# Tank Heaters



## Reis (Nov 15, 2011)

Hey was just wondering if anyone is up to date on aquarium heaters! I've strictly only used Eheim Jager heaters but I've been running into problems. I've tried recalibrating it, unplugging, etc... but its cranked all the way to the max settings and still only pumping out 77F (Need 80-81 for plecos) 

Now my quesiton is, is it worth investing in another Eheim, or should I look into something else? There's so many new brands and competition, like Hydor, Fluval, Viaaqua, etc....
I'm more interested in quality and knowing that I can keep and maintain a certain temperature, also I've seen recently heaters having controllers and so on. If anyone can just give me some advice that would be sweet. I'd be looking into replacing a heater for a 35 Gallon.
Thanks!


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Is the heater on all the time? If not the calibration is out.


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

Stick with Eheim. They make the most reliable and best quality heaters IMO. No need to re-invent the wheel.


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

As Fesso said, Eheim Jäger heaters are generally really reliable. For a 35 gallon tank, you should have no issue hitting 80.
If you trust your calibration and are sure it's accurately calibrated, can you maybe check a couple more things?
Is the heater in an area that gets enough flow.
Is it on constantly? In which case the heater recognizes it should be heating and cannot achieve the target temperature. Possible fault w heating element.
If heater is on infrequently, then either fault w thermostat or human error (I.e. Improperly calibrated)
Beyond that, obvious question: do you live in an igloo? (That is, is your residence really cold and the heater can't keep up w the heat loss?)
We have the last issue (not an igloo, but feels like it some days) and our Jäger heaters do just fine. But we are adding an additional heater with a read out display, just to be in the safe side. Cause if one of them quit, it would not be pretty.
That's all I can think of, sucks when equipment adds more issues to this hobby!


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

I switched all my tanks to the Fluval E series heaters. 

It's both a heater and a thermostat with digital display for unmatched accuracy. Lots of great info on the Hagen website:

The most technologically advanced aquarium heater available today, Fluval E100 Advanced Electronic Heater with VueTech technology delivers peace of mind thanks to several excellent features.

Equipped with an intelligent digital microprocessor monitoring system with dual temperature sensors, this heater continuously monitors and displays aquarium water temperature, ensuring the safety and well-being of your aquarium inhabitants. 

Key Features :

Continuously monitors and displays aquarium water temperature in real time
Intelligent digital microprocessor monitoring system with dual temperature sensors
Ensures the safety and well-being of your aquarium inhabitants
Precision temperature control allows settings in 0.5-degree increments
Integrated fish guard provides advanced protection
Slim profile mounting bracket
For aquariums up to 120 L (30 US gal)
For fresh and saltwater aquariums


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

Eheim in my opinion is one of the worst heaters on the market when they foul up it is usually in the on position and the fish get cooked, had this happen twice in one year and Eheim won't stand behind their product they just give you the run around. I agree with the Fluval E heater very accurate settings and also give you the water temperature, Fluval M are less expensive but are very accurate as well.


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## Reis (Nov 15, 2011)

Hahaha yeah it's not an igloo but it is a basement in Canada, so if you ask me it's not to far off from an igloo lol 
My other tanks run Eheims as well, I've never been really disappointed with them it's just been the past 2-3 months I've been noticing my Eheim in my 90 gallon act a little weird as well with temperature spikes bigger than normal. 
But I feel like the Eheim in my 35 gallon that I'm talking about has a heating element problem. (Thanks crayon for the tips) It seems like it can't hear up any further. I managed to get it to 78 but it won't go past it. It seems to be the heating element. 

I'd like to know more about the fluval E series but I'm more interested in personal experiences and opinions then what a company site wrote, considering EVERY website that sells their own products will only speak highly of them. 
I'm just a little iffy about the price on the Fluval E. But the built in thermostat would be amazing. But the questions is how accurate is it? 
What about Hydor, Viaaqua Titanium? Etc....
Cheers!


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

What I like about the Fluval E series heaters. 

They have a built in heater guard so no worries about your plecos or other fish burning themselves.

The display changes colour to show if the water temperature matches the set temperature. If the temp drops more than one degree below the set temp it changes from green to blue. If it drops three degrees or more it flashes blue. If it increases more than one degree above set temp it changes to red but if it increases more than three degrees above set temp it flashes red. Plus it displays the actual temp of the water. This feature alone is the reason I highly recommend these heaters.

