# Aquarium Heater Survey



## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

I'd like to know what aquarium heaters you've had problems with or have had great success with.

I realize that there will be an occasional bad heater in any brand, but which ones do you like, which ones do you dislike?

Here's been my experience, though it is limited.

Hydor Theo heater: Had one or two of these for about a year now, one is used to heat a 100 gallon tank. I think it is a 300 Watt heater. No problems. I believe the warranty is for a year. 

Wal Mart cheapies: have a couple of these. Don't remember the actual brand. One has droplets of water inside but still works, but this shows poor design or construction, and it will eventually fail or fry the fish. It's used ONLY as an emergency backup heater. I don't expect a long life based on the one that has water in it. One of ours is a pre-set one for a 5 gallon tank. It works well. 

Rena Cal heaters: I have several of these in 150 and higher wattages. These have silver plated contacts on the thermostatic switch. When you use one rated for the tank size they are good to within 1 degree F of the dial setting, so you can set it and forget it. I think the warranty is 1 year. These are supposed to be a cut above the rest, more expensive. Expect to pay a few $ more for these. Reviews on the web seem to indicate that the higher price is worth it. All of mine are the "top light" models, but the basic models are built the same way except for the temperature dial being easy to see due to the fiber optic (?) light which illuminates the dial. I will probably replace my heaters as they fail with Rena heaters. Like some other heaters, they use special glass that is shatter resistant. Rena heaters use 

Visitherm Deluxe: I had one of these and it failed within a year. Lifetime warranty, though, so I was able to exchange it and pay the difference to get a stealth model for $3 more. Haven't had the stealth long enough to say if I[m satisfied with it. Even with a lifetime warranty, if I have to take it back every year it's not what I'm looking for. But the lifetime warranty is better than the rest, so it puts them near the top of my chart, next to the Rena Cal Excel heaters (which don't have as good a warranty, but don't seem to need one!). 

I have not tried the Jaeger heaters. They are not as expensive as Rena or Visitherm, but one of our club members says that they are not built as well as they used to be. 

There are other brands out there, too, that might be of excellent quality. 

I've seen some that are made in China on eBay for a great price but I don't know if they are worth even the bargain price they are sold at. 

Rena Cal Excel heaters are my first choice at this point. Visitherm Deluxe is my second choice (for the warranty), and Hydor Theo is my third choice. Maybe the Hydor heaters should be my second choice. I'm not sure. 

What I expect from a heater is long term reliability, not a low price. I would gladly pay $30 for a heater (Rena Cal Excel top light heaters sell for around $30 in some stores) that will last me a very long time than pay $15 for one that will last me a year. The Visitherm has the best warranty (lifetime), but I wonder if they normally last a long time (many years). Mine certainly didn't. If the rest of you get good long term (several years or more) results with Visitherm Deluxe heaters, I might switch my loyalty from Rena to Visitherm. The Visitherm are certainly less expensive heaters compared to Rena Cal, by about 15% or more. 

Fortunately, I didn't pay full price for my Rena heaters. I got some of them from someone who used them for a week in a science fair project. Some I bought direct from the manufacturer in an overstock auction on eBay. But if they last many years, they would be worth full price.


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## CharlesP (Dec 25, 2006)

Try Ebo Jaber. Reasonably priced, tough and reliable. The only tank I have up now has an EJ that's been going for 20+ years. Warm summers here, so heater stays unpluged 6 months of the year. When I had several tanks going I settled on the Ebo Jabers 'cause they're hard to break ;-> Never had one quit or fry the fish.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

*NO: * I disliked greatly the Rena Cal Excel heaters I owned. Constant on and off. Irregular temperature

*YES:* I've been using Visitherm Stealth and Hydo inline externals heaters on all my tanks now. I will only buy these two for now on. Perfect temperature.

-John N.


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

I have 3 Jäger's. No problems.

Rena Cal Top Light Excel and Visa-Them developed leaks. You could see rust inside them.

Marineland Dual-Temp Heater only has two settings. I gave it away.


