Heaters

[Dr4gula.f32]

My JBJ 65 currently has a Fluval 150w heater. It's pretty terrible. It'll hold 77.7F for a week and then it'll struggle to hold it at 76. I'll turn it up 1 notch and now it's frying the tank at 80 degrees. I have an inkbird which is regulating it between 77 and 78. I'd like to eliminate that high low temp swing.

Will an Eheim Jaeger be able to hold the temp a little more steady? I'm thinking of going to a 200w.

Thoughts?

 

[Jekyl]

My JBJ 65 currently has a Fluval 150w heater. It's pretty terrible. It'll hold 77.7F for a week and then it'll struggle to hold it at 76. I'll turn it up 1 notch and now it's frying the tank at 80 degrees. I have an inkbird which is regulating it between 77 and 78. I'd like to eliminate that high low temp swing.

Will an Eheim Jaeger be able to hold the temp a little more steady? I'm thinking of going to a 200w.

Thoughts?

I use eheim and love them. Also I would never have a tank without a heater controller. In my eyes it's the most important piece of equipment you can have. I use the one from inkbird.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

I have 2 200w aqua el heaters and love em super simple to use and the heating power is very nice....was able to find em for a steal too at 40 a piece....idk if they have any left but it was on coralvue website.

 

[exnisstech]

I use eheim and love them. Also I would never have a tank without a heater controller. In my eyes it's the most important piece of equipment you can have. I use the one from inkbird.

^^ This ^^ I will never run a tank without a controller. 2 oversized titanium heaters for redundancy connected to an inkbird for me. The inkbird are affordable and have been extremely reliable for me. They have several models. I have the wifi version and I also have one that has heat and cool so I can use it for heat and tank fan (no chiller). Good bang for the buck if you don't want a full blown controller like an apex which I do not want.

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

I use eheim and love them. Also I would never have a tank without a heater controller. In my eyes it's the most important piece of equipment you can have. I use the one from inkbird.

I have an inkbird but the 1* hysteresis is annoying. I wish I could set it to .5*

Nobody has even attempted to address my question of if an Eheim heater has better capability to hold temperature.

This tank uses an Apex and an Inkbird. I still require a heater that can hold a solid temperature.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I always go with eheim heaters and nothing but, they have never failed me.

 

[bblumberg]

I am not sure why +/- one degree F is troublesome. That is about the best you are going to get from any heater controller. I have both Inkbird and Ranco controllers on my various tanks. Both work, but the Ranco controllers seem to be a bit more robust. Our aquatics facility also runs on Ranco controllers.

 

[exnisstech]

I have an inkbird but the 1* hysteresis is annoying. I wish I could set it to .5*

Interesting, all of the ones I have used allow 0.5 increment
Edit: as stated one degree should not be a concern. My tanks will all fluctuate several degrees durring the summer with no I'll effects.

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

Interesting, all of the ones I have used allow 0.5 increment
Edit: as stated one degree should not be a concern. My tanks will all fluctuate several degrees durring the summer with no I'll effects.

I can set the desired temp down to .1 increments. But the hysteresis setting is only in 1* increments. This is an ITC 308 NON-WIFI. I got it last week.

When the temp goes low, one of my BTA's shrinks up really small and starts to wander around

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I use Marineland heaters with an inkbird controller, great heaters. I've never had an issue with them...yet lol
and the inkbird controllers are great.

 

[workhz]

I have an inkbird but the 1* hysteresis is annoying. I wish I could set it to .5*

Nobody has even attempted to address my question of if an Eheim heater has better capability to hold temperature.

Why are you adjusting the heater if the InkBird is controlling? I’m no aquarium heater engineer but isn’t it basically watts. Can’t imagine these things being super inefficient. So 150w heater vs some other 150w heater is going to behave pretty much the same using an outside controller.

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

Why are you adjusting the heater if the InkBird is controlling? I’m no aquarium heater engineer but isn’t it basically watts. Can’t imagine these things being super inefficient. So 150w heater vs some other 150w heater is going to behave pretty much the same using an outside controller.

I dont want the inkbird to spike high low high low all day. I want the heater to hold a temperature, and if the temp gets too high, the inkbird shuts off the heater and turns on the fans. I do not want the inkbird cycling the heater on and off all day. It takes 1 hour for the temp to drop, then an hour to ride back to shut off temp. All day up and down. I want it to stop and the heater to function as it should, without using the Apex and Inkbird to slow the heater.

Look below. I want to stop that nonsense.

 

[zoomonster]

He said no one said if it will hold temp... Yes but still recommend a controller. Like most with thermostat on the tube it's not even close on dial setting to actual temp. I just use the Eheims to heat new water mix. Currently have a Helio PTC on my tank backed up by Apex for redundancy. And BTW holding temp is also dependent on the right size heater for your tank.

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

He said no one said if it will hold temp... Yes but still recommend a controller. Like most with thermostat on the tube it's not even close on dial setting to actual temp. I just use the Eheims to heat new water mix. Currently have a Helio PTC on my tank backed up by Apex for redundancy. And BTW holding temp is also dependent on the right size heater for your tank.

