Temp drops

[Thales]

You get what you pay for. Most cheap heaters are crap. It seems crazy to me that people will spend thousands and thousands on their tanks, but want cheap heaters.

 

[Coral reefer]

If those things actually are accurate and last, not to mention the small size, they are defintely worth it. Time will tell. How long have you had it rich?

 

[euod]

I am still nervous about the Neo and all of the heaters. Cleaning my tank today and realized my one of my tank is 69-70. I guess I am really cheap not to buy a heater Fish are doing great in this tank so I may not put one in.

 

[aqua-nut]

You get what you pay for.

Sometimes. Unless UPS looses it!

If you do pay for it you will most likely get 'it' but is 'it' worth it?

How long have you used these? I'm not trying to be argumentative, just getting some data and being skeptical.

I think the hardest thing for a consumer is determining if the price really reflects quality or is it just hype. The Cobalt is small, plastic and sexy. Is it more reliable than a heater less than half it's price? I don't know.

I've used Ebo-Jäger - now Eheim-Jäger - for years. Mostly dependable. I have a couple that have been in service continuously for more than 10 years. Some have failed after 2-3 years. I wish they weren't glass and so big. Other than that, I'm happy with them.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Rich
Thanks for the product recommendation.
Do you use them at work (are they authorized)?

I've added a space heater to one of my sheds during this cold snap.

 

[rygh]

Funny timing : My water suddenly started to drop yesterday. Down to 75 degrees.
Turns out two (out of 3) of my heaters were dead.
Likely one died a while ago, but two were enough to keep it warm.
I had a spare on my QT, so not problems, but need to buy some new ones.

Did some more research on these Neo-Therm heaters, since they look pretty nice.

Lots of very good reviews. But a few common issues:

1) Quite a few bad reports on the 200W version, and it seems to have been recalled.
None for sale. And that is unfortunately the size I need.
On the plus side, the fact that they recalled them is a really good sign. Most would simply sell them anyway.

2) They are supposedly glass inside the plastic, and the glass can break.
While the plastic can contain the glass from going everywhere, you can get a nasty shock.

3) While the sensor may be accurate to 0.5-deg, you can only set it in 2 degree increments.
Rather strange. Although my master control is my main fish controller, so no real issue.

4) Like all heaters, it seems they can fail stuck-ON.
No idea how often that happens though, or if better or worse than others.

Not sure what I will buy now.

 

[euod]

Exactly, that's my dilemma.
I have 250W Jager heaters laying around but they are huge to fit in the sump.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Mark
Thanks for the research
Tagging along to see which brand people lean toward.
But back to Mark's failure issue, a controller with multiple heaters is the premium way to go.

 

[jonmos75]

I have used & still use a Eheim Jager heater & Finnex heaters and had great results...

 

[Kensington Reefer]

I current use same brands as above
I have become suspect of the thermostat in submersible heaters...all of them.
Whenever possible, I use an external controller: aqualogic or ranco

 

[jonmos75]

I have my Apex control my heater, but have the T-stat on the heaters set >1 degree hotter then my programming is set for so if I ever had an issue with my controller it wont over and cook my tank

 

[rygh]

I have my Apex control my heater, but have the T-stat on the heaters set >1 degree hotter then my programming is set for so if I ever had an issue with my controller it wont over and cook my tank

Yes, that is what I do as well.
It obviously does not cure the problem of getting too cold if a heater fails OFF, but it does warn you.

The slight downside though: You are turning the main power on/off to the entire heater device.
Depending on heater design, that can affect longevity of the heater thermostat electronics.

 

[aqua-nut]

I have my Apex control my heater, but have the T-stat on the heaters set >1 degree hotter then my programming is set for so if I ever had an issue with my controller it wont over and cook my tank

Pretty much the same setup here. I have had my Apex go nuts (only when I'm out of town!) but with the heaters set just slightly higher that my usual max, beasties just got a little tropical vacation!

Since the heater's t-stat never goes thru the on-off cycle and arcing, I'm hoping the 'stuck on' failure is reduced. I also use two heaters sized so one cannot cook the tank.

 

[jonmos75]

The slight downside though: You are turning the main power on/off to the entire heater device.
Depending on heater design, that can affect longevity of the heater thermostat electronics.

True, but that is what redundancy is for having a heater plugged into the wall not the Apex and have it set to a lower setting so If the first (Main) heater fails the secondary heater can supplement the duties...

 

[aqua-nut]

The slight downside though: You are turning the main power on/off to the entire heater device.
Depending on heater design, that can affect longevity of the heater thermostat electronics.

I could see that as a problem. I use the Eheim-Jäger heaters. Hoping their t-stat is old school.

 

[BAYMAC]

You get what you pay for. Most cheap heaters are crap. It seems crazy to me that people will spend thousands and thousands on their tanks, but want cheap heaters.

We run those in our test systems at Reed, recommend them to larval customers and rotifer customers. Been flawless for us, love those heaters. Cobalt has some interesting products.

 

[BAYMAC]

I current use same brands as above
I have become suspect of the thermostat in submersible heaters...all of them.
Whenever possible, I use an external controller: aqualogic or ranco

You should be suspect of all thermostats in submersible heaters. and darn tooting use an external controller. I started doing that 20 years ago for all my aquariums and never looked back.

 

[rygh]

What you really need on your controller:
1) Dual 20A+ relays in series. So it will almost never fail "ON"
2) Current sensor on that output. So you know right away if it fails "OFF".

 

[Marc]

I am really liking these heaters
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25144
Slim, good longevity (so far), and unbreakable plastic - plus really easy to use.

That said, my DT is getting down to 75 at night and 78/79 during the day. Not worried.

I'm using one in my tank. I like it a lot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

 

[bluprntguy]

Towels? How does it help?

Towels will act like insulation and help minimize heat loss.

+1 to the neotherm heaters. I've had one since they came out and it keeps the tank a consistent temp. Totally worth the money.