# Best Heater for the best price?



## Ralphy The Oscar (Mar 17, 2010)

I think my old heater broke and Im now looking to replace it.

Any advice at whats a good brand/model and whats a good price?

Thanks!


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## Gervahlt (Jun 25, 2009)

Price is going to depend on the size heater you need in addition to the brand. I personally like the Eheim "Ebo" Jager heaters and the Rena Smartheaters. Steer clear of Penn Plax heaters.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

From soup to nuts on the heater market. I don't think anybody has found the answer at a price that most of us think right. I've decided to pay more upfront and hope it will average out to be cheaper in the long run. Things I find go wrong with heaters are mostly related to the points failing. I'm trying a heater that has a titanium tube for good heat transfer and a remote temperature probe so that it measures the water temperature rather than being inside the tube where it can only measure the air temp and relate that to the water temperature. That keeps the contacts from opening/closing so often which is a primary reason they fail. Also with no setting knob on the tube it can be fully sealed with no shaft breaking through the seal. The big item to me is that the contacts or whatever method they use is in a control box outside the tank. That makes for all the room they want to make bigger, more reliable contacts. I'm hoping it is worth the extra money. I'm sure there are other makes/models with the same but the one I'm using is just listed as titanium heaters at PetSolutions.com. Priced at $34.99 for 100Watt 10" up to $41.99 for 350 watt. Won't be able to tell what I have until one breaks down so I can autopsy.


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## Ralphy The Oscar (Mar 17, 2010)

I have a 30gallon tank but im going to upgrade to a 55 I think, what watts should I be looking at?
is around 200watts good?


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## Gervahlt (Jun 25, 2009)

I have two 55 gallon tanks. I heat each of them with a single 150 watt heater and have had no issues.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Unless you have a really cold room situation, I would definitely go with less. One of the main problems with heaters is the contacts. They arc each time they open and close and one common failure is they weld themselves shut. This puts the heater on full until you discover it. Having lower wattage gives you more time to notice the problem before you cook your fish. If you need 200 watts to keep the temp up, I would go with two one hundred watt heaters.


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## Ralphy The Oscar (Mar 17, 2010)

So does anyone else have specific brands they prefer? Someone said stay away from Penn Plax(are they cheap and break easily?)

Thanks


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## Gervahlt (Jun 25, 2009)

Regarding Penn Plax - they're supposed to have a lifetime guarantee, however I think they're just relying on people not keeping their receipts, nor actually following through with trying to replace them. I owned three of them. Two died in the first 10 months of operation (one stopped working, one stuck on and very nearly fried my fish). The third was 100W and couldn't get a 10g tank more than 8Ã‚Â° over room temp even when turned all the way up.

I didn't have my receipt for the first two, so I was SOL. On the third one, I was still within 14 days of purchase, so the store took it back. I have no idea how their customer service is at the manufacturer. But, three heaters that either died or didn't work properly within one year tells me to stay away.


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## Manoah Marton (Feb 17, 2009)

My experience with PennPlax is a little different. I've had the heater I'm using in my 30g for about 7-10 YEARS and it still works well. Then I just bought a JEBO 100w for my 20g and it works pretty well, but on mine at least, the temp is a little high...about 2 degrees. So set it around 2 degrees lower than you want the tank heated.An advantage is that it was only $20. Then my third heater is a TopFin and it is ****!!! They have those 'low to high' settings, so you never know what your setting the tank to for the first couple days. I had one of these recently stick on 'on'...so just stay away from these.
Good luck,

Manoah Marton


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I find all the heaters that have adjustments through the top to have problems. It is just almost impossible to have a moving item going throught the seal that will last very long. If the top slips too low in the tank, water enters and shortly after the heater fails. If the water level gets too low the heater may shut itself off as advertised but it often bends the bimetal spring so that it no longer controls the temperature or even worse, the tube can due to the heat.

I found the name on the heater I use. ViaAqua which is made in China. That may not sound good but it is the only heater with the features to make it last that costs less than an arm and a leg.


