Heater Recommendation
- Thread starter bee505
- Start date
Susan Ingram
Guest
Not sure if this helps but MoreBeer carries these in their discount area quite often. Would check if there is one near you and they are open. Brand new:
$99 -
www.morebeer.com
$99 -
Ranco Electronic Temperature Control - Wired | MoreBeer
A Ranco controller can precisely control the temperature of your fermentation, or a pump on your all-grain system. Ranco Temp Controllers are known throughout the industry, and this Ranco Electronic Temperature Control ships for free!
Last edited:
Susan Ingram
Guest
Thanks Ash.. I edited the OP.
I have a 180 gallon tank with a 100 gallon pond as the sump about 45% full of water. We keep the house always 72 to 74 degrees 24/7. I want to get a heater as I was told that ideal temps for some corals should be 78-79. I have done numerous Google searches, read over a dozen reviews, etc. and every single heater as Phatduckk said has a decent number of stories of their heater failing and killing coral. What brand and model would you recommend for my situation? I have no budget limitations as I just want reliability and probably do not need a super high wattage heater given our home does not ever get below 72 but it is frustrating going to Amazon after reading so many reviews top choice and finding so many horror stories....
I appreciate the input from seasoned coral reef owners, especially ones with tanks around my size....
NanoCrazed
Supporting Member
My go to has been the Fluval E-series. Have been super reliable and stable...though I had on that failed to heat recently but been very happy with it.
I recently had a problem with trying to keep my 120G system at 78F and took a roll of the dice on a Chinese branded ceramic heater rated at 1000W. So far, I have been very happy with how it's performed at keeping my tank within 76 - 78F, despite being nearly virtual outdoors (windows mostly open in my detached office...). in the coldest night, the drop was to 74.6F running with 1000W in the sump and 300W in the DT as backup. in fact about to get a few more... only caution is that I have not had this long enough to comment on reliability and long term issues.
Amazon.com: YCDC 1000W ZHIYANG ZY-PTC Heater, Dual LED Display Aquarium Heater, Explosion-Proof Water Heater Rod, for Freshwater/Marine Tropical Fish Tank Reef Aquarium Heater, Explosion-Proof Heater Rod : Pet Supplies
Amazon.com: YCDC 1000W ZHIYANG ZY-PTC Heater, Dual LED Display Aquarium Heater, Explosion-Proof Water Heater Rod, for Freshwater/Marine Tropical Fish Tank Reef Aquarium Heater, Explosion-Proof Heater Rod : Pet Supplies
www.amazon.com
But the Fluval E series is definitely recommended. you might just get 2 of the 300W versions and place one in sump, and one in DT given your floor is 72F. should be all you need.
Coral reefer
Past President
I’d go ranco over inkbird
I have 6 InkBird controllers in use right now and been using some of them for about 3-4 years. I haven’t had a problem with them. I haven’t used a Ranco so can’t comment. They sure look sturdier/industrial, people say they are better but I’ve never seen anything to back that up. If you are choosing between a redundant system like what I describe below with InkBirds vs non-redundant systems with the more expensive Ranco, I would recommend redundancy. If you have the budget and physical space to go redundant with Rancos, that is probably better.
2 controllers per heater is key, one is the primary (switching on/off as needed) and the other is the failsafe (on all the time until it senses abnormally high temp, then shuts off).
I use 2x 300w Finnex titanium heaters in my main tank (each alone is slightly undersized for my tank, which is about 200g total volume). Each is separately controlled by an Apex outlet as the primary, and each has an InkBird as the failsafe. I have one switch on and off at a fraction of a degree lower temp than the other, so most of the time heater1 is on and heater2 is off, relatively few switches on/off throughout the day.
If you want to read more about my approach I wrote about it here:
https://bareefers.org/forum/threads/jvu’s-rsr750.24825/page-2#post-362518
2 controllers per heater is key, one is the primary (switching on/off as needed) and the other is the failsafe (on all the time until it senses abnormally high temp, then shuts off).
I use 2x 300w Finnex titanium heaters in my main tank (each alone is slightly undersized for my tank, which is about 200g total volume). Each is separately controlled by an Apex outlet as the primary, and each has an InkBird as the failsafe. I have one switch on and off at a fraction of a degree lower temp than the other, so most of the time heater1 is on and heater2 is off, relatively few switches on/off throughout the day.
If you want to read more about my approach I wrote about it here:
https://bareefers.org/forum/threads/jvu’s-rsr750.24825/page-2#post-362518
newfly
Supporting Member
I have very good run with Aqueon Pro heater, Have one 100W running on my 15G for >8 yrs and still going strong. I don't have a controller in that tank, so i have been lucky so far. I'm taking down that tank in a few weeks. For my new tank, i bought the same brand heater. The new heater crap out on me in 30mins. I'm glad i test it in the mixing container and not in the main display.
My opinion is any heater will go bad. Most is made in China anyway, and they are trying to go as cheap as possible. I recall paying about the same 8 yrs ago versus now.
I went with Fluval M and its only been a few months, but so far so good. Invest in a controller and don't rely on the heater alone. I went with Hydros Control as my temp controller and ATO failsafe.
