMD123]

Eheim heaters are huge! Ive used them in the past, havent had one in some years now. Maybe I should try one again in my 65B... The one negative thing I will say is that they need to improve their suctions cups. They never lasted that long before I had to buy replacements. If some Fluval suction cups could be modded to fit it would almost be a perfect heater for me.

 

[FishBeast]

I had an Aqueon Pro heater boil a tank of P. demasoni a few years ago. I had several running and a lot of them malfunctioned over time -- I usually notice before the fish come to harm, but sadly it was too late for the demasoni. The company was good about replacing them, but I don't trust any heaters any more. Just have to pay close attention.

That's literally the classic aquarist nightmare! Boiled fish. One option is a temp controller that cuts power to the heater. It can get pricey to have one for multiple tanks though.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/?tag=wafishbox-20

 

[FishBeast]

Yep it worries me when I see that moisture inside the heater. This is why Im looking for replacements for the SERA heaters in the 300g. They still seem to work great but it does worry me...

So I am looking at a brand called Catalina on Amazon. They have a limited amount of reviews but all seem good. They have a controller for around $45 and then I would do a 300w Finnex Titanium heater with guard. While the controller can handle two of the heaters, I was thinking to do two separate controller/heater combos as a safety measure. Very unlikely for one to overheat the tank on its own without me catching it.

Not sure if theses pictures will show:

Catalina 800w combo

Or the controller and Finnex heater combo.

I've had great accuracy with the Finnex combo!

 

[DMD123]

I've had great accuracy with the Finnex combo!

I have been looking at these seriously but just am not sure.... love the thought of going down to a single heater and do a solo 800 watt, especially since the heaters themselves are almost the same price whether you go 300, 500 or 800.

The Catalina combo also is appealing to me in the 800w version.

I just need to pull the trigger.

 

[FishBeast]

I found one that is heater only... For $25. Might be a reasonable "peace of mind" and second layer of safety for our tanks. I think to use this with a heater one would set the heater thermostat to max and let this thing run it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M6WMUYI/?tag=wafishbox-20

 

[DMD123]

Ive heard a lot about the Inkbird recently, seem to be good.
I was considering this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PHPSYMN/?tag=wafishbox-20

Or this brand intrigued me: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V4TJR00/?tag=wafishbox-20
I like that it has replaceable probes but they are bright white

For me its not really cost but dependability. Just want a 'set it and forget it' heater

 

[FishBeast]

I have been looking at these seriously but just am not sure.... love the thought of going down to a single heater and do a solo 800 watt, especially since the heaters themselves are almost the same price whether you go 300, 500 or 800.

The Catalina combo also is appealing to me in the 800w version.

I just need to pull the trigger.

The Catalina looks like it has great reviews too... I don't think you'd go wrong with a single 800 for you tank.

 

[DMD123]

The Catalina looks like it has great reviews too... I don't think you'd go wrong with a single 800 for you tank.

Probably pull the trigger this weekend on something...

I had almost forgot to mention that at one point I had used in-line heaters by Hydor. The first generation units worked very well. I had two 300 watt units custom plumbed on an FX5 and they heated my old 210g perfectly. They updated these and the newer units failed on me and I stopped using them. I do still have the old ones in a box, maybe I should pull them out of retirement and custom plumb those into by tank. Too much work! Will likely just get a different heater.

 

[DMD123]

@FishBeast, How long have you had your Finnex combo?

Was looking at reviews on the JBJ brand and many complaints on the temperature probe going out and response from the company to buyers was that the probe should be replaced yearly. I know the Finnex and others use a non-replaceable probe... Thoughts on this?

The Catalina I am looking at is non-replaceable too.