# [Wet Thumb Forum]-what is the best aquarium heater and why?



## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

what is the best aquarium heater and why?


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

what is the best aquarium heater and why?


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## Tenor1 (Mar 3, 2003)

I'll share an opinion on my favourite heater. We've used Ebo-Jager for over 25 years with no problems. The glass tube is 2 microns thick and can be left plugged in during a water change without the tube cracking. Rena also has a ticker tube and is also a high quality, I just have no experience with them personally. 

Many peopel like the newer titanium heaters for their durability and small size in the tank. The Ebo's are one of the largest in overall size and to their detriment, IMO.

Here is an article taken from a Drs. Foster and Smith magazine on how to use a heater effectively.

"Consider this case:
If a room gets up to 90 F during the day, even though the heater may be set to 75 F, the water may increase to 90 F. Th temperature will increase even more if the aquarium includes pumps, lights, or other electrical equipment. If, on that same night, the temperature drops into the 70's, the tank could drop to 75 F. This sudden drop in temperature will compromise your fishes' immune systems. A compromised immune system allows fish to be phone to parasitic infections such as ich. If the aquarium temperature is raised closer to that of the expected high temperature the room will become, the temperature change in a 24-hour period will be more consistent. 

In the summer you may actually need to turn the heater up or even add a chiller. Whatever you do, remember that if you change the temperature of a tank, do it slowly.
Since house temperatures in the spring and fall vary so much, this is when we see the cases of ich or other diseases caused by a compromised immune system. When fall comes, an easy solution is to turn your heater down no more than one degree per day as temperatures cool. This is when a quality heater will really help you, since value heaters may cause the temperature to drop more than one degree per day, causing much unwanted stress."

It never occurred to me that raising the heater temperature during hot summer days might prevent any mishaps and wanted to share this with you.

Regards,
Carlos

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


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

I think the glass is more like 2000 microns think (2 millimeters).










American by birth, Marine by the grace of God! This post spell checked with IESpell available at http://www.iespell.com

See my Profile for tank details.

See my planted tank FAQ at http://members.dsl-only.net/~rex/


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

I have used three Pro Heat heaters. In just over a year all the suction cups have rotted off. One of the thermostat went out too. I have replaced all of them with Rena heaters. SO far so good. 

Hawk

Trust But Verify «*»®


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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

Yea, another "What's the best heater" thread. These things turn into bloody flame wars on some forums. We're all too polite for that here.

So I'll go next: I've had a few different heaters over the years. All the over-the-top heaters were crap. I can't remember them all, but the Penn-plax was the last I tried, and it nearly cooked my fish. Then I tried Tronics. They had the best temperature control of any heater I've used. Their thermostat is electronic. Their weakness was that they leaked water past their seals. One stopped working when the humididty ruined the controller, and the other one shattered the tube when the water got on the heating wire. A Visi-Therm worked OK for a while, although it wasn't too accurate. It literally fell apart during an algae cleaning session. Now I've got Ebos, but I can't say too much about them. Out-of-box experience was good. Accurate settings. Big suckers. Reliabilty TBD.


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## Jookie (Sep 30, 2003)

I'm an Ebo fan. They are big, but you can dial in the exact temp instead of + or - like some other heaters I've had.

Your tiger style is no match for my aquarium style!


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## imported_trilinearmipmap (Feb 11, 2003)

Although this has been discussed on other boards a lot, to reiterate what many have said:

Ebo Jagr have long been the most reliable heater around.

Lately there was a change in their ? design or manufacturing. The newer Ebo's have not been found to be as reliable by many people.

I have Ebo's and some have been dependable and some have had temperatures drift downward. None have cooked my fish.

The most reliable heater I have found has been the heater in my Eheim thermofilters. Easy to use, dependable, no temperature drift.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website


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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Tenor1:
> 
> ...


I don't know how F & S got their data for that statement, but my 46 gallon bowfront changes about 2 degrees Fahrenheit from day to night without a heater. This scenario sounds like a desert environment, complete with high daytime insolation and a cold wind at night. I suggest that one keeps one's aquarium in a sheltered location before one worries about summertime heaters, or chillers.


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## Tenor1 (Mar 3, 2003)

GS, you've got a good point regarding water temperature fluctuation. Water volume has a LOT to do with it. Smaller tanks are far less stable. Also I totally agree with you regarding the politeness of the members here. 

I've noticed that salt water forums attract some very aggressive members followed by cichlid forums. These are JUST my opinions and observations. I attibute it to the types of fish people keep. Aggressive people seem to keep aggressive fish and write aggressively in forums, lol. We at Aquabotanic take the time to watch the grass grow and are proud to tell each other how fast it grew, lol. The less-aggressive members have low-tech tanks and are happy with the slower growth rates.

Tri is absolutely correct regarding the Eheim in-line heater. He and I have the same model and I have the same results he does. I would recommend the Eheim with a heating element if someone is just starting, althought the price might make them get a canary, lol.

Also, my brother had some problems with the new Ebo's with overnight temperature drops. It only happened a couple of times but his cardinals contracted ich from the change.

Regards,
Carlos

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


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## Sid Post (Oct 9, 2004)

Okay, the Eheim Thermofilters are very good but, is the price justified?

The reason I ask is that I am considering going to Canister filters, I want a good heater (although I find nothing wrong with my Rena heaters), and find an advantage in the lack of visual clutter in the tank with Eheim Thermofilters.