My opinion is any heater will go bad. Most is made in China anyway, and they are trying to go as cheap as possible. I recall paying about the same 8 yrs ago versus now.
I went with Fluval M and its only been a few months, but so far so good. Invest in a controller and don't rely on the heater alone. I went with Hydros Control as my temp controller and ATO failsafe.
Wow, that is a great idea to have two controllers so each heater has their own redundant sensor/controller. Right now Amazon has the heater only InkBird controller for only $23.99 so since it appears none of the heaters on the market are bullet proof it makes sense to get two controllers and two heaters and not spend a lot more on the heater as I have yet to see any heater without numerous failures reported by users.
Are the failures you folks seen mainly because the tank gets too cold due to the heater system failing and due to the location or situation of your tank where without the heater the tank gets too cold to kill the corals? or is it more common the heater goes into constant heat and overheats your tank way above 80 degrees?
newfly
Supporting Member
If you get a heater with build in thermostat, technically you'll have 3 controller with this setup. I think its a bit overkill.. but hey why not for additional $20. I didn't go that route since i am trying to reduce number of plugs and wires.
I did not get a heater with built in thermostat because at the time I was looking I couldn’t find a titanium heater with a thermostat that wasn’t complete crap. So I got titanium heaters without built-in thermostats, and used the Apex and InkBirds as my redundant thermostats. If I could find a titanium heater with reasonably reliable thermostat I would be comfortable using that with my Apex as the primary and the built-in as the failsafe (ie set a couple degrees higher) instead of the InkBird.
I have 4 other experiment tanks that are small and not as critical to me as my main tank. For those, I use regular cheap heaters with InkBirds as the primary and the built-in thermostats as the failsafe. But I’m also manually messing with them everyday so I’d notice if the heater failed off.
I don’t know why heater manufacturers don’t offer higher end models. A lot of us would be willing to spend over $100 on a simple heater with a reliable titanium heating element and reliable calibratable thermostat.
I hadn’t seen those before. They look interesting, thanks
rygh
Guest
Hmm, ceramic type heater for fish tank....
Can't hurt, does help, but is it mostly hype?
The big advantage to ceramic heating elements is SAFETY.
As they hit a high temperature, the resistance drops substantially. That limits the maximum power and temp automatically.
Metal wire heater resistance drops also, but not enough to really make it self regulating.
That is a big deal for portable space heaters in the home.
But is is not all that important when in a tank of water. The heat conducts away very quickly, so you never really get into that range.
I can see it helping if heater ends up out of the water, but that is fairly rare, and has over-temp checks anyway.
Efficiency should be 99% for all types of heaters.
The only loss being how much is wasted in the controller.
I cannot find any real data comparing lifetime of each. Seems to depend on too many other factors.
So without more data, I am not going to rush out any buy one.
Can't hurt, does help, but is it mostly hype?
The big advantage to ceramic heating elements is SAFETY.
As they hit a high temperature, the resistance drops substantially. That limits the maximum power and temp automatically.
Metal wire heater resistance drops also, but not enough to really make it self regulating.
That is a big deal for portable space heaters in the home.
But is is not all that important when in a tank of water. The heat conducts away very quickly, so you never really get into that range.
I can see it helping if heater ends up out of the water, but that is fairly rare, and has over-temp checks anyway.
Efficiency should be 99% for all types of heaters.
The only loss being how much is wasted in the controller.
I cannot find any real data comparing lifetime of each. Seems to depend on too many other factors.
So without more data, I am not going to rush out any buy one.
hermit
Guest
Not sure if I’ll get beat up for mentioning a Aqueon pro heater here after a lot of high end heater discussion, but specs seem pretty good and it has served me well for the last 4 years.
I use a 100 watt heater for my 20 gallon nano so it’s an easy load for the heater.
This is the one I use:
Aqueon Pro Adjustable Heater, 100W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003C5TPF6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_ZPZ7CB8T73TTNRPX8G9T
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I use a 100 watt heater for my 20 gallon nano so it’s an easy load for the heater.
This is the one I use:
Aqueon Pro Adjustable Heater, 100W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003C5TPF6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_ZPZ7CB8T73TTNRPX8G9T
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think that new Helio is unique but so new that it has not been used long enough to see how well it does. All I could find is youtube and stuff from the MFG, no independent reviews yet or real testing yet. I did see a lot of people (around a dozen or so?) whom are really into reefs at reef2reef order them and are trying them out and discussing on their forum. Taking recommendation here you could get two inkbird controllers for $50 and then if you buy say two Fluval E300 heaters for another $120 you are still under $200 with one as a back up heater and both having their own controller to provide further safety. If that Helio technology becomes a heater that does not fail like all the other ones then that could be the new direction for aquarium heaters in the future?
If they would only make an electronic water tester that is say less than $500 that would be able to test all of the water parameters without crazy expensive consumables, that would be great to eliminate the need of all the test kits...
If they would only make an electronic water tester that is say less than $500 that would be able to test all of the water parameters without crazy expensive consumables, that would be great to eliminate the need of all the test kits...