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Heaters

A

Ading522

Members
Ok guys,

I recently had a batch of fry that had hatched out.. and due to the failure of the heater, I have lost a lot of fry.. :( the heaters I have came with the tanks I purchased second hand or grabbed free off CL.. this is my problem now as i have come to realize that not only do I have one or two heaters that don't keep the temp regulated, but in all my smaller tanks, it has been a problem.. one of my 20 gallon high growouts has begun to have the fry "flashing".. I am curently doing 20-30% water change every other day with a treatment of anti-itch solution.. is it more advisable to do water changes daily? I have the heater settings all the way to the highest, but it has fluctuated up and down.. i recently added another heater to help with the heat.. what is the maximum temp i need to dial in to treat the itch? and.. for those with budget in mind, what kind of heaters regulate temp for the $? or am i better off investing in good heaters such as jager and fluval?
 
dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
Heaters are the Achilles heal of fish equipment. 2nd hand ones are a roll of the dice (as, sadly, new ones also are).

I recently got some from Kensfish.com (I'll check the brand) that were reasonable in price (on sale) and (knock on wood) so far trouble free.

I actually don't use heaters on most of my tanks. My fishroom stays pretty warm. Depending on the fish, mid-70s is fine...stability of temp is more critical.

Matt
 
jonclark96

jonclark96

Past CCA President
Kensfish has reasonable deals on heaters. I found the deep blue brand to be pretty good (and affordable). Order $100 worth of stuff and its free shipping.
 
dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
...and you never know whether we might have some gift cards from Ken to raffle at the next meeting...

Matt
 
A

Ading522

Members
dogofwar said:
Heaters are the Achilles heal of fish equipment. 2nd hand ones are a roll of the dice (as, sadly, new ones also are).

I recently got some from Kensfish.com (I'll check the brand) that were reasonable in price (on sale) and (knock on wood) so far trouble free.

I actually don't use heaters on most of my tanks. My fishroom stays pretty warm. Depending on the fish, mid-70s is fine...stability of temp is more critical.

Matt
Click to expand...

Well, I don't have a fish room, but the house stays about the same in range 75-78.. I hope that helps.. although I got a few tanks placed near windows, and thats where the temp does not stay the same mostly..

thanks tho!

jonclark96 said:
Kensfish has reasonable deals on heaters. I found the deep blue brand to be pretty good (and affordable). Order $100 worth of stuff and its free shipping.
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what about upscale heaters like jager? they go around 20+ on some sites such as drsfosterandsmith and bigals..have you been using the deep blue brand mostly?

Jmoore said:
You can start a group order, I have some stuff I want

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John, I am not authorized to do a group buy.. you'd have to ask the permission of the administrators, and the authorized group buy coordinators..
 
chriscoli

chriscoli

Administrator
Just my 2 cents worth, I ordered several deep blue heaters from Kens when they first started carrying them. I am not happy with that brand of heater. I don't blame Kens....there were no problems with the shipment and all arrived intact.

I ordered six or so all at once. The first thing I noticed was approximately 10 degree difference across heaters (in the same tank size, on the same rack). To get a temp of about 78 in the tank, I had them set anywhere between the upper 70s and upper 80s on the dial. But...whatever, that wasn't a huge deal breaker. But within weeks to months, I found that most had filled with tank water. That really freaked me out. I think I only have 2 left from that order that are still working.
 
rsretep

rsretep

Members
I treated my Lyonsii for ich using no meds just increased temp for the first time around the first of the year. My heater kept the temp at a steady 84* and the ich dissapeared inside of a week.
 
A

Ading522

Members
chriscoli said:
Just my 2 cents worth, I ordered several deep blue heaters from Kens when they first started carrying them. I am not happy with that brand of heater. I don't blame Kens....there were no problems with the shipment and all arrived intact.

I ordered six or so all at once. The first thing I noticed was approximately 10 degree difference across heaters (in the same tank size, on the same rack). To get a temp of about 78 in the tank, I had them set anywhere between the upper 70s and upper 80s on the dial. But...whatever, that wasn't a huge deal breaker. But within weeks to months, I found that most had filled with tank water. That really freaked me out. I think I only have 2 left from that order that are still working.
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That is what I am afraid would happen..what kind of heaters do you find most reliable? so far what I have been reading on the internet and reviews is the jager heaters, then fluval.. what has your experience been?
 
chriscoli

chriscoli

Administrator
I think it's kind of a risk either way. There are several heater-related threads on this forum about this very topic. Seems like they've all failed someone at some point, but some do better overall. I think most of us will recommend that you get the best one you can afford.
 
