# Submersible Aquarium Heaters



## Red_Rose (Mar 18, 2007)

Right now I have two of the Elite Mini submersible heaters by Hagen and although they work great, you have to tinker around with the dial to get it at the temperature you want.

I have considered getting a couple of new heaters for my tanks that actually have the temperatures on the dial so it's easier to set the temperature and I would use the two I have now as back-ups. For those who have more experience with various heaters, which one would you recommend for me? I've been posting this type of poll in various forums to get people's input on some of the different heaters and I thought this would be a good place to get some more information on them.

Feel free to state any of the pros/cons about any of the heaters. This will help me to decide on which ones I would like to get.


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## overboard (Mar 11, 2008)

My first heater was a Theo Hydor, and it worked fine, except the dial was at least 10 degrees "off". It was 100 watt, and it wouldn't let my 20 gallon tank go below 80 degrees, no matter how low it was set. It is now in a closet, as an emergency back-up for my 50 gallon tank. I have two Visi-Therm Deluxes and three Stealths. They all work fine, but the Stealth disappears in the tank (I have all-black backgrounds), and it has no glass so I am never afraid of breaking it. The only drawback at all is that I really don't know how hard they are working, because they don't have a light.


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## littlecich (Apr 12, 2008)

Eheim Ebo-Jager is no longer submersible. I had several of the Ebo-Jager heaters that were. I sold them when I took my big tanks down. Last winter I put up a new tank and ordered a new Ebo-Jager. When it came, the box said submersible, but the instructions state not to put it below the top line on the heater. 

It does keep the temperature right on target, just like the old ones and is very easy to adjust. However, had I known that they were not submersible I would have ordered another brand. It appears that the change came when Eheim took over. 

Will I purchase another Ebo-Jager? Nope!


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## Red_Rose (Mar 18, 2007)

littlecich said:


> Eheim Ebo-Jager is no longer submersible. I had several of the Ebo-Jager heaters that were. I sold them when I took my big tanks down. Last winter I put up a new tank and ordered a new Ebo-Jager. When it came, the box said submersible, but the instructions state not to put it below the top line on the heater.
> 
> It does keep the temperature right on target, just like the old ones and is very easy to adjust. However, had I known that they were not submersible I would have ordered another brand. It appears that the change came when Eheim took over.
> 
> Will I purchase another Ebo-Jager? Nope!


The heaters I use also have a maximum water line on them but some companies have to add that on there because in order for the heater to pass safety regulations, it must be on there even though it's completely submersible. I have mine well past the water line and both work fine. I've also seen some of the LFS in my city use similar ones and they had them completely submersed. If it wasn't submersible, they wouldn't have added that to the box. 



overboard said:


> My first heater was a Theo Hydor, and it worked fine, except the dial was at least 10 degrees "off". It was 100 watt, and it wouldn't let my 20 gallon tank go below 80 degrees, no matter how low it was set. It is now in a closet, as an emergency back-up for my 50 gallon tank. I have two Visi-Therm Deluxes and three Stealths. They all work fine, but the Stealth disappears in the tank (I have all-black backgrounds), and it has no glass so I am never afraid of breaking it. The only drawback at all is that I really don't know how hard they are working, because they don't have a light.


Wow! I've never heard of a heater doing that before! It would make me a bit leery about trying one of them. Does the Deluxe have the temperatures on the dial? I've never actually seen this heater up close and it's difficult to tell if it has that or not from pictures I've seen. Also, I think the Deluxe has the light indicator on it so you know when it's on or off which is one of the things I would look for in a heater(not always though).


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## joycould (Mar 13, 2007)

I just got my first Visi-Therm Stealth and really like it, much better than any others I have. When I need to get a new heater I will probably get the same one.


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## lnb (Nov 20, 2004)

All my heaters have been Tronics. Temps are pretty accurate within a degree or so. They're suppose to turn off when exposed to air, i.e. during a water change, and most of the time they do but I've had a couple that did not so I tend to lower the temp when I do a WC. The suction cups on the holders don't hold after a year or so and you can't get replacements. I don't want to pay for the entire holder when I only need a couple of suction cups.

I like the old version better than the new. The new ones are alot longer. Other than that they have been very reliable and completely submersible. Oh, they also have numbers on the dial and a red light indicator when it's on.

They seem to be hard to find now. I wonder why?

