# Hydor Heater Experience?



## bigfishy (Jun 19, 2009)

Anyone got any experience with Hydor ETH (External Thermal Heater)??? Are they good to use??? Any problems???

Comments Appreciated!


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## xr8dride (Feb 24, 2009)

I was about to post a thread asking the same question then stumbled upon this one...I'm surprised nobody has anything to say about them.


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## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

I have had mine now for all of three days. So far it has been producing consistent heat effortlessly. However, trying to mount it inside a small stand, above the quick disconnects on an Eheim without the tubes kinking is a royal pain. I'm going to buy more tubing, lengthen the run, and mount it on the wall of the stand. If you have a large stand or are not adverse to having it outside the stand, all should be well.


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

bigfishy said:


> Anyone got any experience with Hydor ETH (External Thermal Heater)??? Are they good to use??? Any problems???
> 
> Comments Appreciated!


I have 3 of them and I think they're great. Nothing in the aquarium other than a filter intake to look at. Very acurate and reliable too. I didn't want to have to worry about unplugging the heater during water changes as well as suction cups fail on traditional heaters.
--
Paul


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## xr8dride (Feb 24, 2009)

I understand the torment of eheim hoses and attaching things to them. I have two coralife turbo twist UV sterilizers on two of my eheims and it was a pain in the arse routing hoses. Hrmm, with that said I think I'll just hide my submersibles behind some rocks or something instead of trying to attach more equipment to those hoses, lol.


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## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

I've read that some people have had problems with them if they are not mounted vertically.


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## Rudy (Sep 15, 2008)

I have 2 on 130 gallon Planted Discus tank. I also have 2 Fluval G6 which measure water temp daily. These are the most consistent heaters you can buy. The only time the temp drop for me is once a week when I do a water change and purposely add cooler water to promote breeding. Well worth the money. I had one for 4 years and bought an extra 1 this summer when I set up the 130 G. Definitely recommend it. Mine hang vertical. I have no experience with them being placed horizontally.


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

I'd have switched to these long ago it the had connectors to fit fx5 tubing properly.

I've used Hydor under gravel heat cables though, with good success, how much they contributed to the success? Not sure.


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## Tark77 (Sep 6, 2010)

Two of my best purchases in this hobby were the Hydor inline heater and an inline CO2 diffuser. 

Both work splendidly, and there is nothing in the tank but the influx/efflux pipes!!!


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Read/heard alot about them and I'd say majority is on the positive side but there are accounts of these units failing. I like the fact that it reduces in-tank clutter. I have not used one before because of different reasons. Now that I have less tanks, I may actually consider it.


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

*They're great heaters!*

pros:
less items in the tank.
no longer need to unplug heater during water changes
consistent temperature in my experience
no risk of breaking when it runs dry
dial temp control
no risk of breakage due to rocks or fish

cons:
specifically needs to be vertical
if your canister filter fails your tank has no heat

neutral:
if your cabinet is boarded on the back, could be a pain to route but if you have a long enough tube or a bareback cabinet or even a metal stand, you're good to go.
not sure why someone would do it but depending on how out of reach it is, dialing the temp control knob could be a pain from behind the tank
consistent temp control is dependent on consistent water flow speed

check this out:
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18670

...just in case you need one.

...


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## yourchoice (Dec 29, 2008)

I`ve had two running for over 2 years,no problems.


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## Dabigmandan (Nov 13, 2010)

Going to be installing one tomorrow. 

Anybody install their heaters on the intake tube instead of the outflow tube?


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Dabigmandan said:


> Going to be installing one tomorrow.
> 
> Anybody install their heaters on the intake tube instead of the outflow tube?


I don't see a problem as long as you keep it vertical and follow the arrows for the flow. How come you want to put it on the intake instead of the outake?


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## Dabigmandan (Nov 13, 2010)

I bought the 300 watt hydor and have to install it on my eheim 2217. The intake hose is the correct size. The outflow hose is actually thinner so it wont fit without adapters.


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Dabigmandan said:


> Going to be installing one tomorrow.
> 
> Anybody install their heaters on the intake tube instead of the outflow tube?


In discussions about these heaters, I often find the recomendation to put these heaters on the intake, as opposed to the output, for reason that beneficial bacteria do better at higher temperature. My thought on that is that your system isn't very effective if there is a noticable difference in temperature in different areas of the system loop. It shouldn't really matter where you put it, if your tank turns over several times and hour an has adequate circulation.