Avatar

Avatar

Plenipotentiary-at-large
Caveat emptor

The expression definitely applies to used heaters, and as someone pointed out new ones as well.

The Fluval M series are the mirrored ones with the cool blue light that blend right into the tank, haven't been disappointed. Have almost 20, most running in their second year and haven't had a single issue. Ken's sells them cheap and free shipping kicks in after $75 (not $100).

Jaegers are also very good and have an established reputation for being very reliable having been around a lot longer. They're the only other brand that I use and one of the few that I would consider buying used.


http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-supplies/aquarium-heaters/fluval-m-submersible-heaters.html
 
zackcrack00

zackcrack00

Members
I have actually used (for 5 tanks) aqueon heaters, LOL! The adjustable ones have NEVER failed me... And I get so confused when people start talking about brands of equipment like t5, marina btr whatever these are, and just like filters, heaters, and lights. I just go to my LFS, and buy a filter. Does the brand matter? (Serious question)
 
A

Ading522

Members
Avatar said:
The expression definitely applies to used heaters, and as someone pointed out new ones as well.

The Fluval M series are the mirrored ones with the cool blue light that blend right into the tank, haven't been disappointed. Have almost 20, most running in their second year and haven't had a single issue. Ken's sells them cheap and free shipping kicks in after $75 (not $100).

Jaegers are also very good and have an established reputation for being very reliable having been around a lot longer. They're the only other brand that I use and one of the few that I would consider buying used.


http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-supplies/aquarium-heaters/fluval-m-submersible-heaters.html
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thanks sam! I would look into using the jager and fluval heaters.. is it advisable to use two heaters in a tank? I have read the rule of thumb is 3W per gallon.. so say you have a 55 g it will come to about 165W can you use 2 100W ? or just one 200 W ?

zackcrack00 said:
I have actually used (for 5 tanks) aqueon heaters, LOL! The adjustable ones have NEVER failed me... And I get so confused when people start talking about brands of equipment like t5, marina btr whatever these are, and just like filters, heaters, and lights. I just go to my LFS, and buy a filter. Does the brand matter? (Serious question)
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Hmmm...i think the question is quality..some brands do tend to last longer, availability of parts and overall build in materials i guess? like spending a couple of dollars on a light bulb, but then ended up paying more in replacement parts because down the road it just broke too many times and you wished you should have just spent the $ on a more expensive quality build one..LOL..
 
Leffler817

Leffler817

CCA Members
Dude, it's a total crap shoot. I have a marineland visitherm that was recalled but it works wonderfully! Accurate as all get out! I have a backup ready to go and check it regularly out of paranoia.

I picked up a bunch of Rena Smartheaters. I love them! Very affordable and accurate and they connect to the intake of Rena and AC tubes! I bought six and yet had two go bad. Rena replaced one of them the other was post warranty.

I bought two deep blues when Ken began selling them and had to return one as it never worked out of the box!

I just bought three Fluval Ms. I like the way they look with the mirror finish and blue light. However, they have a maximum fill line which in my tanks is lower than trim/frame. Makes for noisy water flow.

I also bought some Marina heaters which are made by Hagen. They are pretty cheap and seem to do a nice job.

Regardless, heaters seem to work better when positioned vertically as opposed to horizontally. IDK if there's any proof to that but it could be a case for study.


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Avatar

Avatar

Plenipotentiary-at-large
Leffler817 said:
I just bought three Fluval Ms. I like the way they look with the mirror finish and blue light. However, they have a maximum fill line which in my tanks is lower than trim/frame. Makes for noisy water flow.
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I run mine entirely submerged. Pretty sure no one even makes any that aren't fully submersible or that its even still allowed - liability issues would seem to preclude such in any case...
 
Leffler817

Leffler817

CCA Members
Avatar said:
I run mine entirely submerged. Pretty sure no one even makes any that aren't fully submersible or that its even still allowed - liability issues would seem to preclude such in any case...
Click to expand...


Glad you mentioned that Sam. I plopped mine into the tank before reading the instructions and then adjusted the water level after reading. :-/ That being said they are the fast charging horse on the outside coming down the stretch.


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