Can anyone tell me the best heater I can buy at an affordable price?

Newflavor · 06/06/2006, 08:54 PM

Hi. I just want to ask what heater you guys would recommend for a 65 gallon tank.. Thanks

Ti · 06/06/2006, 10:00 PM

ebo jager
roughly $20

smcdonn · 06/06/2006, 10:40 PM

I would recomend a heater controller

powdertang05 · 06/07/2006, 04:41 AM

ebo jager all the way i also like the pacific coast ones too but ebo jager is better control +- .5F

BeanAnimal · 06/07/2006, 06:46 AM

They are all JUNK!

Do yourself a favor and get a RANCO or similar temperature controller. If you do a little research your will find horrow stories about very single heater out there. The reason is simple, they are very low quality devices sold at very low prices.

Don't trust your livestock to a $20 heater. Spand $75 and get a temperature controller that is magnitudes more reliable.

tatoofr · 06/07/2006, 07:08 AM

i agree with BeanAnimal, they are all crap with out a controller.

Frank

beckj2000 · 06/07/2006, 01:24 PM

ebo-jager will get you by for a long time untill you want to upgrade. Just get a smaller wattage so if it sticks you have some time to notice. I have been using one for four years now, no problems.

AZDesertRat · 06/07/2006, 05:20 PM

Via Aqua Titanium, it comes with a seperate controller that is pretty accurate.

szwab · 06/07/2006, 08:11 PM

i know several thare really happy with finnex heaters. i will be going that route come fall. i do have an aquacontroller though.

since my won heaters have crapped out on me one by one.

i would also reccomend going with 2 undersized heaters instead of one properly sized. gives a bit more comfort in the case of a malfunction

reefinmike · 06/07/2006, 08:28 PM

ebo jagers are good. i also LOVE visotherm heaters... especially the stealth models.

Rueg · 06/07/2006, 09:25 PM

The only brand I have not had a problem with (yet) is Finnex.

m3ntal · 06/07/2006, 09:35 PM

I love my stealth heater...its been 6 months and it keeps my temps rock steady

BeanAnimal · 06/07/2006, 11:51 PM

A lot of people always miss the point to this common question.

Many of you may be "happy" with your various hobby heaters but in most cases the happiness is due to a false sense of security with regards to your hobby heaters. The question is not "if it will fail", but rather "how soon will it fail".

The point is that they (hobby heaters) are disasters waiting to happen. A hobby heater (no matter what brand) is thousands of times more likely to fail than a commercial temperature controller. You can read story after story here at RC and any other aquarium related forum about livestock losses due to heaters of every brand make and model.

The basic design of these things is simply not reliable, no matter what brand. I can go into great deatil if anybody likes, but it is pointless to keep explaining it.

A quality temperature controllers is less than $100. Your heater is the most important piece of equipment on your system. Your livestock can live for days without lights or pumps. In MOST cases your livestock will only survive hours in the event of a heater failure. Most hobby heaters fail in the ON operating mode and cooked critters is a common result.

Why put all of the money into lights and pumps and skimp on a heater? Just becuase the average heater only costs $15 does not mean that $25 or $30 buys you any more quality. They all work on the same principle with the same basic parts. They are either cheap mechanical thermostats or poorly cheaply designed digital thermostats. This is without even mentioning the prevalant lack of quality control and lousy manufacturing practices.

Think at what you have invested and then think hard about the implications of a heater failure.

Bean

06/06/2006, 08:54 PM	#1
Newflavor Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 240	Can anyone tell me the best heater I can buy at an affordable price? Hi. I just want to ask what heater you guys would recommend for a 65 gallon tank.. Thanks

06/06/2006, 10:00 PM	#2
Ti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 7,927	ebo jager roughly $20 __________________ Hair algae is my Macro algae.

06/06/2006, 10:40 PM	#3
smcdonn Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Fayetteville, AR Posts: 925	I would recomend a heater controller __________________ 180g IN WALL, REEF Current Tank Info: 180 gallon

06/07/2006, 07:08 AM	#6
tatoofr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Long Island Posts: 1,044	i agree with BeanAnimal, they are all crap with out a controller. Frank __________________ !20 tech tank ATI T5 Club Current Tank Info: 120 reef

06/07/2006, 08:11 PM	#9
szwab RC Mod Join Date: May 2002 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 15,225	i know several thare really happy with finnex heaters. i will be going that route come fall. i do have an aquacontroller though. since my won heaters have crapped out on me one by one. i would also reccomend going with 2 undersized heaters instead of one properly sized. gives a bit more comfort in the case of a malfunction __________________ Mark "I got a fever, and the only prescription, is more cowbell" ~ Christopher Walken Current Tank Info: AGE 240 Flatback Hex

06/07/2006, 04:41 AM	#4
powdertang05 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Hayward, CA Posts: 613	ebo jager all the way i also like the pacific coast ones too but ebo jager is better control +- .5F

06/07/2006, 06:46 AM	#5
BeanAnimal Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 20,772	They are all JUNK! Do yourself a favor and get a RANCO or similar temperature controller. If you do a little research your will find horrow stories about very single heater out there. The reason is simple, they are very low quality devices sold at very low prices. Don't trust your livestock to a $20 heater. Spand $75 and get a temperature controller that is magnitudes more reliable.

06/07/2006, 01:24 PM	#7
beckj2000 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Syracuse, Ut Posts: 42	ebo-jager will get you by for a long time untill you want to upgrade. Just get a smaller wattage so if it sticks you have some time to notice. I have been using one for four years now, no problems.

06/07/2006, 05:20 PM	#8
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	Via Aqua Titanium, it comes with a seperate controller that is pretty accurate.

06/07/2006, 08:28 PM	#10
reefinmike Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: ohio Posts: 846	ebo jagers are good. i also LOVE visotherm heaters... especially the stealth models. __________________ 90g reef lit by 2 kessil 360's and 4 T5's. 55g sump/fuge, eshopps s-200 skimmer and slowly working on getting every apex gadget

06/07/2006, 09:25 PM	#11
Rueg Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: DeForest, WI Posts: 641	The only brand I have not had a problem with (yet) is Finnex.

06/07/2006, 09:35 PM	#12
m3ntal Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 122	I love my stealth heater...its been 6 months and it keeps my temps rock steady

06/07/2006, 11:51 PM	#13
BeanAnimal Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 20,772	A lot of people always miss the point to this common question. Many of you may be "happy" with your various hobby heaters but in most cases the happiness is due to a false sense of security with regards to your hobby heaters. The question is not "if it will fail", but rather "how soon will it fail". The point is that they (hobby heaters) are disasters waiting to happen. A hobby heater (no matter what brand) is thousands of times more likely to fail than a commercial temperature controller. You can read story after story here at RC and any other aquarium related forum about livestock losses due to heaters of every brand make and model. The basic design of these things is simply not reliable, no matter what brand. I can go into great deatil if anybody likes, but it is pointless to keep explaining it. A quality temperature controllers is less than $100. Your heater is the most important piece of equipment on your system. Your livestock can live for days without lights or pumps. In MOST cases your livestock will only survive hours in the event of a heater failure. Most hobby heaters fail in the ON operating mode and cooked critters is a common result. Why put all of the money into lights and pumps and skimp on a heater? Just becuase the average heater only costs $15 does not mean that $25 or $30 buys you any more quality. They all work on the same principle with the same basic parts. They are either cheap mechanical thermostats or poorly cheaply designed digital thermostats. This is without even mentioning the prevalant lack of quality control and lousy manufacturing practices. Think at what you have invested and then think hard about the implications of a heater failure. Bean