Are heaters even needed?

[jda]

You need to have a heater controller as a second level of redundancy if you are serious about the hobby. Inkbird is the cheapest method. Ranco is just a bit more and the unit could last you your whole reefing career. An aquarium controller can be OK, but the probes can fail.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

If you keep your home warm enough then you do not need them. I rarely use mine, but still do when it gets close to 76F. My house it kept at 75-76F during the winter and my tank is near the furnace room.

 

[Kengo]

I bought the ehiem jager! Is it good?

 

[jda]

Yes, they are as good as it gets. There are a lot of good heaters. Any heater can fail, including these, so have redundancy and a plan.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I use my heaters as back ups.

The room itself has its own thermostat and stand alone heater and air conditioner. I hardly ever replace my heaters this way but spend more in electric i am sure.

 

[Weedy Sea Dragon]

I'm also in South Florida so I don't use a heater either.

Since corals are subjected to temperature swings in the wild shouldn't they be ok with the occasional temperature swing in an aquarium?

 

[saltyhog]

I always use a controller of some type. I also have a procedure when I have to replace a heater. I fill one of my 10 gallon QT tanks with water and spend a couple of days adjusting the heater thermostat until I get the temp exactly where I want it. The thermostats on heaters vary greatly in accuracy. Never trust them.

 

[kchristensen8064]

I'm also in South Florida so I don't use a heater either.

Since corals are subjected to temperature swings in the wild shouldn't they be ok with the occasional temperature swing in an aquarium?

The only thing I would say about this is that yes they can handle fluctuations but, fluctuations in the wild happen very slowly due to the volume of water, where as in our aquariums temperature swings can happen quite quickly. I'd would say that the quick fluctuations would be a shock to our corals and that's why it is not ideal for temperature swings in our aquariums, and why we should to try to keep the temp as steady as possible.