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## SpaceBug (Jan 10, 2007)

Ebo Jager here ... never had one fail. All of mine are 15+ years old.


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

i've been using Ebo-Jagers for my tanks and have not had any problems.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

I too use the visatherm exclusively for all of my in tank heaters, I don't know if they are the stealth, they are the ones in all balck hard plastic, I think they are great and keep constant temp really well.
I have a hydor inline that is going on my soon to be set up 75 gallon tank, and am glad to hear that John N. also uses these, I have high hopes for it.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I've used the Ebo Jägers and Renas and prefer the Jägers: never had one die on me yet.

But I've also started using the Eheim 2126 and 2128 cannister filters with integrated heating and find them excellent. They keep the temp constant and remove that ugly tube from the tanks (as does the Hydor inline)!


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

John N. said:


> *NO: * I disliked greatly the Rena Cal Excel heaters I owned. Constant on and off. Irregular temperature


Just curious--were these sized for the tank, or do you usually oversize the heater (like use a 300W instead of a 150)?

The reason I ask is that at least some heaters seem to do great at temperature regulation when they're sized appropriately for the tank but terrible when oversized.

When I used two 150's instead of a single 150 in a 55 gallon tank, the temp went up and down a few degrees. When I shut one off it stayed within a degree of the setting on the active heater.

I haven't tested others that way since I happened to have an extra Rena at the time. The manufacturer rep I talked with agreed that it was of utmost importance to get the wattage rating matched to the tank or go only a tiny bit oversized.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Hydor in line - one in each of my 2 50's. Love 'em!


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

I had a Visi-therm shatter on me once - user error so I can't chalk that up as a bad experience. I used to have a glass Visi-therm my parent's 29gal rainbow tank and it was rock solid. They now use an Eheim with a built-in heater element and that works extremely well. As for my other tanks, Visi-therm Stealth all the way. I have one on my juvie discus tank and I wouldn't use anything else. It is oversized for the tank, but I think that's necessary when you're running mid-80's 24/7.

While I've never used one, the Hydor ETH heaters are a good idea. I just wish they came in a higher wattage to accomodate 75-125gal tanks.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Troy, I suppose you could try to piggy back the inline heaters, or use one on the inflow and one on the outflow.
I plan to use a 300 watt on a 75 gallon and keep in 82 to 84 degrees, but then again I live in Phoenix and though it does drop down in the high 20's / low 30's in the winter, I still run my fans in my house to keep me cool all winter.


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## creative-fury (Sep 8, 2006)

I have two Ebo-Jagers. I love them, except both are about 3 degrees off on the tempature dial.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

I use visitherm stealths. Haven't had any problem and I love the way they disappear into a black background. When used with a black intake you don't really notice any equipment on the tank. I have used jager in the past and my only issue was the water temp was always around 6 degrees warmer than the setting on the jager.


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## tfmcder (Feb 22, 2006)

Visitherm all the way. My first one is ~10 years and still going strong my second one is ~5 years and my newest is ~3 years. Never had any problems with any of them. 

I tried a tronic heater at the recommendation of my lfs and it was the biggest waste of $25 on equipment yet. It was properly sized but was still on and off, on and off, until it finally stayed off. I got a new one under warranty and that one did the opposite...it stayed on and fried my tank...temp was off the thermometer and the fish were looking a little funky. Thankfully I lost only one fish in that incident. Each time the heater was operational for about a month.

I'm looking to try the hydor inline when I get around to ordering one or the next time I need a heater.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I first used a glass heater (don't know the brand) that ended up malfunctioning and cooking my tank (up to 99 F), so I decided to avoid glass from then on. There may be good glass heaters, but I just decided to avoid them all together. 

Next I tried visitherm stealth heaters because they had no glass and would disappear into the tank. At first I was very pleased because the temperature stayed very stable and the heaters weren't noticeable. After working great for about a year they stopped heating. They were fine one day and the next the temperature would be below normal by several degrees and there was no way to get the heater back on. I had three do this and swore never to get another one. 