It can be mounted to the back glass or to the side glass facing forward.

I've been using these heaters in all my tanks for more than a year now replacing Eheim, Aquarium Systems/Marineland and Hydor (plus others) and feel they're more than worth the extra cost. Having said that I wait until PJ's Pets has their 40% coupon before buying additional heaters. Brings the cost down to where most of the other top brands are.
--
Paul


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## Reis (Nov 15, 2011)

Yeah I've always like them and thought they looked like military grade heaters, but I dig it. I care more about my tank temperatures than it looking sleek lol but the features are sweet so thanks for the insight. 
Yeah I'll wait until black friday/boxing day, or if there are any of those 40% off coupons that would be sweet. 
Also I was looking on amazon and apparently the top rated heater is Aqueon Pro?! Anyone own any of these? Wondering if there as good as they say they are! They also have a life time warranty!!!!!


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## bluegularis (May 12, 2010)

*Heaters*

The only thing that is not at all mentioned in your discussion is what wattage are you using for the 30 gallon tank to get it to over 78 F. If it is a 25 watt heater it will never reach that, a 100 may but can burn out easily, I would go with a 150-200 watt to get it over 80 F. Most of my discus tanks which are at 84 have 200 watt plus heaters in them.

I love ebo and stick with them, I have tried the cobalt neo therms ceramics, which are excellent only hardly available in Canada and very costly.

Aqueon Pro - work well and do the job, nothing exceptional to note, no problems, Hagen heaters, have had issue with all of them. The ebo's I have for the last twenty years and the oldest still work as good as the newest, they are a bit harder to set for temperature but they work well.

If money is no object I would go with the cobalt neo-therms.

I have tried numerous of the glass fully submersibles and all of them developed water evaporation on the inside of the tubes. 
Finnex has a good titanium heater with a controller that works well also.

If you can buy them in the US, you can get them in Buffalo for about 1/2 what you pay in Canada. If you have the time order them from Kens Fish Foods or Jehmco.

Thanks


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## brycon (Aug 5, 2014)

I'm running Aqueon Pro heaters as well and no issues. 

I bought an Eheim Jager once for a 20 gallon and I had to return it for a replacement because the calibration was too far off to be deemed reliable. Ended up selling the replacement because the Eheim's are longer than the Aqueon Pro heaters. I also didn't like the heavier gauge power cable.


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## Reis (Nov 15, 2011)

Yeah I've decided I'm going to go with Aqueon Pro and give them a try. The reviews are all positive, 5/5, and its within my budget. I haven't heard anything negative about them and on the plus side they look sleek since they're all black and solid. I managed to get them fairly cheap online. So I'll let you guys know how they are.


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## Spicoli (Dec 11, 2012)

Where did you score the aqueon cheap? Looking myself


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## Reis (Nov 15, 2011)

Cheapest was on doctor forest and Smith. Best pricing and it took like 5 days to deliver. I love the heaters, so far no problems.


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

May I ask how much was the shipping cost?


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

An update on another heater........because our place is an igloo in the winter (not literally), we bought a JBJ digital display 1000 watt heater. Added it to our system a month ago. We also keep a Fluval E series heater for back up (plus a couple other redundant heaters in various parts of the tank). On Monday morning the fluval was reading red display, and said tank temperature was 84 degrees. Checked the JBJ and it was fluctuating from 76 down to 73 and was calling for heat. Pulled out the handy little floaty thermometer and it said 84. Pulled out the digital probe instant read we use for water changes and it said 83.5.
Guess what heater went back to the store. Not doing that again! We were probably within hours of overheating the tank and starting to loose fish.
So, as a product review. Don't like the JBJ.


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## Reis (Nov 15, 2011)

I think It was $15 for shipping. I ended up ordering a couple of things so it was totally worth it.


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## Merman (Nov 23, 2009)

*Eheims a pain in the butt*

I've had three or four Eheim's - I find them to be expensive yet not necessarily any more efficient than other heaters I've used - they've gotta make that calibration thing simpler or get rid of it - by the time I'm finished fussing around with knobs they usually start leaking.. I have a Jebo-Jaeger running on one of my tanks that I bought in 1986 (thinking of having it buried with me....). At the moment I'm just as happy with Aqua-Clear and Fluval. I don't think I'll by trying Eheim any longer.

Just my 5 cents.


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