LB


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## Red_Rose (Mar 18, 2007)

I've heard about those Tronic heaters before and I know that a few LFS in my area sell them. I'll have to take a better look at them next time. I don't think they are difficult to find here because Hagen is a big name when it comes to aquarium supplies in Canada and almost every fish store carries their products.


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## Left Coast DJ (Nov 16, 2006)

Most submersible heaters have a MINIMUM water line.


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## littlecich (Apr 12, 2008)

Left Coast DJ said:


> Most submersible heaters have a MINIMUM water line.


Eheim Ebo-Jager has a minimum and maximum water line.


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## Red_Rose (Mar 18, 2007)

Left Coast DJ said:


> Most submersible heaters have a MINIMUM water line.


Really? The heaters I'm using have a Maximum water line yet it's completely submersible.


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## Left Coast DJ (Nov 16, 2006)

Red Rose - Weird, eh?  Which brand heater has a "maximum" line, but is completely submersible?

LittleCich - Some Ebo-Jager ones are not submersible. So it makes sense that they have minimum & maximum water lines. Non-Submersible. Submersible.


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## overboard (Mar 11, 2008)

The Deluxe does have a light indicator, and it isn't marked on the dial, it has a vertical thermometer-like read-out on the front, about half-way down. As you adjust the dial on the top, you have to be able to see the middle of the heater, as you move a bar to the desired temperature. For those of us who are not very tall, it is easier than having the numbers on top, IF the heater isn't blocked by plants.


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## littlecich (Apr 12, 2008)

Left Coast DJ said:


> LittleCich - Some Ebo-Jager ones are not submersible. So it makes sense that they have minimum & maximum water lines. Non-Submersible. Submersible.


Well, that explains it. However, the box my heater came in states "Submersible" and it's not.


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## Red_Rose (Mar 18, 2007)

Left Coast DJ said:


> Red Rose - Weird, eh?  Which brand heater has a "maximum" line, but is completely submersible?
> 
> LittleCich - Some Ebo-Jager ones are not submersible. So it makes sense that they have minimum & maximum water lines. Non-Submersible. Submersible.


LOL! I should've expected that sooner or later!

This is the heater I've been using that has the maximum water line. Both the 25 and 50 watt heaters have this. People can contact the company whenever they have questions about any of their products and this is what was said about the water line on the heater: _"To be C.S.A. approved in Canada we have to specify a waterline, but the unit is completely submersible."_


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

How about the new AZOO submersibles? I'm using a 100 watter, and it works great. It has an external temp. control dial, and is made of titanium. It's a nice little heater at a good price.


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## trag (Jan 9, 2008)

I read good things about the Visi-Therm Deluxe and so was switching over to them. My main reasons were that I wanted submersibles (have a bunch of HOBs available) and I wanted an easy to adjust dial. The old submersible Ebo Jagars and Hagan Aqua-Clears I have are very difficult to adjust because the knob is completely covered in a loose rubber sheath.

However, I now have two of the Visitherms which appear to cause large fluctuations in aquarium temperature. The 25 watt model I have on my 5 gallon tank has the tank up at 83F even though it is set to 76F now. For several days it was at 77 - 78F then one day I walk in, and it is 5 degrees hotter. I originally had it set to 80 F (female betta tank) and it had the temperature up around 85F. So I lowered it to 76F thinking the calibration was just off. But then I got 76F out of it, which concerned me, but it seemed to be okay for several days. Now, it is back up around 83 F, so I suspect that this heater just gets stuck in an 'On' position without regard to what setting it has. 

I guess I should return them, but I mail ordered them and returns are such a pain.

To tell you the truth, the best aquarium heaters I've used so far are the Penn-Plax Therma-Flow PC Plus heaters. Well, that's what they call them now. I don't know what they were 20 years ago when I bought mine. They may be HOB, but they're easy to adjust and I've never had one fail in any way.

If they were easier to adjust (and perhaps they are now, my examples are 20 years old) then the Hagan AquaClear heaters would be my first choice. They're small, unobtrusive and I've found them to be very very reliable.


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## Brooklyn Plant Guy (May 23, 2008)

I have mostly canister filters and my heater of choice has become the Hydor ETH. It's an external heater which gets spliced inline to the canister filter output hose. They work great and I don't have to see them inside the aquarium or get my hands wet to adjust the temp. It comes in 200 watt and 300 watt models.


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