Heaters

[jason sartain]

OK I've seen some talk about heaters and I wondered what everybody uses and if you have had problems in the past.I have been using the marineland 250 and 300 watt heaters for a while and I decided to test them with a meter.Well 5 out of 6 were throwing voltage into my tank.So I want to get some new heaters that don't have this problem.
Any suggestions?

 

[jennm]

Any heater can fail.

Ebo Jager gets high marks, and I've been using Aqueon heaters (the former All-Glass Aquarium brand) with good results.

I suggest that systems should be checked periodically for voltage - and heaters should be replaced every few years.

Jenn

 

[budsreef]

I use/used Stealth heaters with no problems but have started swapping them all out with Azoo Titanium ones primarily because they have an indicator that shows when they are actually heating. As Jenn said, any heater can fail and one of my new ones leaked and tripped the GFCI.

 

[jennm]

I've had zero luck with Titanium heaters. Good idea, but I suspect they are all originating from the same overseas factory... I have done away with all mine, as those that hadn't already failed, were "due" to.

Jenn

 

[corigan]

Ebo Jagers have always been pretty solid. I have been using them on and off for 20 years. However I have heard of some stuck thermostat reports on them, but I think this will happen to any heater. I don't understand how we can't get quality heaters built, they all seem to have flaws in one way or another.

 

[jennm]

andregarcia_73;427318 wrote: I have had the same issues with heaters but again its just about checking and replacing them periodically. I just bought a hydor heater so I hope its good.

A Theo?

Rut-roh...

 

[jennm]

 

[cr500_af]

andregarcia_73;427318 wrote: I have had the same issues with heaters but again its just about checking and replacing them periodically. I just bought a hydor heater so I hope its good.

I wish you luck. Mine was garbage... threw no voltage but set on 79 it heated my Brute water to 92.9. Run off a controller they may be OK, but I'd personally never trust their thermostat again. It was not stuck "on", it was just that far out of calibration. Hydor said it was fine, but the Brute was too small a container. I didn't realize that heaters had a volume sensor, I thought they operated off of water temp... silly me.

 

[jennm]

Great minds, Barry - I just linked your thread about that

Jenn

 

[jason sartain]

Jenn are these fully submersible?

JennM;427289 wrote: Any heater can fail.

Ebo Jager gets high marks, and I've been using Aqueon heaters (the former All-Glass Aquarium brand) with good results.

I suggest that systems should be checked periodically for voltage - and heaters should be replaced every few years.

Jenn

 

[jennm]

Yes.

 

[tjherman]

After having heater thermostat issues on an old Hydor... and some corals freaking... and a sick fish... I switched to the Aqueon brand as suggested by Jenn. So far, so good! Only a 2 or 3 temperature swing during the day with the lights on -- great compared to the temps the Hydor heater used to try to boil my fish.

 

[hackman72]

cr500_af;427322 wrote: I didn't realize that heaters had a volume sensor, I thought they operated off of water temp... silly me.

It's funny how manufacturers will make excuses that are obviously BS. Even if you had 2, 300 watt heaters in a brute set to 79, after they shut down, there will be residual heat as the heater itself balances to the water temp. But, it wouldn't hit 92.9 on residual cooling.

 

[cr500_af]

Hackman72;427377 wrote: It's funny how manufacturers will make excuses that are obviously BS. Even if you had 2, 300 watt heaters in a brute set to 79, after they shut down, there will be residual heat as the heater itself balances to the water temp. But, it wouldn't hit 92.9 on residual cooling.

Exactly. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was actually set to 77, not 79 now that I think about it. It wouldn't hit 93 after shutoff in a 2-liter Coke bottle I'd bet.

 

[smoothie]

I hate those heaters. HATE

 

[hackman72]

andregarcia_73;427388 wrote: Its the THEO UL HEATER 300W. Which one should I get then?

2, 1000 watt MH and a chiller

 

[jason sartain]

Very true,but I need heaters to keep it stable with the lights off.

ares;427350 wrote: best heater Ive found is so much freakin wattage of lighting that you dont need no stinkin heater

ol faithful hah

 

[tjherman]

ares;427350 wrote: best heater Ive found is so much freakin wattage of lighting that you dont need no stinkin heater

That worked well during the summer for me, no heater necessary because the water temp stayed right on at night. Now since I don't run hardly any heat in my house, it'd get down to about 65F in the tank at night without a heater.

 

[enderg60]

As I have said before, all heaters suck! I trust not one glass heater period, titaniums and stealths are better because they do not break. But every single heater will throw voltage and the thermostat will go bad.

titaniums thermostats go bad if you look at them funny.

I prefer the Titaniums that dont have a thermostat (usually 500w and over) but the price keeps me from getting them. So I get more lower wattage stealths.

Bottom line, use a controller not matter what, and get a multiple heaters that wont shatter.

 

[cr500_af]

Same here... since there are no really good choices, I just have two Stealths running off a controller, and I check for voltage from time to time. If one of us could develop a truly quality heater that didn't cost $100 this club alone could fund their retirement!

Then again, where's the business sense in marketing something that the customer only buys once? Sarcasm, of course.