Why are all heaters crap?

[DHill6]

Neo therms, auto correct on phone mistype

 

[DSEKULA]

Finnex with inkbird controlers, inkbirds plugged into the apex. Probably over kill but I already had the apex and found the extra cost of an inkbird as a double fail safe acceptable. I use the finnex with out the built in controller as I've heard their not so great.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I use neotherms as well on my profilux 4 for secondary control. Back up heater is a small heater rated for only half my tank size just to keep warm if needed.

Caveat my fish room itself is on its own thermostat, as i also have reptiles. So my heaters barely do any work. Room is always a stable 72 degrees. So only have to raise the tank 8 degrees ever.

 

[Mical]

Heaters are like brakes on a car, they're going to wear out. With as many fluctuations they go through daily they will fail. They're not the equivalent to your home thermostat, your home thermostat is not exposed to salt water. (That's the same stuff that rusts your cars body panels - coast folks can attest to that)

Even BRS suggested replace you heater at the end of it's warranty. Plus, if you don't have some kind of controller on it to warn you of issues, you might not know your heater failed until corals & fish start stressing out.

 

[smiley28]

I thought those pumps were from Germany? Regardless I was interested in a few so I called today and they said they’ll have a small batch in at the end of the month then a large supply in April. It was something along those lines.. lol anyway I could use a couple finnex 300w for a little side project. May have to try a ranco aswell.

 

[pecan2phat]

I've been using titanium tube heaters for 15+ years, most stop heating after 2+ years and I need to replace them. I do have old JBJ titanium heaters (analog and digital controller version) that has been with me for over 10 years and are still in use. Finnex & the ones from Jehmco are the ones that seem short lived for me.

 

[melanotaenia]

Not all heaters are crap; Eheim heaters have been bulletproof for me and I have used them for as long as I can remember and never has one failed. They may not keep the temp within 0.1 degrees F all day but they work pretty well.

 

[RimlessReef]

Finnex titaniums are pretty good .. i do see alot of glass heater get bubbles inside or even burst

 

[Slawman]

I have been using Schego titanium heaters in my systems for 30 years now, they are the most reliable and accurate I have come across, followed by the Eheim Jaeger line. Always have two systems of heaters running, something always fails and temperature shift (cold or hot) kills the tank fast!

 

[Tastee]

Aquael Gold 300 controlled by my Apex been running my 65g for 2 1/2 years now with no issues. I have a cheaper backup but apart from testing it to ensure it still works have not had to use it.

I’ll be starting to setup a new 140g tank this Friday and will be interested to see how it goes. I’ll be using a Teco TK-1000 chiller/heater as the primary heater, powered by the Apex so I can shut it down if it goes crazy and an Aquael Platinum 300 as a backup.

 

[Viking_Reefing]

Never had any serious problems with eheim jagers and I’ve been using them in both fresh and saltwater for over 15 years+.

I have them hooked up to a controller to provide an extra level of security, if one thermostat fails in the on position the other will save the day. I would never use a heater without an internal thermostat and just rely on the controller, not enough risk-mitigation.

 

[Chaz D]

Those cheap Aqueon preset heaters on an inkbird as a fail safe are all you need. I've never had one fail, and the temp on the 3 I own is dead on at 77.8. I love that they are shorter in length for my sump and that I don't have to fiddle with the thermostat like on the ebos and pros I've owned.

 

[destro]

All my tanks are running Aqueon Pro heaters. 20% of them failed after two years but are backed up with life time warranty (life of the heater). All my claims have been hassle free and they send bnib immediately. I continue to support them b/c of their service. Wear and tear is inevitable.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Titanium all the way.
Too many cheap and low quality chips in standard heaters, depending on a thermo coupling that fails

 

[pdcatania]

Haven’t had any problems with the Cobalt Neo Therms 150 and 200. Both tops are under water, running two 150s on current tank. Granted they’re only in during the winter months.

After a year my NeoTherm 150 malfunctioned. Temp went up to 95 and most of my Corals melted. It did some research and it is a common problem. Cobalt sent me a new one, I'm just scared to use it.

 

[Sleepydoc]

A heater is basically 2 components - a thermostat and a resistive heating element. There’s not too much to change with the heating element. The thermostat and switch, however can be industrial quality or cheap junk. People have posted about several examples of cheap junk above.

I’m not the first to say this, and won’t be the last, but people keep leaning the lesson the hard way -
YOUR HEATER WILL FAIL! HAVE A BACKUP THERMOSTAT OR CONTROLLER TO KEEP YOUR TANK FROM GETTING FRIED!

 

[Shaun Sweeney]

I feel like I've owned every heater available on the market and I have not found one that seems to be worth anything. Is there a reason that these are all crappy pieces of junk? I'm able to buy decent pumps and awesome lights, is there a reason that there isn't a decent heater available? I'd gladly pay $200 if it meant that I didn't have to replace it every few months and that I could rely on it for a few year of service.

The latest heater I purchased is a Fluval E. Supposed to be one of the better heaters. I installed it, watched it for a few hours and it seemed to be maintaining temperature. The next day I start getting alarms that my tank is 85 degrees. I reset the heater via my profilux and it does fine for a few days and then the temperature starts crashing again for no reason. I checked the heater and it doesn't show low flow or any other reason for the fact that it just isn't turning on. I ended up re-installing my cobalt neo-therm as a back-up. I took that one out of service since after a few months it started leaking electricity into the tank when the top got wet. It's the second neo-therm I purchased. The first one wouldn't tun off straight out of the box and went back immediately. Before that I've had Eheim Jaegers. Everyone I've purchased in the past few years can't keep a constant temperature. Tank is 89 one day. 86 the next. Those used to be rock solid heaters except for the fact that they are so frigging easy to break.

In all honesty, the heaters that seem to work the best are the aqueon preset heaters that I use for waterchanges. I'm tempted to put two of those in my tank. I was thinking about the BRS heaters, but apparently those are out of stock and since all manufacturing in china has ground to a halt, I don't expect them to get any in for the foreseeable future.

Other than the fact that it feels so good to rant, is there a reason that someone hasn't made a decent heater? Anyone else have this problem? Is there a great heater that I just haven't found?

I heat my 400 gallon plus system with hot water from my solar heater reservoir so here's a suggestion for a better heater:
1. build a heat exchange unit - titanium or high grade stainless
2. if you can immerse about 12" of 2" pipe it will be plenty
3. build a circuit off you hot water tank with a small pump and a safety electronic valve (commonly used for in floor heating systems)
4. trigger the pump - and electronic valve - with you Apex system
5. as a safety use a "normally closed" valve in case of power failure.
6. if I've confused you contact me at [email protected]

 

[ByronP]

Finnex, they are cheap, titanium and I have 4 of them that have been going for 4+ years without any real issues. The only thing you will find is that the temp settings are approximate, so it takes some tuning to get them just right.

 

[Snuggs]

Have had a aqueon pro in my freshwater for ten years and moved it to my reef about three years ago. it has held its temp all this time with0.5+/-. simple cost effective and made in the USA

 

[Cell]

Happy with Eheim Jagers, they are just so dang big and the whole calibration process needs some improvement, but once you get them dialed in, they are stable and reliable.