Heater recommendations

[oldschool52]

Hey guys - I have been trying to decide what brand/type of heater to get. I am really satisfied with the Marineland heater I have in the sump for my 72g Bow. Since I set it up I have had this heater (150w) for this tank, recommended by a LFS. It has never skipped a beat. Tweaked once the day after setup - about 5 months ago and have not touched it since. Maintains tank between 79 and 81. Most of the time 80. Of course I use a digital termometer to monitor temp.

On 2 other tanks I have a 150w piece of Wal Mart garbage on each. It told myself years ago, (32 years ago to be more specific, when I had a cheap heater on a freshwater fishtank that stuck - "ON". Brought tank to 98 and cooked about $200 of freshwater fish. I swore I would never do that again but here I go, wanted to set up tanks and was running out of money so I thought I could give these heaters a try. Well I tried them and the best thing they are good for is warming up newly made saltwater. They usually hold the temp between 77 - 80 but then for no apparent reason they either drop to 71 or go the opposite way to 86. If you try to slightly adjust you can almost be sure to have them spaz out. If one did it I would say, "well I must have gotten a bad one" but both do the same thing. They are just Chinese pieces of Wal Mart crap.

Sorry for venting but it's my own fault for buying the crap in the first place. What I'm looking for from you guys, since I do value your experiences, is what do YOU use and what are YOUR personal experiences and comments on the different Mfgs. Looking for 100w - 200w heaters, definately totaly submersable.

Thanks guys, ahead of time, your knowledge is appreciated.

 

[oldschool52]

Thanks for the quick reply - exactly the kind of info I'm looking for.

 

[oldschool52]

Looks like blu_devl_06 and I are the only ones that use heaters. I love this club and forums and rarely ask for help. Disappointed that he is the only one that would offer his oppinion.

 

[fishgardener]

I use stealth heaters abnd have been hapy with them. If they have trouble(my son had one with issues) the co. sent him a new one. If you go online to PetCo they are much cheaper(print out the price) and Petsmart will match the price and you don't have to wait or pay shipping. That's what I did. I had a glass heater before. It blew up in my tanks and contaminated everything. Luckily I was in the room at that moments(on computer) so I was able to rescue everything. All organisms survived. Another member had the same experience, but was not home when it exploded. He found it several hours later, lost nearly everything. I would never use a glass one again myself.
Sheryle

 

[coolsurf]

I bought a Hydor to heat my change water quickly and have never had a problem (keep in mind I only use it twice a week for about 2-3 hours). However there are quite a few members on this site that have had some serious issues with them such as the temperature control sticking wide open and cooking their tanks. I use a Marineland on my cichlid tank and have a stealth unit for one of my salts. No issues with either.

 

[oldschool52]

Thanks for the info guys.May look into heaters that have control outside of tank and/or titanium. As long as it is NOT MADE IN CHINA. (Stealth is MADE IN ITALY) But was thinking that even though it seems like a great idea, of having the contol outside the water, if you have a good reliable heater, once you get it set you shouldn't have to screw with it. So far The best heater I have used is the Marineland Stealth. I read about 50 or more reviews on a few websites and about 45 were positive, the few that were not were mostly way to small of a heater for their size tank. The only real con by most is that the Stealth does NOT have an indicator light to let you know that it's on, I have same issue. Also, one guy said he bought a few for a cheap price and wanted to see how tough they were and wacked it on his table. Still worked perfectly.

 

[elfloyd]

I'll use two 200w Finnex titaniums in my 90. These will be controlled by an AquaController Jr. to prevent over heating should the heaters fail.

 

[oldschool52]

Thanks, I'm leaning towards the Stealths. Since I have the one that has worked perfect from day one I'll probably stick with them. Like my signature line says, "If it ain't broke don't fix it"

 

[oldschool52]

I've been researching the Finnex and they look great. Don't know if I want to spend that kind of money. Need 3 heaters 0ne at 150w to 200w and two 100w or better. Might even get a 2nd heater for 72 just in case. I'll run them both as I know I'm pushing the Stealth 150w for the 72. It has never skipped a beat. Kept tank at 78 - 79 when heater in house bit it during the night compressor went out in heat pump). Got to under 65 in the house but the Steath kept the tank warm.

 

[elfloyd]

I bought the cheap Finnex... $25.95