# Hydor ETH 200W on a Nano



## Rolo (May 12, 2004)

Anyone sucessfully used one of these heaters an aquarium as small as 5 gallons? 200W sure is alot, but won't the thermostat still keep the temp steady and from going too high?


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## Tony65 (Jun 3, 2006)

I haven’t used a ETH but I've got three EKIP 300w heater/pumps in my 450litre which use the same technology.

I tested each of them out in a 10litre bucket (2.6 US gallons) of cold water first - they heated it up to the correct temperature then held it on the nose. 

So I'd say the ETH 200w should be fine with 5 gallons.


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## Rolo (May 12, 2004)

Thanks for the input. Can anyone else share their experiences?


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## Naja002 (Nov 15, 2005)

My guess would be that it would really depend on how long it would take the water (Flow) to bring the heated water back to the Hydor--Fast: you should be Fine, Slow: It may overheat before the Hydor "knows" to shut off.

HTH


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## Themuleous (Jun 6, 2006)

My only concern would be that if it broke (invariable in the 'on' position) it would not take long to heat the tank to extreme levels. I have a 4G nano that I used to run a 100w heater in but changed to a 25w as it gives me longer to discover if the worse has happened before the fish and plants get fried. That said, the appeal of an having the heater outside the tank could well be the overriding factor, so guess its really down to personal choice. Even the smallest internal heaters looks huge in tanks of this size. My 25w theo is still 6" long!

Sam


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I'm not sure a lot of people (if any) have tried to run a inline heater with a nano before since finding a canister filter and paying an extra $40 for a heater for a small "inexpensive" nano would be cost prohibitive.

But my guess is that the hydor would work, but over time the on/off switch would degrade faster than it would on a larger tank due to the constant rapid temperature fluctations with a nano requiring the heater to go on and off. The thermostat for the hydro is extremely accurate, and will regulate the temperature fine. Again, the only concern is a degraded thermostat switch over a long unknown period of time. 

-John N.


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## Craig Tarvin (Jul 26, 2005)

I am using an ETH200 on an 18 gallon and it works fine. I think that it does switch on and off more often than the ETH301 on my 75 gallon, but that's not a big deal. The only way to make it fit in my stand well was to install it upside down on the filter's intake, which hasn't been a problem.


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## Craig Tarvin (Jul 26, 2005)

Now that I think about it, I think that Aqua Forest in SF had a Hydor canister filter and an ETH200 on one of the ADA nanos (around 5 gallons).


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## JG06 (Nov 5, 2006)

With five gallons of water, ambient room temperature and couple low wattage incandescents would probably keep your tank at a comfortable operation temperature. Otherwise, I would hide one of the small 25 watt submersibles in your tank somewhere. IMO, 200 watts is definitely overkill for a five gallon aquarium.


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## Rolo (May 12, 2004)

I tried a small 25w Hydor heater but it still looks huge and unsightly. Haven't been able to aquire the taste for it.



Craig Tarvin said:


> Now that I think about it, I think that Aqua Forest in SF had a Hydor canister filter and an ETH200 on one of the ADA nanos (around 5 gallons).


Nice, this is actually the tank I'd like to use it on too. I emailed them and asked how the ETH200 worked for them on this nano and they said great. I plan on giving it a try.


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

It'd work fine.

I wouldn't worry about the overheating part as much. If you check your temperature as often as I check mine, it doesn't matter how long it takes to cook. The tank would be cooked and dead long before I checked. The fish floating upside down is usually my first hint that something went wrong with the heater.

Get a lifeguard temp-alert if you really want to monitor the heater.


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## Naja002 (Nov 15, 2005)

or an Otto Heater controller from:

Otto Heater Controller

I ordered 2. Home Page says everything is 50% off. With shipping it worked out to about $22 each. I haven''t found any bad comments about them, and the people that use them--LOVE them. The Kart will show full price, but You are actually only charged the 50% plus shipping ($11.50 for me).

poconogal/Connie on the Discus forums (SD/DAAH) has used them for 15yrs....

HTH


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