Tired of heater problems, what should i do?

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M

MurderedOut

Gambusia
MFK Member
Nov 29, 2008
122
1
16
Slidell, LA
So ive been keeping aquariums since i was about 13 (8 years so far) and ive ALWAYS had heater problems! its always something with them, over heating, under heating, needing to be adjusted, have a 3 or 4 degree dead zone, going out after only a few months, ETC.

i have a 30 gallon and i got a new heater for it about a month ago, its an aqua clear 50, and today the temperature was 90 degrees F( i use a digital and standard thermometer) in there when i got home! luckily i caught it. ive been watching it because i was noticing the temperature was fluctuating between 79-83F (was set on 80F). anyways i finally got the temp back down and ive put the heater back in and am gonna try to get it back working right until i figure out a permanent solution.

im setting up a 75gallon soon, and i do NOT want to deal with this problem anymore, so i want to start right with this one, i plan on using a mangnum 350 pro filter setup(with the extra bio filtration), should i go inline?

Just want something i can always count on.

Do they make filters with heaters built in?
 
i hear you man i use to have the same problem. you should buy a stealth heater thats all i use now. It has a built in knob that you turn and if you want the water on 82 then you turn the knob to where it has 82 then just forget about it. it just stays right there untill you change it.
 
I don't often need heaters but if I use them I get two half size ones to do the job. That way if one overheats the other should cut out. Other than that i buy the best quality and toughest i can find.
 
A heater is something that should never be bought b/c it's cheep. I have a really crapy one ( IDK what it is) but it won't heat ANY tank worth a crap. I took it out of a 5 hex b/c it would only heat the top 1/4 of the tank. So I try to buy what I know works and what has a god rep. That's why I have only vistherms and theos.
 
visitherm are a very reliable brand IME. also those stealth heaters seem to get a good name for themselves.
 
I started keeping aquiariums in the early 80s and back then failing heaters was my biggest cause of fish loss... 20 years later the same was true...

But about 5 years ago I started using Visitherm's Stealth heaters. In those 5 years I've had a couple stop working (I have a lot of them), but I've never had one overheat a tank. :thumbsup:

koop171;2491436; said:
I took it out of a 5 hex b/c it would only heat the top 1/4 of the tank.
Click to expand...

If your heater only heats the top 1/4 of the tank... it's because you don't have enough circulation... don't blame the heater...
 
ive heard mixed reviews about the stealths.

i was thinking of using a jager this time maybe? theyre tollerances are a lot lower than most heaters and they seem to be a lot more professional.
 
1. Buy the best heaters you can find.
2. Use multiple heaters.
3. Make sure no single heater is strong enough to raise the tank into dangerous temperatures by itself.

If you go that route you will see a rise in temperature when a thermostat breaks, but the temperatures will never reach a deadly level.

Also, keep in mind, most people grossly oversize their heaters. Heck, most pumps put off enough heat to keep the temps just fine!
 
ive always bought the best ones and they still wind up having problems. i just want a guaranteed solution. But it looks like that doesn't exist.

does anybody have experience with the Jager brand heaters?
 
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