I'm currently using titanium heaters and stainless steel heaters on my five tanks. I haven't decided which I like best, but they all keep the temperature stable and I love not having to reach into the water to change the setting. I keep my tanks a little warmer in summer and cooler in winter and some heaters are a real pain to try and change the temperature. I had to use a pliers to get a grip on the knob of one before - very user unfriendly. BTW, I usually have a heater slightly oversized for the tank since I keep my house rather chilly during the winter and a "properly" sized heater runs all the time.


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## SUBORPHAN (Apr 20, 2006)

i will always use the Hydor inline external heaters. work very well and there is one thing less to add inside the aquarium that clutters it.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

I've used Hagen Tronics and found them fine for a while, but then they've started failing recently.
I'm replacing them with Visitherms and they have been excellent. My LFS recommend them and one of the guys there uses them on all their FW stingray tanks - you don't want to overheat a tank with £100s of fish in!!!


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

I can't say that my Visitherm Stealth is great or not since it has only been in operation for a couple of months. It was a replacement for the Visitherm Deluxe that quit working (wouldn't keep things warm enough even at the highest setting). Since the deluxe one quit working, I am not entirely sold on Visitherm, but I also realize that every brand will have a bad one now and then, even the Rena that I like. I do like how the stealth is hard to see in the tank. You have to look for it. It's also supposed to be unbreakable (or nearly so). I don't like the fact that you can't see any indicator that it's working or not, other than monitoring your temp with a thermometer. But then, it wouldn't be a "stealth," would it, if it had a light to indicate when it was on.

From the posts I've read here, it seems that the Jagers work well enough once you fiddle with them for the proper temperature. It appears that you can't just dial it in and forget it when installing one of these. 

One member of our club said that the old ones were built much better and lasted nearly forever, some still working many years later, but the newer ones showed a difference in quality. They are not very expensive, just a bit more than the really cheap ones. 

This has been interesting, reading your experiences with different heaters. What one person praises, others would prefer not to use them. 

Don


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I have all Acura heaters on every tank I own from 10g to 135g and they have worked for me without a hitch! Most of the ones I own are 10+ yrs old and still hold within 1 deg of setting.

I have recently bought a ebo jager heater due to all the rave reviews and for some reason the Acura heaters have been discontinued and mine was off by like 5deg of the dial but good thing they are resetable.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

I have 3 Visi-Therm stealth thermometers and I love 'em. =)


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## CowsPatoot (Jan 31, 2007)

I have always relied on the Ebos...they have never failed me. Someone mentioned they aren't built like they used to be...I can't comment on that since my newest one is about 10 years old.

I do appreciate the comments though. It is time for me to buy a heater for my new 70 gallon, and I was considering the Hydor inline. Your comments have convinced me to go ahead and buy it.


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## furballi (Feb 2, 2007)

Tank is a 50 gal stocked with Cardinals, Neons, and one SAE. Temp is set at 78F during the winter. Lowest room temp is around 58F.

100 W Hagen Tronics...it's okay, but will cycle ON/OFF often when running. I see some moisture inside the glass after about 6 years of use (winter only). Good to within 1F.

75 W Ebo Jager (old model purchased in 1999)...fully submersible unlike the newer EJ. Temperature dial is difficult to adjust due to coin slot. Very accurate at maintaining the preset temperature (plus/minus 1/2F). EJ uses a thin Nickel-Chromium wire as the heating element evenly wrapped around a non-conductive thermal cylinder. The wire is straight (not coiled). A very low current is used to heat the wire. With some competing models, then wire will glow red when in operation. The EJ design reduces oxidation of the heating element which can cause pre-mature failure. It also reduces the peak temperature at the base of the heater, which could affect the accuracy of the bi-metallic ON/OFF switch.


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

So the newer Jager heaters cannot be totally submersed?


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

*Hydor in-line is rock solid*

I am using the Hydor in-line on the discus tank, 105 nominal gallons, 300 watt heater, as the only heat on the tank. The tank has full insulation on the back and light insulation underneath. And room temp is never very cold here in Houston, never below 68.

It is rock solid at 80.5 degrees, never varies a bit. The dial setting is not quite right, but that seems to happen with all my heaters. It just start slowly and fine tune it with out paying any attention to what is on the dial.

