# [Wet Thumb Forum]-titanium heater opinions



## imported_molahs4 (Feb 3, 2003)

My heater is starting to conk out- I have to adjust it every couple days to keep the same temperature.

Anyone have any particular type that they swear by? I hear good things about Ebo-Jagers, but the titanium looks nifty. I don't want to get too hi-tech/expsive here. No coils, cannister deals, or anything like that. Just a good, reliable tank heater.

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See my profile for tank specs.

[This message was edited by molahs4 on Thu March 13 2003 at 09:41 AM.]


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## imported_molahs4 (Feb 3, 2003)

My heater is starting to conk out- I have to adjust it every couple days to keep the same temperature.

Anyone have any particular type that they swear by? I hear good things about Ebo-Jagers, but the titanium looks nifty. I don't want to get too hi-tech/expsive here. No coils, cannister deals, or anything like that. Just a good, reliable tank heater.

===================
See my profile for tank specs.

[This message was edited by molahs4 on Thu March 13 2003 at 09:41 AM.]


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

I use Ebo-Jagers and have nothing but good to say about them--I did succumb to one of those little titanium jobs a couple of weeks ago, though, but with everything that's been going on I haven't set it up yet. The Ebo I'll replace it with is working fine and I had too much else to do. I like the idea of having the temp control outside the tank, and they are very compact and pretty neat looking. They are more expensive, however. If your main concern is reliable and not too expensive, you can't wrong with an Ebo.

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## jpmtotoro (Feb 13, 2003)

i'm using some visitherm ones. they are pretty cheap, but seem to do a fine job keeping the tank at a stable temp and they've been running for about 2 years i think. i think... don't get the cheapo bottom line, and you probably don't need the most upper end either, i'd say grab a mid to upper-mid level one and just run it. i dunno though, i've never actually had a negative experience with a heater, most of mine last quite a long time, but i don't think they get used all that much (not too many external forces changing the tank temp). never put all that much thought into a heater... actually the cheaper ones i have bought have crummy suction cups, that ticks me off


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## imported_molahs4 (Feb 3, 2003)

It sounds like it's not really a big deal- get something decent and it will work out ok.

I can get a titanium heater for about the same price as an Ebo-J. Is there any benefit to one over the other?

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See my profile for tank specs.


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## imported_molahs4 (Feb 3, 2003)

Anyone have an opinion on titanium heaters? Will a 300w work in a 90 gallon?

As a separate question, is any type of heater more energy effecient than the rest?

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See my profile for tank specs.


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

All heaters use resistance to generate heat. In this they all consume the same energy.

I have some titaniums, but they hardly ever come on. I can say that they are easy to use and are considerably smaller. There is also no glass to break and the control circuits are solid state. The price is only a few $ more than regular. Personally I didn't see the need for the LED displays.

In my tank the lights do all the heating. I need a chiller more than a heater. This demonstates that all aquariums are different and planted tanks a stranger still.

When trying to determine the heater size keep in mind that room temperature and tank temperatures ary. You wnat to know what the extremes of that temperature change is. The larger the difference the larger the heater.

I succombed to a standard aquarium calculation that said 5wpg. In a cold basement with tropical fish this might be good. In my 72F house it is overkill. Then add lights on top of that. With 330w of light over my 100g tank I can turn off the heaters and hit 88F. I have fans and an open top to try and keep the temp around 82F

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LIGHTS ARE HEATERS
****************************************

I would suggest just a couple wpg that may come on at night when the lights are off. 300w will work in a normal house on 90g planted with plenty to spare. Two (100w or 150w) would be better as it provides redundancy if one were to go out and minimizes the size if one sticks on.

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## Brucifer (Feb 3, 2003)

I have a titanium heater (the Pro Heat II). I chose this particular one because I wanted the LCD display. You can see the temperature display from across the room.

