# In Line Heaters



## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

I'm thinking about getting an in line heater to get another piece of equipment out of my tank. If I'm running 2 canister filters would I be required to have 2 heaters, or would 1 be enough on a 75g. Has anyone had any problems using them before?


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## metricliman (Sep 3, 2012)

What heater are you looking at?


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

The Hydor ETH specifically.


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## metricliman (Sep 3, 2012)

Which wattage?


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

I was going to go with the 300w to be on the safe side for a 75g.


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## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

I am running the same heater on my 120 with 2 canisters. I am only running 1 heater and it is not and issue. I love these heaters. Had it for over a year now and it runs flawlessly.


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

thebigman65 said:


> I am running the same heater on my 120 with 2 canisters. I am only running 1 heater and it is not and issue. I love these heaters. Had it for over a year now and it runs flawlessly.


Even in the winter? What is your ambient temperature? Mine is around 70F. My internal has had a little trouble keeping my tank at 80.


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## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

eTrain said:


> thebigman65 said:
> 
> 
> > I am running the same heater on my 120 with 2 canisters. I am only running 1 heater and it is not and issue. I love these heaters. Had it for over a year now and it runs flawlessly.
> ...


Yes, even in winter. My place is around 70 to 72. Temp in the tank is kept around 78 to 79.


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## slb.76 (Jul 30, 2012)

I just got my Hydor ETH 300 watt, works great and it's nice to have that extra space in the tank, only downside is the 300 watt is on the bulky side, and since my tank is close to the wall I had to put it in the stand at a 45' angle, it says to have it vertical but I don't think it'll be an issue.


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## thebigman65 (Jan 3, 2008)

slb.76 said:


> I just got my Hydor ETH 300 watt, works great and it's nice to have that extra space in the tank, only downside is the 300 watt is on the bulky side, and since my tank is close to the wall I had to put it in the stand at a 45' angle, it says to have it vertical but I don't think it'll be an issue.


This is pretty much how mine is mounted and it works just fine....


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## slb.76 (Jul 30, 2012)

Same here, it was the only option I could mount it, I only have 2" of space from the back of the tank and wall, and being that the Eheim pro 3 2075 Ultra is so tall, I had no choice, but I think it's perfectly acceptable the way it's set up. Thx.


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

Ordered Thanks


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## k7gixxerguy (Jan 12, 2012)

Let me know how it works out for you. I'm wanting to get some clutter out of my 67 so I need to decide on the sump or canister and move the heater out.


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## Sookielee (Dec 31, 2012)

We are purchasing the same Hydor inline heater (300 watts) to go with our Rena XP3 that will be on our 75 gallon tank. With all the reviews and posts I have read about the heater, I am not a bit concerned as to it keeping up and I keep the house at 66 degree Fahrenheit in the winter.


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

You think I can get away with one of these on a 240 gallon? I keep the house at 72* I can do two one on each canister.. Also how does slime and bio type stuff go with these, do they need to be reamed out every once and awhile? I have a few reg heaters but may switch to this once I set up the big tank..

Thanks!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I am using one Hydor ETH 300W heater on a 220G tank in a 70F basement and it maintains the tank at 78F with no problems.

The internal portion of the heater is a large cavity, much larger than the fittings. It is recommended to clean them occasionally using a tube brush. I usually do mine once or twice a year. Also, if the heater is installed on the output line of the filter it will not accumulate as much gunk.


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## jcahow (Apr 25, 2010)

I have over a dozen of these Hydor ETH external inline (200w and 300w) heaters all hooked up to various Eheim Ecco, Pro 2, and Pro 3 canisters. I have had minimal problems with them over the years.

Here are few things I have learned over the years regarding their use:

1) As noted, leave enough room behind your tank and the wall so they can fit vertically behind your tank. 
2) I set them up abut 6-12 inches down from the top edge of the tank (depending on glass height) and have no problems keeping them vertical.
3) I pre-lube the ends with silicone grease which allows the tubing to go on and off much easier and allows twisting them to the right orientation.
4) Be careful NOT to twist the plastic hose retaining rings out to far or they will crack over time from constant pressure (Hydor sent me a pair for free when I called them about this).
5) Be careful NOT to bump the temperature setting knob as you might accidently change the value (people compain about not having a more positive click as it is adjusted - no locking feature).

They are suppose to have circuitry inside which shuts them down when they are triggered and no water is flowing through them. I always forget to unplug them when doing canister maintenance and they always seem to work when I turn the canister on again even though they might have been triggered during that time.

I have had only one fail on me during all the time I have used them and that one had the activity light go on and off as normal but no heated water came through anymore. I tried cleaning it out but it seemed clean inside so something must be stopping it from actually triggering the heating element.

Personally I have multiple Ehiem canisters on my large tanks and each one has one of these Hydor ETH external inline on the output tubing. I then use a third party JBJ Tru-Temp heater controller and connect all the heaters on the tank to the controller and set the temperature there that I want. I then set the dials on the individual heaters about five degrees higher and let the heater controller cycle the heaters on and off at the same time. I just watch the Tru-Temp controller activity light to know when the heaters are actually being feed power. It is really nice to be able to walk into my fish room and see the temperature in each tank at a glance from the large red LEDs on the Tru-Temp controllers.

I never had a problem using the temperature knob on the actual external heater other than to occasional change the temperature value when it got accidentally bumped. Thats another reason why I like the seperate heater controller because it has no knobs to bump. Even using the supplied heater knob they always gave me consistent accurate tank temperatures.

I would highly recommend these heaters...............................


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## slingblade (Jan 28, 2013)

That heater is great! I use it on my 135g and it does it no problem. Doesnt even run alot. I keep my house at 68 and tank at 80. Just had 4 nights of -20 had no issue.


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

I think you would be ok with one, but better with two. What do you keep your tank temp at? Mine was just set up so I'm not real sure about cleaning, but like it was stated above if you put it on your return its less likely to get sludges up.

I was very impressed with how quickly it got my new 75g up to 80F from cold tap water.


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## TrashmanNYC (Dec 10, 2007)

Love the Hydor inline heaters. I have them running on three tanks. The 300w heats my 125g perfectly.
And I put a piece of scotch tape over the temp knobs to keep my kids from messing with them.


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## 4RSo (Aug 13, 2011)

how long have you had your 300w? I am going to get one soon, next week, and I am concerned about how consistent they are.


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## TrashmanNYC (Dec 10, 2007)

Well over a year.


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## slingblade (Jan 28, 2013)

My temp never changes stays the same all the time its very consistent. i would say spot on in my 135g


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