At ~$100 upcharge, that's an expensive heater. What do you do if it breaks? Can it be replaced as a stand alone unit or, must I buy a compete replacement filter?

FWIW, my prior experience with Eheim suggests they are very good units


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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

News update: A new Visi-therm just failed. It was in the water for about 2 weeks, and after a water change, it didn't come back on when I plugged it in. I re-checked it a few hours later, and the water temperature had fallen to 72 degrees, but no heater. I cranked on the thermostat, and the heater came on when the thermostat reached 85 degrees! I took it out, and replaced it with a spare (new) Ebo. The Ebo's thermostat is holding the water at 77 when set at 75. Since this is only a 10 gallon tank, the Ebo reaches from top to bottom, and wasn't my first choice, but I'm using it now. Heaters are arguably the least reliable devices in the aquarium.


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## Tenor1 (Mar 3, 2003)

Good thing you notice the heater failed GS. The Ebo's are way too long and I've often wondered why. 

Sid, I got my thermo Eheim from Big Al's on sale for $65 when the Pro Series was replaced with the Pro II. I would definately buy another at regular price. The heater is on a separate power cord but I don't know if it is replaceable.

After being a huge Eheim fan for nearly 45 years the ONE thing I dislike is their extremly poor on-line customer service. Lucikly I've never had a problem with any motors.

Regards,
Carlos

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


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## Neal (Mar 1, 2003)

The heater on my 2126 is built into the canister, so I would guess if you can buy just the canister from Eheim that would be the solution to a failed heater.


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## mm12463 (Mar 5, 2004)

When I started 5 or 6 years ago and upgraded from a 10 to 30 gallon I purchased an Ebo-Jager heater. After a few years I stopped keeping fish and kept all of my stuff.

When I started back up this fall that Ebo-Jager still works great. I purchased it because of what I read on the net and how people liked them for various reasons.

I just purchased one of the new ones for my 10 gallon and so far I like the new design. First its black, unlike the old green ones. And the temperature dial is nice. Very easy to adjust compared to the old style. I cannot really say how good it is but if it works like old one I will be very happy.

Mike
http://fish.silver-fox.us


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## Bob Hooper (Apr 10, 2004)

While on the topic of heaters, is there a watt per gallon rule?
Thanks 
Hoop


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## mm12463 (Mar 5, 2004)

I've always followed 5 watts per gallon.

Mike
http://fish.silver-fox.us


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## Peter(09) (Jan 18, 2005)

I have just purchased an external heater by Hayor?. It fits into the outlet line of an external canister filter. So far very impressed.


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## imported_Ktiger (Jan 16, 2004)

I purchased an Ebo-Jager heater for my 90 gallon tank in 1992 and it still is "working" today. Also this heat has been continous use since I purchased it.


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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Hoop:
> While on the topic of heaters, is there a watt per gallon rule?
> ...


There are any number of watt/gallon rules. The only problem is that they are all wrong. The real rule needs to be (watt degree)/square-inch, and that may also be overly simplified. The heater power you will need depends upon the temperature difference you must maintain, and the exposed area of your aquarium. Other variables are whether heat is lost by evaporation, and if a draft or wind is present. People generaly over-power their heaters, then suffer loss of all fish if the heater fails ON. To illustrate this point, I have a 50 W in a ten gallon, and I know it needs all of that. I also have a 50 W in a 46 gallon, and I know it also needs all of that. The difference is that smaller aquariums need more watts/gallon than larger aquariums, and the 10 gallon loses alot of water to evaporation, and it is under a window with a draft.

The bottom line is that you need to try the smallest heater you can, and see if it can hold the temperature. If it can't, go with a larger heater, or add another heater. Another test is to crank up the heater thermostat as far as it goes to see if you can cook your fish with a thermostat failure. If you can, get a smaller heater, or get two half-size heaters.


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by gsmollin:
> [ Another test is to crank up the heater thermostat as far as it goes to see if you can cook your fish with a thermostat failure. If you can, get a smaller heater, or get two half-size heaters.


A good idea to try this *before* adding plants and fish!


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## Tenor1 (Mar 3, 2003)

Hoop, the old rule-of-thumb is 5 WPG. One member recently posted his tank is in a very cold room, like in the low 60's. I would suggest 2 heaters giving 10 WPG in a case like that. Remember, the larger the volume of water the longer a constant temperature is maintained. Small tanks, say >30 can really show a sharp decline just overnight and that's where a competent reliable heater is mandatory. Little tanks can drop 10 degrees while a tank >75 would drop maybe 3 degrees.

Always use a termometer in the tank. I don't trust the numbers on the heater 100%. Keep the water between 78-80 degrees. Watch the aggression of your fish. Some fish get aggressive when the temps reach 80 and above. Male Gouramis start breeding behaviours such as building bubble nests. 

Be carefull in winter time if you're using a Phython and refilling your tank from the faucet. The water temp might be a bit cold and drop the tank temp too much. If this is your water change method then change a smaller volume of water. 

Regards,
Carlos

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


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## stewy (Mar 5, 2003)

I have the heater by Acura. Its a 300watt heater that I use in my pond during spring and fall. My pond is a 120g plastic tub with lots of surface area, and the heater can hold the pond at 72dg on a 50dg night,thats impressive.This fully submersible well constucted heater is the best i have used in my 20 years of keeping fish.I just bought a Rena thinking it might be even better,its not even close.


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