Stupid Stealth Heaters

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
COLDasICE;2679943;2679943 said:
How is your water flow along the heaters? I get more reliable results when I put heaters next to a HOB intake or Canister intake. I figure the warmest water should be pulled into the filter and would be circulated throughout the tank best that way.
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One is in a corner that doesn't get anything direct but has movement from the FX5 output nearby. The other is right next to a HOB just as you mention.

When it was just one heater it was in the corner. I'd put a thermometer in the opposite end and it'd be 78. I cranked it to 82 in anticipation of getting another arowana soon and today when doing a water change I noticed that it was nearly room temperature.
 
I have 150 stealth in a 20 gallon set on 85 and it's only 77.5 not happy with them either. As far as rena had 200 in 45 lasted 6 months then don't work at all.
so it's a crap shoot
 
Do the Stealths need to be totally submerged? My red dials are out of the water and they seem to be working fine.
 
I just bought a Hydor Theo 400w for my 150, and it really is doing a nice job. I though it would struggle since I should probably have 2, but my water is toasty! I don't have any experience with any of the other brands, but I'm happy with the Theo. It was the same price as the Stealth.
 
Where is your tank located? Is it near a window? If it is, the heat could be escaping the tank out a cold window, or the sun maybe heating the back of the tank up and keep thing heaters off.
 
DaveB;2680264; said:
One is in a corner that doesn't get anything direct but has movement from the FX5 output nearby. The other is right next to a HOB just as you mention.

When it was just one heater it was in the corner. I'd put a thermometer in the opposite end and it'd be 78. I cranked it to 82 in anticipation of getting another arowana soon and today when doing a water change I noticed that it was nearly room temperature.
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Sounds good to me. Perhaps just a bad heater? I had a heater go out on me a couple weeks ago. I ran some older fluval tronic heaters which are known to run "hot", and did my normal 50% water change, but got caught up on the phone while refilling. That night I checked my tank just before I went to sleep and noticed the tank temp had dropped almost six degrees. When I went to slide the heater out of the water to adjust the setting the heater came up and the glass casing stood in the tank!!!! I immediately unplugged it and put an old 50 watt heater I had laying around in. I had to run to wal-mart at 1:45 am on New years night. All they had were whisper heaters so I bought a 200 watt (all they had). Even at the max setting my 40 gallon tank would only get up to 74-76 degrees. I went out and got me a 250 watt visi-therm deluxe (glass) the next day. I set it on 82 and it keeps my tank a balmy 80 degrees :). The nice things about marineland heaters is that all you have to do is email them and explain the problem and they will replace the heater free of charge, without you even having to send them the broken one.
 
roombo;2680646; said:
Do the Stealths need to be totally submerged? My red dials are out of the water and they seem to be working fine.
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FYI, there is a hole in the top of the Stealth heaters. That hole should be in the water and that is basically how it tells if it is submerged or not. As long as water is covering that hole, you are good.
 
How much are you trying to heat this tank above room temp?
10-15 degrees?


500w of heat doesn't sound adequate to me for a 125g

I also find it nearly impossible to get two heaters to work in harmony without the use of a temp controller to ensure they both go on/off at the same time

I heat my 75g with two 200w stealths...86 degrees...nice and toasty...with room temp being 68

I try to go atleast minimum 5w per gallon this time of year. But it depends on room temp and what fish ya keep.

my stealths are horizontal down near the bottom of the tank so they are always fully submerged....it sounds like maybe yours did shut off from evaporation...
 
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