Best inexpensive heater/controller combo???

[Saltyreef]

Hmm, I have the C206, which came with a metal probe that seems to be holding up well after a few months. Good to know, though, thanks!

It will eventually corrode. Cheap china stainless will always rust.
If it was titanium it would work long term.

 

[Sleepydoc]

Cobalt neotherm is probably your best bet. Never heard of one failing

Do a bit of research - they had a whole batch that started rupturing and nuking tanks a few years ago.

 

[Sleepydoc]

You should consider the cost of a heater failing.

The Ranco is a worthwhile investment

This x100. Every heater will fail at some point. It’s a matter of how they fail. A separate heater controller, either a Ranco or a full controller like GHL/Apex is absolutely worth the investment.

For what it’s worth, I work at a hospital and as they were replacing one of the refrigerators used to keep medications cold I noticed that instead of using the refrigerator’s thermostat they had a separate controller. It was a Ranco.

 

[cyber_ecco]

Hmm, I have the C206, which came with a metal probe that seems to be holding up well after a few months. Good to know, though, thanks!

From what I been told those versions with metal probes were not designed for saltwater. They will corrode in time. My 308 has the same metal probe. I actually sealed the metal with thin layer of silicone. It works fine...no different than having a plastic capped probe that most aquarium temperature controllers use. If you go to the RC forum and search "inkbird" you will see others that have done this as well. I know this is known to Inkbird because they reached out to me on FB through one of the aquarium groups to do a test with this new version they have coming out and they were quite aware of the issues saltwater aquarists were having with their metal probes and hence why they released this new version. They sent me one for free to test out and report back to them my experience with it.

 

[Scurvy]

Do a bit of research - they had a whole batch that started rupturing and nuking tanks a few years ago.

Cobalts actually scare me more than most... I had one fail on a couple months back. Posted about it on IG and was pretty overwhelmed by the number of people that had the same problem. Any and all can/will fail.

 

[Saltyreef]

This x100. Every heater will fail at some point. It’s a matter of how they fail. A separate heater controller, either a Ranco or a full controller like GHL/Apex is absolutely worth the investment.

For what it’s worth, I work at a hospital and as they were replacing one of the refrigerators used to keep medications cold I noticed that instead of using the refrigerator’s thermostat they had a separate controller. It was a Ranco.

Agreed. We use johnson control thermostats to replace the failing factory temp controls in our medication refrigerators that cost upwards of $1500 for an ada under counter box.
Havent seen a ranco yet but i might start talking them into buying those instead. After about a year even the johnson controls temp controllers fail. I have 3 brand new accucold vaccine refrigerators in my shop that we finally gave up on after them not holding proper temp and bought folletts lol.
Just goes to show you, even expensive temperature controls fail often. Have heard nothing but good things about ranco in the reef community and the engineering field respectively. Just never seen one in action here unfortunately.

On a side note...the hygger controller is stand alone. Its soul purpose is to control anything plugged into its single outlet and the probe comes right off the controller. Im sure you could use it to control just about any heater you'd like.
Just a bonus it came in a whole package with titanium element i guess. Sub $60 price point makes it a good contender over the regular inkbird controller if you were looking for a new heater too.

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Do a bit of research - they had a whole batch that started rupturing and nuking tanks a few years ago.

Dang that’s for being that to my attention. I’ve tried a bunch of heaters now Eheim, Fluval, Aqueon pro, ect. Cobalt is one of the only ones I haven’t friend at this point. But of course The only heaters I have not had fail or drift on me are metal halides (do they count?) and the tetra presets.

 

[Sleepydoc]

Dang that’s for being that to my attention. I’ve tried a bunch of heaters now Eheim, Fluval, Aqueon pro, ect. Cobalt is one of the only ones I haven’t friend at this point. But of course The only heaters I have not had fail or drift on me are metal halides (do they count?) and the tetra presets.

BRS did a video on heaters not too long ago. Basically none of the heaters are built to last. The majority have relatively cheap thermostats and switches. The vast majority of failures are either the element burning out, in which case it just quits working, or the thermostat breaking, typically in the on position. Regardless, all of them tend to drift or be off to varying degrees. All of which is a good reason to use an external controller. External controllers can fail, too, but they typically have better quality components that last longer and are less likely to fail.

 

[Jacked Reefer]

BRS did a video on heaters not too long ago. Basically none of the heaters are built to last. The majority have relatively cheap thermostats and switches. The vast majority of failures are either the element burning out, in which case it just quits working, or the thermostat breaking, typically in the on position. Regardless, all of them tend to drift or be off to varying degrees. All of which is a good reason to use an external controller. External controllers can fail, too, but they typically have better quality components that last longer and are less likely to fail.

I have watched that brs video. It is pretty accurate but it does say some things that sound questionable (money!!!!). I’ve had a tetra present last 13 years. I swithced it out because I converted my tank to sw. I just recently purchased another and it’s working phenomenaly. I just find it ironic the cheapest and most hated heater has lasted longer than the big brands.

