Best heaters on the market?

[SaltwaterAdict]

Sry to hear what happened Murph that's terrible. U really know ur stuff n hope u'll continue ur reef. Does anyone know of the most reliable heaters that I won't have to worry about it sticking n overheating my tank?

[Murphs205]

I will have a saltwater tank till i get buried ,,got my brand new Marineland 150gal DD cube right here a few more items and i will have it set up and running , I have my rock and fish downstairs in a few more tanks down there.
just a little set back in about 4 years of collecting some kick butt corals. as about 80% of us can attest to. It happens in this hobby when you dont do things exactly right (and even sometime when you do) . it was not on a controller , had no high limit shut off . sorta my bad for not having those in place. but never the less , you would not expect a heater less that 4 months old from a reputable company NOT to go heywire and cook your corals. it is what it is ....Murphy's law lives here for sure. i dont think that will stop till im 6ft under either.
Lots of good heaters out there. your best bet is a programmable Titanium one ran on a good controller. its the safest way to go

[SaltwaterAdict]

Thanks Murph. Do u think this may be a little safer route, buying 2x 150W heaters for my 125g because if one sticks I don't think that would cook my fish/corals, but not sure?? Would the titanium be a better option, if so, what wattage would be best for a 125g? Good to hear ur not out! Did u have any fish in ur frag tank that made it or was 90 too high, just curious?

[Murphs205]

go with a controlled 300-500 watt Titanium heater ,,,gonna cost ya more. but considering what can happen its one of the best investments you can make for your tank.
all my fish are in a different tank with my Rock and a different brand heater that i now check all the time now. Paranoid state of mind.
Next investment is a very nice heater for my new set up.

[SaltwaterAdict]

Yeah, it'd be a great investment. What's the best brand titanium heater n does the controller come with this heater? Could u provide a link. Wanna do this one right.

[CleveYank]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterAdict

Does anyone know of the most reliable heaters that I won't have to worry about it sticking n overheating my tank?

If you pay your $20 and join C-sea and show up at the meeting Friday the 14th, become a member and part of the pool you are hitting up for info, you can ask some folks there. Might even get a reply from the lurkers who read and never post on RC. We'll all help you no matter what, but for the $20 and the chance to talk face to face and become a part of the group is well worth it.

Aqua Heat titanium 300's are my vote btw. I got Serpentman turned on to them as well.

[Murphs205]

http://www.aquacave.com/Heaters.aspx

I like the JBJ deluxe true temp heater ,,thats the one that will be in my new tank

[CleveYank]

Originally Posted by Murphs205

http://www.aquacave.com/Heaters.aspx

I like the JBJ deluxe true temp heater ,,thats the one that will be in my new tank

Most anything jbj should be ok, a ton of folks use their solenoids and such, but aquacave ouch, search the chicago forums, many folks posted the same lousy service and crappy attitude that I got on my one and only order with aquacave.



Tough break on the corals murph, btw.

[Murphs205]

I have heard the same thing about them at Aquacave ..... i just posted them for a example basically. they do list ALOT of stuff on their web page that i use for reference.
Wane had a real bad experience with them and some T-5 bulbs he ordered for over there.

[SaltwaterAdict]

Thanks for the help Murph. Looks like a good choice. A 300W heater for my 125g should do the job Mike. Can these heaters ever stick or are they full proof?

[Murphs205]

death and taxes are full proof !!! lol
these upper end heaters are the best there is available .they can mess up too though.
anything that plugs into 120v can mess up , the the % is MUCH better with theses on running just fine for along time

[whipit]

I use Fluvals on all my tanks.

[SPStoner]

This is a great topic, and one I will tread lightly around, as I work for one of the bigger manufacturers. My unbiased feeling is that there is a real void in the marketplace for heaters. Most all commonly used heaters are in the $50 and under range, with a few slightly higher. IMO, there is a real need for a heater in the $150 dollar range, using higher quality components. Reefers spend insane amounts of money on lighting, skimmers, chillers, tanks, heck even 1/4" frags, and all of that investment comes down to relying on a $40 heater. I don't understand why some company hasn't seen this obvious need and brought something to market to fill it. (This goes for my employer as well).

That being said, be careful with any heater you use. Always use a controller of some type, and also have redundancy (more than one heater), and ALWAYS use a GFI. make sure whatever heater you use is UL listed and approved. Read the fine print as many will say that they use UL approved components, but if they do not have the UL approval, stay away. The testing process for heaters at UL is very intense, and is only there for your safety.