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## Ralphy The Oscar (Mar 17, 2010)

http://www.lnt.com/product/heaters/1144 ... aters.html

Is this the ViaAqua you speak of? I do like the idea of having the Knob outside the tank rather than getting wet and damaged


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

While the pictures don't show most of the features, it does appear to be the exact same but at a better price. Looking at the pictures the control is the same logo placed the same with the same dial and hanging hook at the end as well as the indicator light in the center. If they are not the same there should be a patent question somewhere.. I like the price you found.

One of the things I like is putting the heater down in the tank far enough so that it does get out in the air during water changes. That can definitely ruin a heater if you don't remember to cut the power before changing water. When they are in the air and plugged in, they overheat and often bend the bimetal spring that controls them. They can appear to work after that but not very well. With the contacts outside the tube that doesn't happen either way.

Seems to be a very good find that I would recommend, especially at that price.

Mine was here:
https://www.petsolutions.com/Via-Aqua-Titanium-Heaters+I16971630+C1021.aspx


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Did you notice the .99 shipping? that makes for a good deal to me.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

my hydor theos have been good to me so far, they aren't too exspensive imo


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## krfhsf (Dec 25, 2008)

Via aqua is the only heater I use that I like. with Ralphy's link I'm going to order 5 more. Thanks Ralphy!!!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

When looking more closely today, I found something that I had overlooked before. The control box has screws! Wow, now that looks like something I can take apart. I've had the theory that the control contacts might be bigger and designed to fail less often. Guess I better take it apart and see what's in there.

First rule of DIY-- If it's working, don't take it apart until you are sure you can put it back together!!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I've taken my ViaAqua apart and examined it. I'll post on another topic for the results.


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

PfunMo said:


> Unless you have a really cold room situation, I would definitely go with less. One of the main problems with heaters is the contacts. They arc each time they open and close and one common failure is they weld themselves shut. This puts the heater on full until you discover it. Having lower wattage gives you more time to notice the problem before you cook your fish. If you need 200 watts to keep the temp up, I would go with two one hundred watt heaters.


+1 - I use a 100 watt Rena (fairly inexpensive) to heat a 75 with about 15 gallons in the sump. It's held the temp strong in a room that was 60F. It began to struggle at 58F and below.


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## Ralphy The Oscar (Mar 17, 2010)

No problem haha im going to order one soon so my fish doesnt get cold haha


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## jchild40 (Mar 20, 2010)

jchild40 said:


> +1 - I use a 100 watt Rena (fairly inexpensive) to heat a 75 with about 15 gallons in the sump. It's held the temp strong in a room that was 60F. It began to struggle at 58F and below.


I wanted to drop the temperature as part of a treatment for illness and realized that my pump is putting off some heat, leaving little for my heater to do. So, while I have had great luck with this heater, even in some cool temps, others may need more wattage. I don't think much more though.


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## the blur (Oct 4, 2010)

my theo just died. started leaking until you can see the moisture on the inside.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

One of the problems of a heater with a control on the heater tube is that they will leak at some point if they are submerged. If you think of the problems of trying to seal a moving shaft that's under water, you can see that most sealants we use will not work. The best they can use will have to be solid enough to take the wear of the shaft rubbing each time it is turned. They can't use something like silicone to actually glue the hole shut. At some point the rubbing on the seal will take enough off that it will leak and the heater will fail.


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## the blur (Oct 4, 2010)

years ago, like 10 years ago; the Tronic heater was 100 % accurate dead on. It kept temperatures within 1/2 a degree. It was amazing.

Then at about 1-2 years old, they would suddenly start leaking, and the temp would climb higher and higher. I had like 6 of them back then, and they all failed in the same manner.

The Visitherm I have had mixed results with. Some last, some don't. Some hold tempertures with in a tight range, others don't. So I stayed away from them recently.