 

[Saltyreef]

Ive had bad luck with eheim heaters and they are pretty coveted on this forum. I think it all boils down to this....
Put 10 eheim heaters against 10 aqueon heaters.
Someones gonna get one or 2 to last them YEARS....
While the others are junking theirs to try something different.
I used to be a big fan of via aqua titanium heaters because i have a 50watt one with inline controller that works flawless and has for years. Still does.
But when i just bought two new generation 100w versions of the same heater...they both malfunctioned right out of the box....
Still love my 50w one but wouldnt buy a via aqua again.

 

[ReefWithCare]

Just FYI...Inkbird has a new version out with a aquarium sealed probe. So no more issues with the old style in saltwater. You can find it on Amazon. I cant say how good it is cause I haven't used it yet but they are shipping me one at the moment for testing. The older 308 model had problems with the probe in saltwater giving unreliable results. Hopefully this one is better. Its around $30 I think on Amazon.

What’s the new inkbird model? Got a link?

 

[cyber_ecco]

What’s the new inkbird model? Got a link?

https://www.amazon.com/Thermostat-I...=UTF8&qid=1549198235&sr=8-60&keywords=inkbird

 

[ReefWithCare]

https://www.amazon.com/Thermostat-I...=UTF8&qid=1549198235&sr=8-60&keywords=inkbird

It only does heat not cooling [emoji29]. So if it has a non metal probe that’s what I should look for?

 

[cyber_ecco]

It only does heat not cooling [emoji29]. So if it has a non metal probe that’s what I should look for?

Yes I did not notice that sorry...I dont run a chiller.

 

[cyber_ecco]

It only does heat not cooling [emoji29]. So if it has a non metal probe that’s what I should look for?

One of the reps told me they have a wifi aquarium version coming out later this year. No idea if it will have cooling as well. I would expect so since they said that one will be made primarily for aquarium. The 308 model I have does both heating and cooling. I siliconed the probe end and it works great. Just a tad slower to respond to changes in temp. My friend runs a chiller with the same 308 model and silicone mod and he has been running that fine for 3-4 years without any problems in his sps tank. Theres lots of guys doing that on RC forum. You can do a search and read up on it. Since I dont run a chiller its not an issue for me.

 

[ReefWithCare]

One of the reps told me they have a wifi aquarium version coming out later this year. No idea if it will have cooling as well. I would expect so since they said that one will be made primarily for aquarium. The 308 model I have does both heating and cooling. I siliconed the probe end and it works great. Just a tad slower to respond to changes in temp. My friend runs a chiller with the same 308 model and silicone mod and he has been running that fine for 3-4 years without any problems in his sps tank. Theres lots of guys doing that on RC forum. You can do a search and read up on it. Since I dont run a chiller its not an issue for me.

So you just put aquarium silicone on the probe and that works? Hmm - just never though about that before [emoji28]

 

[cyber_ecco]

So you just put aquarium silicone on the probe and that works? Hmm - just never though about that before [emoji28]

Yes but try to not put it on too thick. The thicker you put it on the slower the probe will be to react to shifts in temperature. Just a thin layer of aquarium silicone with your finger over the entire probe. If you think about it...these sealed plastic probes most controllers use is just that. Metal probe encased in plastic.

 

[Saltyreef]

Update @ 2 months of using two Hygger 100w titanium heaters with controller on my reef.

NO ISSUES! These have been extremely accurate. Keeps temps within 1 degree at all times.
Both heater controllers set to 77 degrees.
I would not hesitate to recommend these since they are the only titanium heater Ive bought that worked out of the box! Plus it comes with the controller already.

 

[Sleepydoc]

Update @ 2 months of using two Hygger 100w titanium heaters with controller on my reef.

NO ISSUES! These have been extremely accurate. Keeps temps within 1 degree at all times.
Both heater controllers set to 77 degrees.
I would not hesitate to recommend these since they are the only titanium heater Ive bought that worked out of the box! Plus it comes with the controller already.

Just keep in mind that you still only have one controller with no backup. That appears to be a better quality controller than most heaters come with but it would still be prudent to have some sort of backup.

A couple of side notes - it looks like that has a ground pin, so you are likely grounding your tank with the heater as well. Also, it appears the heater is completely separate from the controller, meaning if the heater itself ever dies you can replace it an plug it into the same controller - a nice option!

 

[kgk]

Yes but try to not put it on too thick. The thicker you put it on the slower the probe will be to react to shifts in temperature. Just a thin layer of aquarium silicone with your finger over the entire probe. If you think about it...these sealed plastic probes most controllers use is just that. Metal probe encased in plastic.

I used some clear heatshrink and sealed the top and bottom with a touch of silicone. Does the job and not as fiddly to apply.