I've hidden it as best I can in my tank by placing it along the bottom edge at the back. I rearranged my tank to try to grow a wall of rotala indica in front of it.

Since the controller is separate, this is probably an ideal heater to try to rig in a pipe in a canister filter's outflow.

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20 gal; 50/50 Flourite/Tahitian Moon sand; AH Supply 1x55 W kit in custom canopy; pressurized CO2 w/ Mini Vortex reactor; Fluval 204 w/ FilterMax III prefilter; Pro Heat II


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Well besides selling them, I use three of them. I had one unit fail after two months...Won Brothers replaced it immediately no questions asked...I just had to send the defective unit back to them.

While we are on this subject...all the vendors I deal with Aqua medic, Won brothers, JBJ, whoever, are very good about their warranties and exchanges. As a courtesey to me and you, most will do cross shipments, sending a replacement unit to you without waiting to get the unit back from you before shipping...however if someone fails to live up to their end of the bargain and send the defective unit back, they hold ME responsible and charge me for the unit.

Several people, including a couple of people here have failed to do this. I will no longer allow my vendors to do cross shipments for warranty exchanges. I can not afford to pay for peoples lack of responsibility. Blame these people, not me. Over the last two years, I have only had a handfull of people who got defective merchandise, but half of them failed to return the defective product even after they recieved a replacement free of charge...not even paying shipping.

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com


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## Tenor1 (Mar 3, 2003)

There are some issues with the titanium heaters that should be considered. The units can damage acrylic tanks if it makes contact due to the intense heat. If it can cause that type of damage then there is the possibility of it cooking a fish. These units are best used with glass tanks. One of my LFS's discontinued selling them because he had a 3-per-3 return rate for failed units due to faulty quality control. This doesn't fair well in recommending these units.

The original question is asking for favourite brands. We've had a Ebo-Jaeger heater in use for (I think) over twenty years without problem. So obviously it gets my vote. Ebo and Visi-Therm use 2-micron thick glass tubes. This is important during water changes, as they don't seem to crack if left plugged in. At least that is my experience. 

Molahs doesn't mention his tank size and this has a bearing on how many to heaters to get. It's best to get two heaters for tanks over 75 gallons for a couple of reasons,
1. Units can be placed at opposite ends of the tank to reduce temperature variations throughout the tank.
2. If a unit should fail there the other unit will prevent a sudden drop in temperature over a short period of time. You would notice the temperature slowly dropping giving you the opportunity to test both units.

My recommendation is to get either 2 or 3 Ebo-Jaeger heaters, depending on tank size, using one as a backup. It's cheap insurance incase of failure and you can't manage to get to a store.

Regards,
Carlos

I try to keep the tank plain and simple but it never stays that way!


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> There are some issues with the titanium heaters that should be considered. The units can damage acrylic tanks if it makes contact due to the intense heat. If it can cause that type of damage then there is the possibility of it cooking a fish. These units are best used with glass tanks. One of my LFS's discontinued selling them because he had a 3-per-3 return rate for failed units due to faulty quality control. This doesn't fair well in recommending these units.


I would challenge you on this point...how do titanium heaters create any more heat than a glass heater? I havn't seen any evidence of that. You LFSs experience...was that the Won Brothers Pro Heat or some other brand? I don't think you can nessasarily judge on one report. It can be an isolated incident or perhaps a bad production run, or an earlier model, or just a ticked off store...I don't know... but I have sold about 50 of them and none have reported any problems, and I had one unit personaly fail that was quickly replaced.

Did you know you can mount titanium heaters horizontal as well as verticle?

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com


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## Moe (Feb 1, 2003)

I know my next heater will be a titanium one.
Moe


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## Tenor1 (Mar 3, 2003)

Hi Robert,

I have no first-hand experience with titanium heaters and the incidents were shared by a very reputable LFS. In all honesty, he doesn't like Eheim filters either, lol. Maybe this is how aquarium myths get started and I certainly don't want to demean a perfectly good item. From now on, I should only share my own opinions and personal experiences or knowledge. 