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## ssondubs (Nov 16, 2008)

The JÃƒÂ¤ger heater is on that I have had great results with, very accurate and durable. So far the Visitherm and Rena smart heater I found only last about a year, good thing about the last two I mentioned is that the dealership I bought them from exchanged them for me without any hassle.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

The only heater I trust for my tanks is Ebo Jager. End of story. I have 2 of the old green ones which are still working well, as well as 4-5 others. Before I found E-J, I cooked fish several times, and when I upgraded to a 150 6 or so years ago, got talked into the new-fangled titanium heater, which did not last 6 months. Upon return, the proprietor of the store apologized and stated they had a ridiculous return rate on them.

IME, buy once, and cry once as they are not the cheapest option, but can you afford to take the chance?

My heaters have always been fully submerged, and not one E-J has failed me yet.


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## the blur (Oct 4, 2010)

The old greens ones, that I still have running, yes.

How are the new ebo's ?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I've mentioned the heaters I like on a couple different occasions and at one point someone asked if it was the same heater as Commodity Axis had available. I did not know but they looked the same in ads. The only difference seemed to be the lower price at Commodity Axis. I just got a couple of these heaters from Pet Solutions and they have Commodity Axis mentioned on the box. Same heater, lower price and cheaper shipping so that's where I'll look next time. I'm fairly slow to change things but over time, I will change out most of my heaters if these work out as well as I think.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

the blur said:


> The old greens ones, that I still have running, yes.
> 
> How are the new ebo's ?


My newest one is probably 3 years old at this point. I don't believe I have any since they were bought out by Eheim.


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## jason_nj (Feb 24, 2010)

I recommend the Catalina Aquarium titanium heaters. I have a 500 watt one in each of my 110 gallon and my 125 gallon and it heats exactly to the temperature I set.

http://www.amazon.com/Catalina-Titanium ... 560&sr=8-1

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/i ... Path=42_43


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## the blur (Oct 4, 2010)

I like to hear about heaters when the are 1 year old....

Not new out of the box......


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I can agree with what blur says but take it a bit further. I like to look at the reasons heaters fail and then look for a design that does away with those reasons. Taking the contacts out of the heating tubes does a lot for failed contacts. Taking the adjustment off the top of the tube lets the tube be truly sealed as it does away with the problem of trying to seal around a moving shaft. A fully submerged heater does away with the problem of heaters coming out of the water when water is lowered on water changes. Most heaters warn they should not be run dry. That is one sure way to distort the temperature setting springs. They do say they shut down but what they don't say is that they may be ruined in the process.

If my new heater of choice only lasts a year, I will be back to dump on them big time but for now they seem good.


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## limpert (Aug 28, 2007)

I've had a jebo heater for a few years on my 55 and it seams to work well... You can get them for less than 20 shipped on ebay. I think the key with the adjustable heaters is not fully submerging them, but only to the min water level line. Just my 2 cents


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

PfunMo said:


> I can agree with what blur says but take it a bit further. I like to look at the reasons heaters fail and then look for a design that does away with those reasons. Taking the contacts out of the heating tubes does a lot for failed contacts. Taking the adjustment off the top of the tube lets the tube be truly sealed as it does away with the problem of trying to seal around a moving shaft. A fully submerged heater does away with the problem of heaters coming out of the water when water is lowered on water changes. Most heaters warn they should not be run dry. That is one sure way to distort the temperature setting springs. They do say they shut down but what they don't say is that they may be ruined in the process.
> 
> If my new heater of choice only lasts a year, I will be back to dump on them big time but for now they seem good.


...and I'll let you take chances with "unproven" new designs while using the tried and true EboJager.   

FWIW - I agree with you on the water changes/levels being a culprit in shortening a heaters life. I have mine on the power strip I shut off when doing water changes (along with sump pump etc), which alleviates the "O carp" moment just before the heater goes "BOP"


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I agree with both those thoughts but only up to a point. For myself, I have found I have to do anything practical to avoid mistakes. With heaters there just seems to be lots of ways to make those small mistakes and ruin them. Keeping them above the water line is good but only until the suction cups get sloppy and dunk the thing. Big fish help this happen but it happens when I move the top or if I'm moving wires underneath and behind the stand. I get done with some small item and find the heater hanging two inches under water. Too late to kick myself. Turning off the power works but only as long as I remember to do it. Sorry to admit it but I think they call what I'm looking for ---"Idiot Proof".

