Jestersix

Heater Type

Tumbleweed

Tumbleweed

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I need to get a couple of new heaters for my tank."The old one doesn't seem to be working like it used to" Seeing what type of heaters others are using. The one I have now is a titanium heater. Worked ok but not sure I want this type again.
 
I too have had good success with Stealths, I even use a few in my mixing buckets to warm the water up quick if necessary.

I must say though, the new Rena heaters are pretty damn bulletproof, and so far no troubles for me at all ;)
 
yup! I own 3 stealths and 1 ebo. I've had the ebo since I started up my tank many years ago back in the freshwater days.
 
The green ones? You mean the ones that Oscars couldn't break? Yes, they were awesome, but that is old ore, they don't make heaters like that anymore. The old Jager's were the standard of the industry, like Euro-Reefs are now.

(I do still use a Euro-Reef on my own tank ;) )
 
There's a new Stealth Pro coming out soon that has a digital thermostat. I'll be excited if/when this one comes out in the US too: http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/09/23/aqua-el-neo-heater-sleek-shatterproof/
 
What ever brand heater you go with make sure to run an external controller like a Ranco. I have never seen a heater that has even a decently reliable and accurate thermostat. There is just no way to build a 20$ heater with a quality thermostat. I just use two heaters on each controller of mine now so if one dies who cares. Not worth loosing all the time and money in livestock over a $20 heater.
 
I've used all EboJaegers and had good luck, even with the newer ones. As winter approaches though, I am considering getting another heater because I have noticed my tank gets a little cold sometimes.

I considered the Stealths, but I think not having a light telling me that it's on would drive me a little crazy.

That Rena does look nice. I like the fact that the heater is supposedly safe to touch when it's on... Not sure how that affects heating efficency/speed though.
 
Eight said:
I've used all EboJaegers and had good luck, even with the newer ones. As winter approaches though, I am considering getting another heater because I have noticed my tank gets a little cold sometimes.
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I have noticed that as well. My tank is dropping into the mid/high 77 range, and my current heater can't keep up. i am planning on getting 2 250watt heaters to try and help keep the temp up when the house cools down.
 
ebo jagers for me, never had a single problem. The "built-in" thermostat is good, but the marking where it tells you when it kicks in is not right at all. It's consistent at least, so you can test it out with another thermometer to make sure it's kicking in at the right time. All of mine are very loose and I depend on my aquacontroller to keep them in line.

I might need to get another 250watt for my display, the 250 has a hard time keeping the tank above 77 when it gets real cold. I use a 250 watt to heat up my mixing reservoirs when I mix water... might be overkill.
 
The biggest thing you guys can do to keep your tank temperatures up during the winter is to stop as much evaporation of water as possible. Every gallon per day of evaporation from your tank is equivilant to a 100 watt heater running 24x7. I was able to drop the heating bill during the dead of winter on my big fish system from over $300 a month down to $110 a month by just covering up the tank and the sump. I am now in the process of finishing up my Natural Gas heater setup for the big tank. This should take the $110 a month down to about $10 a month. I am running out of time, its getting damn cold out.
 
I have an EboJaeger on my tank and haven't had any problems with it. I am visiting my mom and she has a stealth. I just figured out tonight that it is leaking voltage as I got a nice tingling sensation when I stuck my hand in the tank.

This is probably just an isolated incident though. I have two other stealth heaters that I haven't had any issues with.
 
tuberider said:
The green ones? You mean the ones that Oscars couldn't break? Yes, they were awesome, but that is old ore, they don't make heaters like that anymore. The old Jager's were the standard of the industry, like Euro-Reefs are now.

(I do still use a Euro-Reef on my own tank ;) )
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No the brown/tan ones :) (before green)
 
chicken said:
I am now in the process of finishing up my Natural Gas heater setup for the big tank. This should take the $110 a month down to about $10 a month. I am running out of time, its getting damn cold out.
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Please do a write up about it when you get it done. I realize your tank makes even the largest of our tanks seem sump sized, but I am curious as all hell about how that would save you that much money. Electrical heaters are fairly efficient since who cares about "wasted" heat because by nature that's what keeps your tank warm.

But yeah, cover your aquarium, I have a 20 + 20 half sitting outside in my sunroom (and it gets damn cold at night there), but there's only a 50w heater on it and strangely enough that keeps up... the key is I put acrylic over the sump... I would put it over the tank too but I'm afraid I'd forget about it and the lights might melt :D
 
GreshamH said:
tuberider said:
The green ones? You mean the ones that Oscars couldn't break? Yes, they were awesome, but that is old ore, they don't make heaters like that anymore. The old Jager's were the standard of the industry, like Euro-Reefs are now.

(I do still use a Euro-Reef on my own tank ;) )
Click to expand...

No the brown/tan ones :) (before green)
Click to expand...


That predates me..
 
sfsuphysics said:
Please do a write up about it when you get it done. I realize your tank makes even the largest of our tanks seem sump sized, but I am curious as all hell about how that would save you that much money. Electrical heaters are fairly efficient since who cares about "wasted" heat because by nature that's what keeps your tank warm.
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Will do. I was planning on doing a DIY thread on it. But here is the math real quick

To heat 100g of water by 4 degree F it takes 1kw of heat. Electric heaters are near 100% efficient due to the fact they are in the water. Gas heaters are going to be closer to 80% efficient so it takes about .04 Therms to heat the same amount of water.

At my going PG&E rate I am averaging across my entire bill 37 cents a kw/h for elect, while my gas is currently at 90 cents a therm.

So it costs $0.37 to heat 100g by 4 degrees with Electricity or $0.036 cents with natural gas. So pretty much a factor of 10x cheaper.

As for the parts I suspect I'll have about ~$1000 into it when I am done so I should have an ROI later this year. I would much rather spend money with anyone else besides PG&E as I give them way to much as it is. :eek:
 
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