Heater Controllers?

[RiversideReefer]

I see alot about people asking "is your heater on a controller? what controller are you using?"

Just wanted to know exactly what its purpose is? I have Eheim Jager heaters, don't they turn on and off automatically depending on temperature?

And as i'm about to learn from you guys exactly what purpose controllers serve... which ones would you recommend?

 

[SPR1968]

It’s really for back up and redundancy issues in case the heaters fail ‘on’ for example.

I have a DD aquarium controller controlling 2 Eheim heaters and that’s also monitored by Apex

Its just fail safes ‘incase’

 

[RiversideReefer]

It’s really for back up and redundancy issues in case the heaters fail ‘on’ for example.

I have a DD aquarium controller controlling 2 Eheim heaters and that’s also monitored by Apex

Its just fail safes ‘incase’

thanks for the quick response. how often do the heaters fail 'on'? and do people get by just fine without having controllers for the most part?

 

[cmoore806]

I just setup a heater in my nano tank controlled by a finnex heater controller that keeps it at temp. I bought an inkbird brand controller off amazon and put it on the heater in my QT tank because the Eheim jager was going 3 degrees higher than set temp. We'll see how the heater controllers compare

 

[NS Mike D]

Heaters tend to be the cheapest piece of equipment least likely to fail. And yes, for the most part you will be fine but it's Russian Roullette . In a reef tank the stakes are higher. A heater that gets stuck on can wipe out $$$$$. very quickly.

Aquarium controllers like Apex are heater ready so it's a no brainer to use the built in standard feature. Heater controllers like Inkbird and Willhi are inexpensive forms of security.

Also, I'm in the camp that 2 heaters are better than one. With a controller you can go cheap.

 

[Snoopy 67]

People do get by without but there is a chance you can loose everything. If you have $$$$ invested a controller like a Ranco is cheap insurance. Heck many have an Apex & another heater controller for safety sake.

 

[NS Mike D]

I just setup a heater in my nano tank controlled by a finnex heater controller that keeps it at temp. I bought an inkbird brand controller off amazon and put it on the heater in my QT tank because the Eheim jager was going 3 degrees higher than set temp. We'll see how the heater controllers compare

another reason, many heaters are not accurate

 

[BigHildy53]

Certain heaters such as, Finnex, require a separate controller. I use Jager heaters on an Apex. I use Apex to control the heat because I can calibrate it with a separate thermometer. Apex keeps the tank between 77-78. I set the Jager heat setting to 80; as a backup should Apex fail. My understanding is that the internal heater controller is the part most likely to fail; but using Apex to turn the heater on and off is "safer" for the heater.

 

[RiversideReefer]

apex is out of my budget so ill have to get an inkbird...
currently i have 2 heaters... im a little confused as to how i'd set that up since i don't have a chiller. plug both into the unit, have one turn off at 80 degrees, and have one turn on at like 76 degrees? ideally i'd like to have both be able to turn off incase they fail in the 'on' position?

 

[WvAquatics]

Dual heater no chiller

 

[zoomonster]

I don't think any of the dial a temp heaters are even remotely accurate. I have a couple eheim-jagers, which I consider the best glass heater, that I use for backup and water change mixing and they are not even close to the dial reading.
I use titanium for the tank but controller after controller has failed along with titanium heater tubes. I generally like to have a tube on a controller that is on/off controlled by Apex for redundancy. Right now just a Finnex tube on Apex but fortunately I won't need heat again until winter. I'll probably end up buying one of the German titanium heaters with magnetic mount and controller from BRS. Started to before but never in stock and now time for the dust to settle on how good those really are. Just so much garbage out there and for years no one has made anything even approaching quality. Even the Apex temp probes tend to drift and I have to periodically recalibrate. A $30 Hanna check temp 1 is a great investment.

 

[Spieg]

I run 2 Cobalt Neo-Term heaters off an inkbird controller (Cobalt have super accurate temp control and digital controls last longer than most heaters). I set the heaters to maintain 77* and the Inkbird will shut them off at 79* (if one of them tries to overheat). I don't run a chiller but do plug a fan into the chiller side of the inkbird if the temp gets above 79* (happens sometimes in the summer).

 

[RiversideReefer]

Dual heater no chiller

thank you!

I run 2 Cobalt Neo-Term heaters off an inkbird controller (Cobalt have super accurate temp control and digital controls last longer than most heaters). I set the heaters to maintain 77* and the Inkbird will shut them off at 79* (if one of them tries to overheat). I don't run a chiller but do plug a fan into the chiller side of the inkbird if the temp gets above 79* (happens sometimes in the summer).

i'm hoping i wont have to rely on a chiller when summer comes!

 

[Galvano]

Apart from powering off a heater with a thermostat failing in on-position, with a freshwater tank mimicking a lotic ecosystem it may also be advantageous to make the controller lower water temperature at night or during darker (stormy) days. While cheap thermostats like the Inkbird are unfit for that task, as they lack a real-time clock, it can be done with the AquariOS low-cost DIY controller, which allows you to define separate temperature profiles for each weekday.

I run two Eheim-Jäger heaters with integrated thermostats in such a tank. One is chained with an AquariOS controller with its temperature set 2 degrees above the programmed AquariOS temperature range. The failsafe heater is combined with an Inkbird, shutting off 2 degrees below the AquariOS range. Every now and then I deactivate the main system to check whether the second one kicks in.