Best supplies???

[kevbc03]

Hey I'm going to the LFS tomarrow, maybe a petsmart or petsuppliesplus to buy a few things and was wondering what the best brands were to buy...

For example:

1. What is the best type of heater for a 55 gallon?

2. What is the best kind of water conditioner to use?

3. What is the most accurate water thermometer? (stick-on-glass type or suction cup)

And a really random question...How often should I buy new filter media cartridges?

 

[LowCel]

For the water treatment Prime by Seachem is the best. It may seem more expensive at first but a bottle the same size as other brands lasts about five times longer. It is very concentrated.

I generally use Visitherm heaters, nothing special but they do the job.

Stick on thermometers suck so get whichever one you think is prettiest.

Media depends on your filters, your tank, and your stock.

 

[joedodge]

i think marineland stealth shatter proof heaters are the best a lil pricey but well worth it,and sea chem prime is a excelent water conditioner. as for a thermometer the stick on ones on the side of the tank work excelet but i like to have a digital thermometer to verify the temp they are usualy only 10 dollars or so. and a 150 watt heater should suffice for a 55 one heats my 75 excelent

 

[kevbc03]

I have a 200 watt heater (off-brand name...bought it off of ebay) and it doesn't do a very good job at heating my 55 gallon...The house I'm living at is always a little cooler then normal, so my crappy heater doesn't heat the water properly. That's why i'm asking if theres a strong, powerful heater I should know about.

And I will definitely check out the Seachem conditioner.

 

[bgcoop8784]

i think marineland stealth shatter proof heaters are the best a lil pricey but well worth it,and sea chem prime is a excelent water conditioner. as for a thermometer the stick on ones on the side of the tank work excelet but i like to have a digital thermometer to verify the temp they are usualy only 10 dollars or so. and a 150 watt heater should suffice for a 55 one heats my 75 excelent

+1

 

[joedodge]

the stealth heater by marineland is a strong heater ive also used aquacleas tat work well i recomend using 2 smaller ones tho maybe by another 200 watt to use with your current one if your house is a bit cooler

 

[Sab_Fan]

I also like the Stealth heaters, mainly because a) they run fully submerged, and b) they blend in nicely, especially with black or dark background

they recommend a 200W for up to 55G, and I'm generally of the opinion to get more wattage than you need, so the heater isn't over-worked.

 

[Poklei]

you should look on craigslist first, its gonna be too expensive to buy equipment on big retail chain stores, go to the 99 cent store, they sell thermometers that you place in your water they work good. dont get the ones that stick on the outside it isnt accurate. filter media you shuld just rinse it out if it gets really dirty only replace it when the black carbon is gone