Also, a question for Cleveyank. Does one need to be paying member now to ask questions at a meeting? Not trying to be a wiseguy, but I haven't been to a meeting for sometime. When I started attending C_SEA meetings in 1989, up through my run as club VP in the late 90's, I never recall people having to pay to attend or ask questions. It used to be you only needed to pay if you wanted in on the members raffle, or wanted to attend a field trip.

[MeVsTheWorld]

I just replaced a visi-therm heater that was worked great for over 6 yrs. I also use a hydor that has been in service for 2 yrs. I think it's just like any other electronic product out, some work for years and some fizzle out fast.

C-SEA is absolutely FREE and open to the public. You don't have to pay, but to get in on the members raffle and help support the club it does take the $20 donation. I suggest coming to a couple meetings to feel it out and if it fits throw down the membership fee

[MJAnderson]

No heater or controller is perfect. My ACjr cooked my tank about 2 years ago. Now I run multiple small heaters. I feed my fish daily so all I'm hoping for us to moderate any failures until I see my tank again. No way to protect against a failure while out of town and there is no 100% solution.

[pkarakis]

I like the plug-in titanium heaters for use with my ACjr, but I am currently using a heaer with its own thermostat set just above the contoller's high cutoff. I figure, that way, if the ontroller fails (on), then the secondary thermostat should kick in.

[Big E]

Finnex heaters have worked well for me, but I wouldn't trust any heater without a Ranco temp controller. They are used widely for industrial/chemical applications.

I personally have no faith in hobby controllers & will never buy one.

[Bowman]

Originally Posted by Big E

Finnex heaters have worked well for me, but I wouldn't trust any heater without a Ranco temp controller. They are used widely for industrial/chemical applications.

I personally have no faith in hobby controllers & will never buy one.

I second the Ranco controller, it will be the next peice of hardware I get. I to am debating which heaters to use in the future as I have had heaters from multiple manufacters fail.

[SaltwaterAdict]

Thanks SPStoner very detailed response. Yeah, I thought C-Sea/RC was here to help people out (free of charge) when in need of advise?? MJ Anderson I thought about doing small heaters because if one fails n it's not a massive 300-500W chances r it won't cook my fish/corals. I may actually go this route. Even if I get these smaller heaters would it be better to get a controller or could I go without one?

[tolo13]

I've run 5 marineland 250 watt heaters in my system through my ACjr for the last few years with no problems. I do replace all of them every couple years.

[acer]

I use a Ranco on my bigger setup , but also think 2 small heaters is safer than one large heater.

[Tswifty]

Here's a nice article.

Aquarium Heaters: What you need to know!

As mentioned above... Redundancy, control, and quality are 3 things to look for with a heater.

A few things I have learned:

• Split the load... Several smaller units rather than 1 large unit is better in case one fails for any reason.
• Aftermarket controller... Don't trust you're heaters... Ranco, or some type of controller such as an Aquacontroller which uses a calibrated temp probe is a must IMO. Also, stay away from all-in-one units. I've been burned (no pun intended) by units which have built in thermostats. Also, lots of poor reviews on those types failing.
• Don't submerge even submersible heaters the entire way (article).
• I'm a fan of titanium heating elements... durable... reliable... and I personally use the Blue Line Biotherm heating elements. Never had an issue in 2 yrs of use. I did use the ViaAqua Titanium Heaters w/ built in controller/temp probe... both units failed within a year.

Good luck.

[sabalough]

I use any decent brand name heater. I use several 150-200w heaters each set a few degrees apart. I replace 1/2 of them each fall (no heater is ever more then 2 years old) I started this after I cooked my lion fish due to a failing high power high end heater. It has worked for me for the past 8-10 years. I have had a couple of heaters stick with out any losses.

[Murphs205]

thats great reading TJ ,,,, thanks for posting that

http://www.etcsupply.com/ranco-etc11...ller-p-87.html

i have done a lot of reading the last 3 days on this stuff , and this one here seems the controller that is the perfect fit in our hobby ,,,, and for Brewmasters around the world !! it appears they are widely used in Beer industry. now how can you go wrong there ? saltwater tanks and brew ..gotta love that

[BrunstuckyJoe]

Originally Posted by Murphs205

thats great reading TJ ,,,, thanks for posting that

http://www.etcsupply.com/ranco-etc11...ller-p-87.html

i have done a lot of reading the last 3 days on this stuff , and this one here seems the controller that is the perfect fit in our hobby ,,,, and for Brewmasters around the world !! it appears they are widely used in Beer industry. now how can you go wrong there ? saltwater tanks and brew ..gotta love that

No argument here.