I know it will go much higher, I once accidently knocked the dial during a filter emergency and kicked it up to 92 or 94 degrees. The discus let me know something wasn't right, and the Eheim 2026, which had just undergone major repairs to replace all internal gaskets, began to leak. Interestingly, at normal temp, all leaks stopped. Seems fine now.

Prior to that I had the green EboJager, which was great but too visible. I've also had the older black Hydor in-tank heaters and never quite trusted a few of them. Some early models were unstable, some were rock solid but not at the dial temp (which is standard for this house for some reason)

I would feel comfortable using the 300 watt in-line Hydor on a much larger tank, as long as there was insluation. I have 1/2" foam board on the back side.


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## furballi (Feb 2, 2007)

t2000kw said:


> So the newer Jager heaters cannot be totally submersed?


Not fully per the manufacturer's specification. The newer EJ has a blue cap for temperature adjustment, and a cautionary statement not to immerse below THIS LINE. The older EJs with the black or green cap/top should be good for underwater use.


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

creative-fury said:


> I have two Ebo-Jagers. I love them, except both are about 3 degrees off on the tempature dial.


You can adjust that. That's what the little blue button on top is for.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

t2000kw said:


> So the newer Jager heaters cannot be totally submersed?


Strange... I'm looking at a brand new Jäger 150w (model 3606) heater and it clearly states on the heater itself: "fully submersible" (on the packaging as well). There is a water line on the top of the heater and a text that says: "min water level". Minimum water level means that water has to come up to *at least* that level, not that the heater can't be submersed past that level. 

Are we talking about the same heaters? Jäger, made in Germany, owned by Eheim?

And by the way, if necessary the Jäger can be "re-calibrated" to bring the dial into line with actual temps. So for example if you set it at 25C and the water temp is actually 27C, you can re-calibrate it so that the two match.


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

Laith said:


> Are we talking about the same heaters? Jäger, made in Germany, owned by Eheim?


I understand that the newer ones are not "Ebo-" Jagers, that they were once assembles in the US but the parts came from Germany. I could be wrong here. It's the newer ones that are supposedly a bit different in quality.



Laith said:


> And by the way, if necessary the Jäger can be "re-calibrated" to bring the dial into line with actual temps. So for example if you set it at 25C and the water temp is actually 27C, you can re-calibrate it so that the two match.


That's better than having one that's off a few degrees but you can't set the dial to match the actual temperature, but I would prefer to have the temperature match right out of the box. But maybe it's good to have that feature to compensate for aging over time, if aging is a factor here.


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

I have two of the Visi-Therm Deluxe (the submersible glass ones) - a 100 w on a 30 g, and a 50 w on a 10 gal. They've been very solid with temperature stability, but they've both developed condensation within the glass housing. A fellow BAS member who breeds rare fish said that once they develop that, he won't risk using them any more. Mine are still in use, but my peace of mind about them is shaken. I find they're quite visible, too, which is a detractor. But the setting guage is very easy to read. 

I also have two 50 w of the Visi-Therm Stealths, each on a 10 g tank. These have been great, no problems. One has a calibration difference of 3 degrees off from what the dial reads, but once set, it is solid - and besides, I look at the thermometer, not the heater dial. It took awhile to trust that it was working without the little red indicator light glowing at me. One of these I have vertically, and the other is horizontally. Even though the body of the heater is bigger around than other brands, it is quite inconspicuous. 

I also have a tiny Azoo Titanium heater. Its very small, and very thin, so its exceptionally easy to hide, even in the little 5.5 g tank (its a 50 w, and therefore oversized, but the smallest they make). I also like having the dial outside of the aquarium. And IT has an indicator light for when its on. I really like it - its slim and small, and shatterproof. 

Finally I have an old hang-on-the-side heater on a 15 g that has me spooked just because its old. Its never wavered, but I'm probably going to use it just for emergencies or larger water changes. I'll probably replace it with another Titanium heater, or a stainless steel. 

