Which heater?

[Nano Gabe]

Upgrading to reefer 350 what heater should I get I think it’s about 90g I need something reliable

 

[Jon Fishman]

Get two 200w set to a temperature controller

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

You might want to consider two slightly under-powered heaters. Reliable is good, but you need to assume any piece of equipment will fail eventually, and test for those conditions. For example, I have done that with two 200W heaters for my 125 gallon reef. I have my Apex set for 77 degrees. If both heaters fail stuck on, the temp goes up to 82 degrees. Not great, but likely nothing will die. If both heaters fail stuck off, the tank will drop to 70, which is where I keep the house. A single failure will be somewhere in between those extremes.

 

[Nano Gabe]

Okay if I were going to go that route what wattage would I need being that my tank is 90g maybe 150?

 

[Nano Gabe]

I don’t have an apex so is there a temp controller that I can use for both of them?

 

[Bri-Guy]

I just ordered an Inkbird ITC-306A. Manages dual heaters, with dual temp probes and has wifi capability for reporting alerts.
I have heard good things.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Okay if I were going to go that route what wattage would I need being that my tank is 90g maybe 150?

The basic rule of thumb is 3-5 watts per gallon. But there are a lot of variables. Is the top open or do you have lids? Do you have a sump? How much are you raising the tank temp above room temp?

 

[Nano Gabe]

I think a good option would be the Eheim Jager 200w with an external controller. Any recommendations for a good inexpensive controller. I just want it to be able to shut of the heater if I goes out of control. Cold temp is not an issue my house is always at 72-75 during the day and I live in Florida.

 

[Scorpius]

A reliable saltwater heater is one that is replaced yearly. You should inscribe this on your arm so you'll never forget. HEATERS WILL ALWAYS FAIL, ALWAYS.

 

[Nano Gabe]

I’m looking at the inkbird controller which do you recommend?

 

[KustomAquarium]

I use the ITC-308SA AQUARIUM TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER, have had pretty good luck with it so far. on my other system I use a neptune apex

 

[Neil S.]

For Heaters take a look at the BRS TV episode on heaters. I picked up the Neo-Therm Cobalt 300W. Just about zero in temperature variation from the set point, a really solid build....they whack it with a hammer in the video!!.... It has two separate elements so that you can put them in different areas, and a slim 'paddle' shape instead of a tube. I also agree that you should run two heater for backup with one set a degree or so lower.

 

[Billldg]

Upgrading to reefer 350 what heater should I get I think it’s about 90g I need something reliable

I would say buy finnex titanium heaters as that is what I have and they do great, but now BRS has some out and you can buy a package deal with a controller. I have a 200 and a 300 watt heater on my 120 gal tank.

 

[Nano Gabe]

I’m not liking the brs heater controller combo because i feel safer going with a heater that has its own thermostat. That way I can have 2 thermostats the one in the heater and the one on the controller.

 

[fcmatt]

A reliable saltwater heater is one that is replaced yearly. You should inscribe this on your arm so you'll never forget. HEATERS WILL ALWAYS FAIL, ALWAYS.

I have to wonder if that advice, while at first blush seems wise, might actually result in a higher failure rate situation then just sticking with that first heater which has proven to work over a long period of time.

After all you are buying a new heater each year and everytime you do that you start adding in the chance of getting a bad one.

Would be interesting to hear from someone who has a career in analyzing such risks. A heater is not like a hard drive in a server with a known amount of write amounts and when you pass that the failure rate increases dramatically.

 

[MTBake]

I use Finnex heaters connected to a Ranco controller. Works very well. Order the controller from Ranco and they'll cover the probe for saltwater use for no added charge. I use the same controller for CNC machines at work and they are solid. No issues.

 

[Dragon52]

I use JBJ's on my tank. It came with the separate attachment for the controller temp. This is the 500W but you can get lower wattage.

JBJ TRUE TEMP 500W Digital Titanium Heater System - AquaCave.com

JBJ TRUE TEMP 500W Digital Titanium Heater System JBJ introduces the TRUE TEMP digital heater controller and titanium heating system. The TRUE TEMP is the most complete heating system to date with the most advanced features that set it apart as the leading heater for professional hobbyists. Our...

www.aquacave.com

 

[Bramzor]

I use a titanium heater in combination with the Apex controller. I had a hard time looking for a 50W Titanium heater because the 100W was causing peaks while I actually prefer that it takes longer to heat the water so it would be more of a flat curve instead of a peak.
Personally I also went for a lower temperature just because it would be more like room temperature and not going off and on the whole time. If a 25W Titanium heater would exist, I would go for that one.

Why the Titanium heater? Well no cheapass controllers and you get the ground pin for free.