I like to look at the design and see if it is really an improvement or just marketing BS. I took the cover off the heater I mentioned and was impressed with the electronics it used. Rather than a simple set of bimetal springs it actually uses a nice electronic circuit board with real components--diodes, transistors, coils and relays. Looks like a nice board that was run through a wave soldering machine rather than an individual lead solder job. Very nice clean well built board.I really like the relay as it is a totally molded unit. Part of me says I would like to tear it down and see the contacts but I'm settling for the feel of it. When it pulls up, I can feel the movement which should indicate a nice hefty sets of contacts. I can't see it but I can feel it.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

PfunMo said:


> Too late to kick myself. Turning off the power works but only as long as I remember to do it. Sorry to admit it but I think they call what I'm looking for ---"Idiot Proof".


a Mountain biking buddy of mine and I don't believe "Idiot Proof" exists. What you are searching for is "Idiot Resistant"...


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

You are so right! :thumb:


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

so far, the best heater for the price I have found is the Hydor Theo heater. I have them in half my tanks and they do great.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Unfortunately we all have some that last a long time and others have the same that bummed out. If it were more uniform in performance we could get a better idea of what was best. In my case the Hydor Theo was the one that put me on the chase for better. Once the rubber around the top gets dried out and a bit brittle it will not stand up to the occasional water dip that happens. Where the shaft goes through the top rubber, it rubs away at the seal and at some point it leaks. Once water is seen inside the tube with the electronics, I stop using them. I've never had one actually turn that water to steam but it seems something to avoid. I think the sudden steam might have enough pressure to blow the top off and let the whole thing open to water. Being around the oil industry, you probably have a good idea of how quick steam can turn ugly.


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## the blur (Oct 4, 2010)

Biggest piece of garbag I have ever owned.



cjacob316 said:


> so far, the best heater for the price I have found is the Hydor Theo heater. I have them in half my tanks and they do great.


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## newcichlidiot (Jul 7, 2010)

I think with the reliability issues of almost all heaters, the only way to go is the way PfunMo suggests and get two of a smaller wattage. IMO the redundancy factor is hard to argue against. It may cost a little more up front but catastrophes are less of a problem. It may not be idiot proof but if I am involved nothing is.


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## the blur (Oct 4, 2010)

As a redundancy engineer, I have been using 2 heaters of 1/2 the wattage for 15 years.

although I have had many heaters fail, never lost one fish due to frying.
I have always found the failed heater before damaging live stock.


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## Ron R. (Oct 21, 2003)

The old Ebo-Jagers were really good. About 6 years ago I started using 2 500w titanium heaters. These heaters do not have an internal thermostat. I bought them at Jehmco.com. They are a good outfit. John is a great guy.

I bought 2 of the TSH-500-LC models. They are $46 each now. Here's a link:

http://www.jehmco.com/html/heaters.html

I got the ones with the 20 foot cord. I have them sitting on the bottom on the sand in my 180g wc moba tank.

You have to attach these heaters to a controller. I use a commercial-grade single stage electronic temperature controller. I use a Johnson controller like this one:

http://www.etcsupply.com/johnson-a419ab ... p-111.html

I have the Johnson controller mounted inside my cabinet and plugged into a surge protector. I have both my 500w heaters plugged into the Johnson by way of a double plug adaptor.

I set the low setpoint at 77 degrees and the upper setpoint at 79 degrees. During the summer when my home's AC is set around 73 degrees, my tank water slowly drops to the room temp. When the temp hits 69.9 degrees, the Johnson kicks both heaters on until the water heats up to 79 degrees and then the unit turns off the heaters. The cycle repeats itself as the water slowly cools down. When I do my weekly 50% water changes, my water out of the tap is often warmer than 79 degrees so I really don't have to worry.

