Heater recommendation?

[Jon Fishman]

150-ish gallons, and I have an apex with temp probe. What heater would you recommend? I can get one without the temp controller correct? If I plug it into the Power-bar thing for the apex, the apex will just cycle it on/off to maintain whatever temp I set it to right?

Thanks.

 

[Hemmdog]

Finnex titanium with no temp control. Not much that can break on it. Yea you can set your apex up that way. The temp probes get uncalibrated over time and I don’t like to trust heaters and everything all on one central point of failure. I use a ranco temp controller, industrial grade for food & beverage manufacturing. Only $20 more than an inkbird to.

 

[Montiman]

I would never put all my eggs in one basket even if it’s a ranco. I would still get a heater with a thermostat plus the apex or temp controller.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Well, I bought an 800w Finnex..... I will find a controller to connect it to.

 

[laverda]

I would cancel your 800 watt heater. Your much better off to use 2 smaller heaters. Two 300 watts should be plenty. 800 watts is way too big unless your tank is in an unheated area in a cold climate. With one 800 watt heater you will cook everything in your tank should it stick on. If it sticks off you will have no heat at all. Believe me both happen. Heaters are the least reliable pice of equipment you will probably ever buy for your aquarium. Do not trust it to just one. I have 4 heaters on my set up on 2 different controllers. One heater is in my display. Personally I have had really bad luck with titanium heaters.
With 2 small heaters set them to heat the water to just slightly higher than you want your water temp. Do not rely on the temp gauge on the heater to set them. Test each one in a container of water and see what they really heat to. Then throw some ice in and let it heat up again. Do not be surprised if you get several different results. Plug one heater in to your Apex and set the temp to turn off a .5-1 below what the heater is set at. Plug the second one into a Rancho or rain bird controller. I would set one of the controllers a degree or 2 lower than the other one. That way the are not both cycling on and off constantly. Your controllers and heaters will all last longer this way. Set the on off setting on your controllers so they are not cycling on and off constantly. There is no need to keep your temp between 78.5 and 78.6. That will just wear out your controllers prematurely. While your at it set up your chiller or fans to come on a 2-3-4 above your heater off points. Setting your heaters up this way you are protected from a heater failing on or off.

 

[Jon Fishman]

I have another heater already (no idea what kind/how big, but it's titanium and heats the tank easily) I was just adding this one for a second one. I will see if it's too late to cancel.

 

[Waters]

I have found that heater brand really doesn't matter. Just buy any that have a built in thermostats (as a backup) and connect them to the Apex. I have a bucket full of dead heaters from Finnex to generic models found at department stores. I consider them disposable now.