# Inline Heater?



## gunnerx (Mar 20, 2008)

Now that I have a canister filter. Would an Inline Heater like Hydor be a good investment? Other than getting rid of the ugly submersible and leaving more room in the tank. Is there any other advantages of an inline vs a sub?


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

gunnerx said:


> Now that I have a canister filter. Would an Inline Heater like Hydor be a good investment? Other than getting rid of the ugly submersible and leaving more room in the tank. Is there any other advantages of an inline vs a sub?


Essentially there are two advantages 1) the water is always passing at an exact speed for slightly better temp control - say some and most important 2) its out of the way.

The main reason usually is number two.

remember though that inline doubles your failure possibility. The heater can fail OR the can filter can fail making the heater worthless because its out of the tank.


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## gunnerx (Mar 20, 2008)

Pablo said:


> Essentially there are two advantages 1) the water is always passing at an exact speed for slightly better temp control - say some and most important 2) its out of the way.
> 
> The main reason usually is number two.
> 
> remember though that inline doubles your failure possibility. The heater can fail OR the can filter can fail making the heater worthless because its out of the tank.


Good point about the dual points of failure. I didn't think about that. I guess that's why I ask.


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## dekstr (Oct 23, 2007)

Folks on plantedtank.net have been tampering with the idea of DIY inline heaters recently. They have also combined a DIY inline heater with an inline DIY CO2 reaction as well.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/59600-simple-co2-reactor-inline-heater.html

As Pablo said, it's mostly to eliminate visible equipment from the inside of the tank--to make everything look natural.


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## gunnerx (Mar 20, 2008)

Thanks for the link. I should read up on the DIY stuff too. It looks like a great way to keep the tank free from a lot of gadgets.


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

I run Hydor in-lines on my 65g & 90g tanks - they're both African cichlid tanks with lots of rock - I opted for this route for the second reason Pablo mentions - keeping the glass outta the tank means that I don't have to worry quite so much about a rock falling on it (still have to worry about the tank itself though!) The Inlines are also easy to set, but with a 4 year old daughter, I just found out that they're maybe a little TOO easy to adjust/set (I noticed the fish in my 90g were very shy yesterday morning, took a look at the thermometer, and realised the temp was down from 79F to 71F)

As an aside, I hit another snag with the damned C360 - can't hook my shiny new UV steriliser to it 'cos of the ridiculously wide diameter piping that Marineland choose to use (different to every other canister maker's tubing width). Instead I have to purchase the bigger (= more $) steriliser with the wider connectors on it... 

In addition, my two Marineland HOB's on my 20g have BOTH started to make grinding noises - I'm almost positive it's sand in the impeller, but based on experiences with Marineland products thus far, I'm quite happy to blame the filters! (I'm replacing them with an XP1 when the nice guys at MOPS.ca send it through to me!)

I digress, so I'll grab my popcorn and go sit back down!


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## t2lieu (Feb 26, 2008)

still fairly new to the aquarium hobby
but as mentioned early, the reason why its regulates the temperature of the water better is cause the heat is efficiently transferred to the water. More heated surface area, more flow of medium over surface area = faster, effective heat transfer!

If you used submerged water heaters if they're not close to an area of constant flow of water, the heat sort of travels slower and you have more uneven areas of temperature.

Although if you could feel the heat coming off the inline heater i'd suggest you insulate that bad boy to prevent loss of heat to the atmosphere.

Although i don't know how they work themselves, whether it shuts off when the temperature of the water is at its desired temperature, or it constantly runs heat through the lines. 

But i go for the submerged type since its cheaper and if you place it at the sweeeeet spot, it should heat up the tank to the temperature you want it to be and since its already submerged it could gauge the temp and shut off wen its at its desired temperature.


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## gunnerx (Mar 20, 2008)

My heater is right beside the intake of the Fluval 405.  Maybe that helps the circulation. I'll definitely be looking into getting a hydor but maybe when I get a larger tank. I think I'm already going overboard with the 29g.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

t2lieu said:


> But i go for the submerged type since its cheaper and if you place it at the sweeeeet spot, it should heat up the tank to the temperature you want it to be and since its already submerged it could gauge the temp and shut off wen its at its desired temperature.


You know inline heaters DO have thermostats eh?


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## t2lieu (Feb 26, 2008)

Well I didn't say they didn't, I didn't know haha but then inline are no doubt the shits then haha


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## Bigsexybadguy (Mar 26, 2006)

I love my Hydor on my 120 gallon, heavily planted Discus tank. After having submerged heaters for years, I wish the in-lines were available earlier. With the heightened heating requirements for the Discus, the heaters always ended up killing whatever poor jungle Val I had planted around them, which made the whole tank look funny.

I've had my Hydor for 2 years now and if it were to croak, I'd be getting another in a heart-beat.

BSB


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## gunnerx (Mar 20, 2008)

Bigsexybadguy said:


> I love my Hydor on my 120 gallon, heavily planted Discus tank. After having submerged heaters for years, I wish the in-lines were available earlier. With the heightened heating requirements for the Discus, the heaters always ended up killing whatever poor jungle Val I had planted around them, which made the whole tank look funny.
> 
> I've had my Hydor for 2 years now and if it were to croak, I'd be getting another in a heart-beat.
> 
> BSB


How many watts is your Hydor on the 120g?


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## Bigsexybadguy (Mar 26, 2006)

I got the 300 w, which works nicely with the Eheim therm filter.

Attached is the link where I got it from as it is significantly cheaper than anything I've seen in Canada and they are extremely Canada friendly when it comes to shipping.

http://www.petsolutions.com/External-Thermal-Heater+I41400018+C1021.aspx


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## Mr Fishies (Sep 21, 2007)

Bigsexybadguy said:


> <SNIP>
> 
> I've had my Hydor for 2 years now and if it were to croak, I'd be getting another in a heart-beat.
> 
> BSB


Better luck than I had - sort of. I was running an Hydor Ekip (which is basically a power head with the same type of heater integrated) and it died (the heater part) after about 14-18 months.

I really do like the idea of one less piece of gear in the tank, glad someone can recommend them - I may still try one on the next tank.


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