During the winter, I like to keep my home heat temp around the same 73-74 degrees room temp. When my water temp drops below the lower setpoint of 77 degrees, the unit kicks on again until 79 degrees is hit.

My heating unit cost me about $150, but has been worth it to me. Just one of my wc mobas costs that amount. I have 10 wc adult mobas and usually several F1 fry and juvies in my 180g tank. Right now I have over 50 F1 fry and juvies and a wc momma or 2 holding eggs.

I know this set-up may not be for everyone. This set-up is very reliable and accurate. I use a Lifegard Big Digital Thermometer that I have attached to my wall right above my 180g so I can easily monitor my water temp, especially during water changes.

I have heard too many horror stories about boiling fish due to a stuck heater.

Hope this helps someone out there.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Very helpful post, Ron. This thread has had me thinking about going the controller route. I'm thinking about the ones put out by Jehmco or this one:

http://www.jbjnanocubes.com/contents/en-us/p10986.html

I'm only heating a 108 gallon so 500W might be too powerful.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

the blur said:


> Biggest piece of garbag I have ever owned.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My experiences would say different, I have had one bad one, the dial wouldn't turn, so i returned it and got a new one before it ever went into my tank, all my others have been great, and they are on the small side, not as bulky as the stealths or some others. maybe if you actually talked about what happened and how many of them had the issue then your post would be more viable. But as it stands, i think my experiences would hold more weight than you trash post.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I appreciate the input from RonR. He has a different spin on it as I don't have the type fish that warrant spending that much. We all have to find the level we want. That takes lots of different opinions to cover the different levels. While I don't reach the same thinking as cjacob on the Theo, I do agree with him that posts are more informative if they provide more detailed facts of what failed. So far every heater I've used had good points and bad points. The only way to sort them is to know the things that the adverts don't tell us. If you want to know the good points of a Ford, ask the Ford dealer, then go down the street and ask the Chevy dealer for the bad points! Got to get both sides of the story.


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## love-my-fish (Nov 26, 2009)

PfunMo said:


> I appreciate the input from RonR. He has a different spin on it as I don't have the type fish that warrant spending that much. We all have to find the level we want. That takes lots of different opinions to cover the different levels. While I don't reach the same thinking as cjacob on the Theo, I do agree with him that posts are more informative if they provide more detailed facts of what failed. So far every heater I've used had good points and bad points. The only way to sort them is to know the things that the adverts don't tell us. If you want to know the good points of a Ford, ask the Ford dealer, then go down the street and ask the Chevy dealer for the bad points! Got to get both sides of the story.


Hi PfunMO,,, Thanks for responding on another post regarding my heaters and so forth. Very helpful. This whole article is very helpful and as we all know people have different perspectives on heaters of what works or not. What i respect here is that someone actually pulled the thing apart and tried to explain to everyone how they all worked. I'm sure that most of us have no clue what's inside or how they work at all,, except that you set a temperature and it heats the water. I myself never even asked.....

i use several heaters and brands.... I'm not going to mention my best or worst...I've used jager's, older and newer style, hydor's and now stealths... My biggest issue is that none of them seem to keep accurate temperatures.... I checked my water temperatures,, i know overkill, with 3 different thermometers to make sure my thermometers are not giving me false readings. Almost all of them i have to adjust up or down significantly to get them to the correct temperature i want..... The newer Jager i just bought and the newer stealth pro work awesome right now but who knows....
Anyways,, i'm at the point now where i want to try something else and i'm going to get myself one of these and see what happens. 
PfunMO,,, I went to big als to see if they had these in stock up here in Ontario, Canada and guess what.. 1st thing the guy said was they were ****,, i said "what do you mean" he could not give me any solid answers except that he sold 5 of them and all were returned... Got to love that... So i'm going to order one and i will report back my thoughts,, short-term and long-term if the thread is and will be open....

Cheers everyone
merry xmas to all 
Sheldon


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