Robert - If my previous post contains inaccurate or wrong information please delete it. I don't want to start false rumours. I wanted to get a titanium heater myself but was hesitant after hearing his stories.

Thanks,
Carlo

I try to keep the tank plain and simple but it never stays that way!


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

No, no no! I wasn't being critical of your post exactly..please feel free to express any opinion you want! I think comments like that can be usefull, I just wanted to balance it out with my own experience and hopefully it is not too biased!

I was curious about your comment of these heaters being too hot for acryllic tanks...I would like to find out more about that

I did notice one thing, and I don't know if its good or bad.. The replacement model they sent me is different from the original I had.. the replacement has a separate heating sensor from the heater... my original had the sensor built into the heater: so I think they sent me an older model as the replacement. I don't really care as long as it works, and so far so good.

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com

[This message was edited by Robert H on Fri March 14 2003 at 02:49 PM.]


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## jpmtotoro (Feb 13, 2003)

i don't know about titanium heaters really or the heat issue but... are they the same size as glass heaters or no? if they are smaller (this is what it sounds like to me) then when the heater kicks on, there would be more heat coming from a smaller surface area. perhaps that was the issue with the acrylic tank. if a glass heater and titanium heater had to raise the temp of a tank by the same amount and the titanium was smaller, i would reason that more heat energy was being passed through a smaller surface area. that's just my thought.


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## Tenor1 (Mar 3, 2003)

Thanks for the support Robert. My real concern is to not start or spread false or inaccurate information. I suspect your replacement heater is a new model rather than an older one. The probe gives a more reliable tank reading rather than a thermostat located in or near the heating element. It's like your house heating system with the heater in a completely different area than the thermostat. The new issue from Foster and Smith has one of the best explanations of how to effectively use aquarium heaters. I may paraphrase it in a new thread. I've been in the hobby over 40 years and never heard or read this information.

Thanks again,
Carlos

I try to keep the tank plain and simple but it never stays that way!


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## imported_molahs4 (Feb 3, 2003)

Is there any significant difference between brands of titanium heaters? I know that the Ebo's are consistently rated as the best glass heaters. I see the ViaAqua brand titaniums all over eBay, and this site sells ProHeat. Anyone have any experience with this?

===================
See my profile for tank specs.


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

I have two of the ProHeat and they've been great. I'll have to see if they still work this week though. After taking the contest pics I finally plugged one of the heaters in, but then realized I forgot to put it in the water. Would have killed a glass heater but mine just looks a toasty color. We'll have to see if it works









*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Robert H:
> Well besides selling them, I use three of them. I had one unit fail after two months...Won Brothers replaced it immediately no questions asked...I just had to send the defective unit back to them....


Robert H:

What was the failure mode, e.g.

1. Failed, stuck ON,
2. Failed, stuck OFF,
3. Failed, temperature setting drifting,
4. Failed, leaked water,

or whatever you found.


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## Guest (May 7, 2003)

Just to add my experience.

I'm using Pro1 and Pro2.
The best heaters in my opinion. Fully submersible, easy controllable on the outside, easy use of digital display (Pro2). No problems after 1 year.

Join as at www.njas.net


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Stuck off was my problem, ran cold, indicator light never came on.

I still think these heaters are the best thing out there. I won't go back to glass heaters again!

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com


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## Zerj (May 1, 2003)

I have been using both ebo-jager and a pro-heat for about 2 years now. Functionally They both work fine but I prefer the titanium heater because of the remote thermostat. 

I have the heater mounted in the bottom of my sump and it would take me a couple of minutes to even see if the heater was turned on and even longer if I had to change the setting if it wasn't remote.

Of course if you have too many powerstrips in your fish room already my pro-heat takes up 2 spaces on the power strip so for my smaller tanks I don't use them.

-Zerj


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