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Since these heaters are not compatible witht eh Fluval Fx5 I havent used them, but I've used the undergravel substrate heat cable for my planted tanks with seemingly good success. I don't fully understand the benefits, but the system makes sense to me, and I have always had huge root growth when using them.

Just yesterday I have setup a 75 planted tank with a 100W Hydor heat cable and a 250W stealth heater intake. I have some rehostats that I may plug the heat cable into come spring/summer, but since the tank is on an exterior wall of the house, I will leave the heatcables to run 24/7 and have the thermostatic controlled heater to regulate the fluctuations. I've also used styro on the bottom and back glass.


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

Dabigmandan said:


> eheim 2217. The intake hose is the correct size. The outflow hose is actually thinner so it wont fit without adapters.


Really? Seems like a really silly design to me.


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## xr8dride (Feb 24, 2009)

yeah the eheim hoses do seem backwards or odd nonetheless they work..the output hose is actually small enough to fit inside the diameter of the intake hose.


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## kousman (Jan 28, 2010)

I get good prices on Hydor so let me know if you are planning to buy one


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## adrenaline (Jan 17, 2011)

i know this is an old thread, but i was jjust browsing around when i came accross it. when they work they are phenominal. i had min running on my 2215 for well over a year. Fed my fish Friday night, Saturday morning everything was cooked, literally. the water was HOT to the touch. Lost a wild cought breeding group of Julies, and Tropheus. needless to say i was beyond pissed and very upset. I went to turn the dial down, it was literally fried in place. could not turn it. Called Hydor, they asked me to send it in. Unfortunately i haven't gotten around to sending the heater in yet. The tank reaked, just from the heat overnight. I didn't even think to take pictures of it. my basement smelled foul from it. 

So I was happy with it when it worked. probably the most consistant water temp i had compared to stealth heaters and jagers, but when it failed, it failed good. any other heater failure i've had the heater just ceased working. Hydor's are supposed to have built in fail safes to avoid over heating, clearly not the case. The gentleman i spoke with at Hydor, Micheal i believe, said it happens periodically.

Just my 2 cents. And from reviews i read online, this happens more often than it should. And for what you pay for them, i expected it to last more than a year


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Sorry to hear adrenaline. I guess you just never know when it comes to electronics and water.

Heaters in general have always worried me.

goodluck with everything!


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

I have 3 of these crappy Hydor heaters. 200; 250 and 300W. None of them from the begining worked properly. All overheat. You need to have 78 in the tank, put 73 and probably it will work

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## kousman (Jan 28, 2010)

adrenaline said:


> i know this is an old thread, but i was jjust browsing around when i came accross it. when they work they are phenominal. i had min running on my 2215 for well over a year. Fed my fish Friday night, Saturday morning everything was cooked, literally. the water was HOT to the touch. Lost a wild cought breeding group of Julies, and Tropheus. needless to say i was beyond pissed and very upset. I went to turn the dial down, it was literally fried in place. could not turn it. Called Hydor, they asked me to send it in. Unfortunately i haven't gotten around to sending the heater in yet. The tank reaked, just from the heat overnight. I didn't even think to take pictures of it. my basement smelled foul from it.
> 
> So I was happy with it when it worked. probably the most consistant water temp i had compared to stealth heaters and jagers, but when it failed, it failed good. any other heater failure i've had the heater just ceased working. Hydor's are supposed to have built in fail safes to avoid over heating, clearly not the case. The gentleman i spoke with at Hydor, Micheal i believe, said it happens periodically.
> 
> Just my 2 cents. And from reviews i read online, this happens more often than it should. And for what you pay for them, i expected it to last more than a year


This does happen with all types of heaters. Thats why I keep 2 smaller heaters in my tanks so that if one gets stuck on it does not have the power to over heat the tank.


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## kousman (Jan 28, 2010)

sig said:


> I have 3 of these crappy Hydor heaters. 200; 250 and 300W. None of them from the begining worked properly. All overheat. You need to have 78 in the tank, put 73 and probably it will work


did you have them from new? I have never had any problems with Hydor and find them one of the better products out there. ( but I have never had any real problems with any other brands)


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

yes. all from new. Probably, it is my luck. I got controller now and forgot about these issues.

http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/d...Reefkeeper+Lite+Aquarium+Controller+(L1).html

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