# DIY heater guard/protector



## Jaws (Oct 30, 2003)

My Midas has had issues smashing tank heaters.

Any ideas on a DIY guard/shock absorber? I did salvage some rubber end cap and extra suction cups off the last one.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Rather than spend much time working on protecting the heater, I might go another way. How about getting a heater that costs just a bit more but won't break unless he carries a hammer? I'm finding this titanium heater from PetSolutions looks good to me at a somewhat reasonable price. Not the one they have that requires a seperate controller but the ViaAqua one which has the controller and temp sensing probe all included. $35-42 depending on wattage
http://www.petsolutions.com/storefr...anium-heaters/prodViaAquaTitaniumHeaters.html

I like the controls out of the tank and in a box where they can be big and healthy contacts as well as measuring the water temperature directly by a remote senser rather than in the heater tube where they get heated super hot every time the heater kicks on. I think they will last much better.


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## jason_nj (Feb 24, 2010)

I only use titanium heaters now. The brand I would recommend is Catalina Aquarium, you can find them on Amazon or direct from them www.catalinaaquarium.com.

Avoid the Finnex brand, I have a few of those and the quality aren't as good.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Can you tell us what fails on the Finnex brand? All things have a certain number that fail but if there is a weak design it would be nice to know. I've taken the cover off and looked at the components on the heater I mentioned and it seems to be what I want for a reasonable price.


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

I have been running a Finnex controller on 3 250 watt ebo heater for over a year with no issues at all.


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## jason_nj (Feb 24, 2010)

Nothing failed on the Finnex per se, but I find they struggle with getting my tank to a higher temperature setting. I had a 500 watt Finnex in my 125, I placed if vertical with my Eheim 2217 spray bar spraying vertical directly at the heater. To get the temp of the water to about 82 degrees, I had to set the heater to the max temperature setting which was 90+. Same with a 65 gallon I have, I had a 300 Watt Finnex in the tank and I had a breakout of Ich, it struggled to get the temp up to 86 degrees.

I switched to both to a Catalina heater and haven't had a problem since.


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

jason_nj said:


> Nothing failed on the Finnex per se, but I find they struggle with getting my tank to a higher temperature setting. I had a 500 watt Finnex in my 125, I placed if vertical with my Eheim 2217 spray bar spraying vertical directly at the heater. To get the temp of the water to about 82 degrees, I had to set the heater to the max temperature setting which was 90+. Same with a 65 gallon I have, I had a 300 Watt Finnex in the tank and I had a breakout of Ich, it struggled to get the temp up to 86 degrees.
> 
> I switched to both to a Catalina heater and haven't had a problem since.


Well maybe the difference here is the finnex controller is running the ebo jager heaters and not finnex elements. I have 750 watts total in 3 heaters in my sump run by the controller. I know the temp set and actual temp is about a degree and a half out.

Perhaps your heater was also struggling because of a lack of water circulation around it. Mine are in the sump so they get plenty of water around them.


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## jason_nj (Feb 24, 2010)

Its possible but the Catalina heaters that I replaced them with are placed exactly the same way and was able to perform fine.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Lots of variables make for lots of confusion. Maybe we need some group to buy about fiftey of each type and brand and run them for five years so they could give us a real reading on which failed most. Who do they get to go by and drop the thing or otherwise do the idiot things we do to them?


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