I would never go back to something that wasn't fully submersible. I really like the flexibility of being able to put a heater vertical, horizontal, at an angle, etc. 

-Jane


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## furballi (Feb 2, 2007)

Laith said:


> Strange... I'm looking at a brand new Jäger 150w (model 3606) heater and it clearly states on the heater itself: "fully submersible" (on the packaging as well). There is a water line on the top of the heater and a text that says: "min water level". Minimum water level means that water has to come up to *at least* that level, not that the heater can't be submersed past that level.
> 
> Are we talking about the same heaters? Jäger, made in Germany, owned by Eheim?
> 
> And by the way, if necessary the Jäger can be "re-calibrated" to bring the dial into line with actual temps. So for example if you set it at 25C and the water temp is actually 27C, you can re-calibrate it so that the two match.


Hmmm...all the newer EJs (Eheim with the blue top and the pop-up temperature calibration knob) that I've come across have a line that said do not immerse beyond this point. The older EJs have the label "Min Water Level". Perhaps I need to drop by the LFS to check out if Eheim has updated these heaters.


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## jon_the_newb (Dec 30, 2006)

I have two Visitherm Stealth heaters, one of which can't hold a temp steady at all. Set for about 79, but usually went to 73-75 range. After turning it up a bit, to 82, it went to 82. =/ The other one however, has been rock solid from day one. Oh yeah, both are about 8 months old.

I also have a Titantium IC Heater from WON Brothers. No problems with it, almost a year and a half now.

I just picked up two Hydor inline 300W's as well, only had them for a month now though, no problems yet.

Jon


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## furballi (Feb 2, 2007)

Jane in Upton said:


> I have two of the Visi-Therm Deluxe (the submersible glass ones) - a 100 w on a 30 g, and a 50 w on a 10 gal. They've been very solid with temperature stability, but they've both developed condensation within the glass housing. A fellow BAS member who breeds rare fish said that once they develop that, he won't risk using them any more. Mine are still in use, but my peace of mind about them is shaken. I find they're quite visible, too, which is a detractor. But the setting guage is very easy to read.
> 
> I also have two 50 w of the Visi-Therm Stealths, each on a 10 g tank. These have been great, no problems. One has a calibration difference of 3 degrees off from what the dial reads, but once set, it is solid - and besides, I look at the thermometer, not the heater dial. It took awhile to trust that it was working without the little red indicator light glowing at me. One of these I have vertically, and the other is horizontally. Even though the body of the heater is bigger around than other brands, it is quite inconspicuous.
> 
> ...


I usually position my heater parallel to and next to the intake tube of my Aquaclear 300 filter. The top of the heater is 1/4" below water level. The increased water circulation around the intake tube prevents "hot-spot" around the heater, resulting in a more accurate tank temperature. Additionally, the water pressure at the top of the heater's housing is much lower (1/4" water column), so the heater will run much longer before developing water condensation inside the glass tube.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Oh the dreaded heater debate....

I've gone to all Visitherm stealth for my new heaters and they've been working great for both salt and fresh water.

I also have some of the old Ebo heaters from before they were taken over by Eheim, and they have been going strong for 10+ years, but then newer ones have been horrible failures, which surprises me since Eheim is so reputable.

I used to swear by the Via Aqua titanium heaters, but I've had about 5 of them fail within a year (and give me shocks), and even though they have a warranty, it would cost you as much to send them back for a replacement as it would to buy a new one, so they are off my list now.

Another one I've had great success with for years now is the Thermal Compact, which I use in all of my small tanks.

A couple of other failures:
Visitherm deluxe - had condensation from day one, and died within 6 months.

Hyodor Theo - again had condensation and failed within a few months.

I just don't know why it's so hard to get a quality heater these days....


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

It seems that the only ones that really worked almost forever were the *old* Ebo-Jagers.

Almost all of the other ones failed for someone on this list.

The only one I had that got water in it was one of the ones bought at Wal Mart. The Visitherm Deluxe that failed didn't have any condensation or water droplets, it just wouldn't heat to the dialed in temperature (not even close) any more. When turned up all the way it still didn't maintain tank temperature.

