Another heater semi-nuked my tank.

[Paul Sands]

I agree completely!

I keep my thermostats out of the water!!

I often do the same, but the images on the back of the heater packaging usually have a big red X across an installation with the thermostats out of the water.

 

[EmptyWallet]

+1 on the inkbird. I have 4x Eheim 200W heating 1000L (0 degree Celsius overnight not uncommon). No matter how I calibrate the Eheims and what I set them too they are all over the place. I've now got 2 inkbirds (the newer blue ones that have submergible temp probe) with 2x heaters plugged into each. The blue inkbirds kick on/off within .01 degree Celsius and my tank has never moved more than 0.01 degree day or night, love 'em! The Green ones work too but you can't submerge the tip/cable into the water and they only activate the heating function within 0.03 degrees. I use the old green one on my QT now. If buying, note 2 models, 1 that heats only and 1 that heats and cools.

 

[PhreeByrd]

The problem with all aquarium heaters and heater controllers is that not only is the heater itself subject to failure, but also the temperature sensor which tells the controller/thermostat what to do. (In lower cost or simpler arrangements, the sensor is the thermostat).

You can have the finest, most bullet-proof heater and controller in the world, but when (not if, but when) the temperature sensor fails, the heater will respond in ways you don't want -- usually by overheating the water, which can indeed be disastrous. This can happen suddenly, too. The fact that it was working flawlessly this morning is no indication that it will do so this afternoon.

Having redundant heaters is not a (complete) solution. Having redundant temperature sensing is.

 

[Robert M Balzli Jr.]

I'm new to saltwater. But I've had heater issues with my freshwater. I am starting two saltwater tanks 90 and 220 gal. I hope to solve some of my past heater issues with an APEX with two temp probs on each APEX. Two 300 watt and two 500Watt Finnex Titanium heaters, each with their own Digital controllers, and those back up with APEX power shut off for unexpected temp swings. I'd like to have APEX as main controller with Finnex as backup. Not sure how I'll set that up yet. Email/Text alerts from APEX. I live in Colorado and my 220 is in a game room that I don't keep house heater turned up when I'm gone in the day. So Wattage is overkill. I may have to change that if it over loads these heaters. Any help is appreciated. Let me know what direction you are going Scorpius. I feel your pain. I once had all my fish freeze to death over a failed heater. Tank was near a window in a poorly insulated collage marriage housing.
Robert

 

[n21benson]

I agree completely!

I keep my thermostats out of the water!!

Sweet set-up!

 

[Cory]

I have one 300 watt heater in my 200 ish gallons. Its on 24 hours a day. Temperature never gets above 78f. Never drops below 74f. No controller needed. Eventually i want to heat the tank with room air.

 

[TheHarold]

If you don’t have a redundant controller on your heater, you are just tempting fate. If this is the 4th heater failure, I’m surprised you haven’t done that already!

The only “silly” thing someone can do is try the same thing over and over, and expect to have different results.

 

[Scorpius]

If you don’t have a redundant controller on your heater, you are just tempting fate. If this is the 4th heater failure, I’m surprised you haven’t done that already!

The only “silly” thing someone can do is try the same thing over and over, and expect to have different results.

I did have a controller in the past and it failed me as well.

 

[TheHarold]

I did have a controller in the past and it failed me as well.

But BOTH don’t fail simultaneously. Redundancy.

 

[ReeferReefer]

Yeah, redundancy doesn't add "another thing to break", it adds another thing that can break before it causes damage.

I won't run a heater without a temp controller.

 

[Reefer50]

My cobalt heater meltdown in less than a year. I use an Inkbird controller. Lost about half of my fish, multiple anenome and some snails.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My cobalt heater meltdown in less than a year. I use an Inkbird controller. Lost about half of my fish, multiple anenome and some snails.

NO surprise. I quit buying these

 

[Homebrewer]

I switched to the Jager heaters, and while they are glass and not titanium, the internal controller is always within 0.1 degree Celsius from the setting. No heater is bulletproof, but coming up on two years and I can tell you it’s the best heater I’ve ever owned.

That said, I’m afraid it too will simply fail some day, so I just purchased the AutoAqua smart temp security device. Figured it’s a $60 insurance policy on keeping the tank from going above 84F. I know it isn’t the best answer, but I need some sort of redundancy and that seemed to be a reasonable option for me, especially with summer approaching.