I have a controller. 2 controllers. That is not my question.

 

[exnisstech]

I can set the desired temp down to .1 increments. But the hysteresis setting is only in 1* increments. This is an ITC 308 NON-WIFI. I got it last week.

When the temp goes low, one of my BTA's shrinks up really small and starts to wander around

I'm sorry but hysteresis is over my head so your probably making this more complicated than I could even if I tried I have a 2 tanks with over 10 large bubble tip nems and they are thriving in spite of the inkbird controllers.

 

[workhz]

I dont want the inkbird to spike high low high low all day. I want the heater to hold a temperature, and if the temp gets too high, the inkbird shuts off the heater and turns on the fans. I do not want the inkbird cycling the heater on and off all day. It takes 1 hour for the temp to drop, then an hour to ride back to shut off temp. All day up and down. I want it to stop and the heater to function as it should, without using the Apex and Inkbird to slow the heater.

Look below. I want to stop that nonsense.

Not your exact question but there’s a thread somewhere about whether to use InkBird as a fail safe or to control the heater. I was in the camp of failsafe (which is what it sounds like you’re doing) but I have switched sides and will be using it as a controller in the future and relying on the heater controller as the failsafe.

as for heater my eheim seems to keep a tighter range than what you are showing but I haven’t tracked it very well. I see them temp maybe 2-3 times a day and I don’t notice any variance (this is with heater providing the control).

 

[TheBear78]

I'm sorry but hysteresis is over my head so your probably making this more complicated than I could even if I tried I have a 2 tanks with over 10 large bubble tip nems and they are thriving in spite of the inkbird controllers.

I think (please correct me) that they're referring to the simple on/off cycle and its temperature range whilst doing so. I believe that true hysteresis is actually a built in lag, subject to the components and materials used and not something set by programming, but anyway...

Ideally the water would sit at a constant temperature but being able to vary the heater output isn't possible with basic controllers. They are either on or off so the temperature has to constantly bounce between a switch on and switch off point.
IIRC the inkbird has a tighter range if used in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. I run mine at 25 C and the closest range I can use is 25 deg. on, 25.3 off. A quick calculation would suggest that 0.3 C is a fraction over 0.5 F.

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

Not your exact question but there’s a thread somewhere about whether to use InkBird as a fail safe or to control the heater. I was in the camp of failsafe (which is what it sounds like you’re doing) but I have switched sides and will be using it as a controller in the future and relying on the heater controller as the failsafe.

as for heater my eheim seems to keep a tighter range than what you are showing but I haven’t tracked it very well. I see them temp maybe 2-3 times a day and I don’t notice any variance (this is with heater providing the control).

This is what I needed to hear. The Fluvals on/off variance is too great. If I didn't have the inkbird, my temp swing would be 3 or 4 degrees. I don't want that. I'd love a heater that can operate on it's own, and have the inkbird as the failsafe. If I could read over that thread it'd be great. Please post it if you find it!

I think (please correct me) that they're referring to the simple on/off cycle and its temperature range whilst doing so. I believe that true hysteresis is actually a built in lag, subject to the components and materials used and not something set by programming, but anyway...

Ideally the water would sit at a constant temperature but being able to vary the heater output isn't possible with basic controllers. They are either on or off so the temperature has to constantly bounce between a switch on and switch off point.
IIRC the inkbird has a tighter range if used in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. I run mine at 25 C and the closest range I can use is 25 deg. on, 25.3 off. A quick calculation would suggest that 0.3 C is a fraction over 0.5 F.

I will look into using Celsius. Thank you! I dont want to vary the heater output, only have a heater with it's build in thermostat that isn't a giant point of sale. What's so hard about making a heater that can hold +-1 degree.

 

[TheBear78]

If I could read over that thread it'd be great. Please post it if you find it!

I'm pretty sure it's this one here

Short version - the most common failure mode for a heater is a broken thermostat caused by the shear number of cycles in its lifetime. Using the controller as a back up only plays to this likely outcome.
Controllers have electronic components designed for regular switching. Using the controller to control the heating ('clue is in the name...) the heater thermostat doesn't get overworked and should be fresh to step in if required as a back up.

 

[kdxracer]

I added an Inkbird to my system after i had adjusted my 2 150 watt Flugal heaters to the temp i wanted but did not calibrate the controller. Sometimes the Inkbird calls for heat but the heaters don't always come on right away. When i set it up i set the continuous heat alarm to 3 hours. One night i forgot to change my house thermostat from cool to heat. When it got colder the heaters needed to run more and when 3 hours went by it shut off. Since it is upstairs and i was asleep i didnt hear the alarm or phone notification. The tank cooled down 6 or 7 degrees before i realized it. I changed the continuous heat time to 6 hours to avoid this happening again. Is there a better solution? The setup instructions dont seem to cover this situation very well.