One of the things that bother me about the Visitherm Stealth heaters is that you can't tell if it has water in it or not. Not can you tell when it's on, but it's not a real issue, I suppose, since what we're really interested in is the tank thermometer.

If only there was a heater that was flawless and would work for many years.


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

t2000kw said:


> If only there was a heater that was flawless and would work for many years.


I think the problem is in submerging the heater, then heating and cooling which introduces expansion and contraction due to the air inside the unit. Eventually something leaks. I don't know whey they don't just fill the unit with some sort of safe fluid that expands less. And you still have the issue of circluation of the heat itself, and so the unit may or may not sense accurate tank temps if it is in a low-flow, out of sight area.

The Hydor in-line and the thermofilter seem to have by-passed that problem and at th same time removed most of the equipment from the tank. Using the filter itself to blow heat around the tank is smarter, instead of hoping that tank circulation and thermocurrents in the tank are enough to keep temps smooth and uniform. Then, since neither of them are air illed, you don't have the expansion problems. The Eheim is all metal, like those cheap immersion heaters used to make a cup of tea, a heavy metal coil. The Hydor is an imprinted circut board of some sort surrounding the tubing inside and the whole thing is outside of the tank.


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## primal (Jan 30, 2007)

I haven't been able to try many different types of heaters, mainly because I am a student with no job, and there aren't any LFS's around here that sell the better quality stuff. 

I've used the cheap Tetra heaters from walmart with varying degrees of success. My small 50w or so heater works flawlessly in my 10g, however my 200w one fluctuates badly.

I also have a Penn Plax Guardian heater which has condensation in the upper part and horrible suction cups. I won't be buying another one of those.

My best heater has been my All-Glass heater than came with my 29g tank. I have absolutely no complaints about it.


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## furballi (Feb 2, 2007)

OK...went to three shops offering the EJ heaters. All were equipped with the blue dial design and adjustable temperature calibration. I see "DO NOT IMMERSE BELOW WATER LEVEL" just below the blue ring.

I don't know about the failure mode of the new EJs, but I suspect that the temperature knob may be the root cause of the problem. The ability to calibrate the dial (by pulling the knob IN/OUT) may make the heater less waterproof.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Sounds like the European versions are different then.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I just got a new ebo- and it's way off or broken.

Did what the instructions stated,set temp next day compare temp to thermometer and calibrate. after trying to calibrate the next day water was at 84f when set to 76, turned dial all the way down to 65f and the light won't turn off.


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## dough041 (Dec 23, 2006)

*hydor eth 300*

I have a hydor inline along with my Eheim 2026. Only had it running for 3 months and like most everybody else- was very pleased as it didn't have to be touched and only varied about 1/2 degree... until today- I looked at the temp and it was 89 degrees. Well quickly had a water change to cool down the tank, then called Dr Foster/Smith who referred me to Hydors 866 number. Spoke with Matt who was VERY helpful and assured me he'd have a replacement sent out tomorrow... No questions at all. Not too happy that the heater only worked 3 months, but very happy with the responsive customer service! Hopefully this one lasts more than 3 months and thank goodness I checked on the tank and found the problem before everything got fried...


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## furballi (Feb 2, 2007)

It's best to go with a less powerful heater to avoid cooking the plants and fish. I run a 75 watts unit in a 50 gal tank (48" x 14" x 17"). The lowest overnight room temperature is 58F. The tank is set at 77F. I wouldn't use more than 100 watts per 50 gal unless your room temp can drop below 55F.


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## furballi (Feb 2, 2007)

eklikewhoa said:


> I just got a new ebo- and it's way off or broken.
> 
> Did what the instructions stated,set temp next day compare temp to thermometer and calibrate. after trying to calibrate the next day water was at 84f when set to 76, turned dial all the way down to 65f and the light won't turn off.


Do you have adequate water circulation around the heater? The older EJs tend to run a little cool (-1F or -2F from reference). I use a mercury chemist thermometer rated at +/- 1F. Some thermometer at the LFS can be off by 4F.


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