Public Service Announcement: Heaters

[AquaStudent]

I've been in the hobby for nearly a decade now and finally had a heater go bad on me. I've been meaning to buy a heater controller or build one but kept putting it off. Unfortunately, while I was away on vacation, the heater in my 75G stuck itself on. The water heated up to 97 degrees. Not even Central American cichlids can handle that :/

I'm going to take some time to figure out how I want to rebuild but in the meantime I want to get a new heater/controller. Any suggestions on a heater controller? I recall a UaruJoey project from a year or two back that made one too. Anybody give that build a shot?

TLDR: There are better ways to make fish soup.

 

[chriscoli]

I am so sorry that this happened to you. I use heater controllers now, too. I think there are several nice brands out there, but I don't see the one I use. Perhaps it's been discontinued. I'm sure others will weigh in on their preferences.

 

[cabinetmkr39]

I purchased one recently Inkbird :https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KC24CKD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
for our 300 indoor turtle pond . I'm very happy with is so far. Very nice unit .

 

[FishEggs]

I've been using inkbird controllers for a few years now and havent had an issue yet.


Knock on wood.

 

[JLW]

I wouldn't use a "Uaru Joey" slap it together DIY project on something that's supposed to be a safety net on a tank....
There are a lot of different reliable controllers out there, as well as the easy solution of using more than one heater (if you need 300 wts, and use two 150 watt heaters, for example, they're unlikely to BOTH fail at the same time -- and one of them can't radically alter the temperature).

You can also go with my solution: don't use heaters. Unless you're one of those people who keeps their house at 68° ... you probably don't need one except for with certain fishes. 72-76 is the average temperature in my house, and that's fine for virtually all aquarium fishes.

 

[AquaStudent]

Amazon recommended the inkbird brand (at least their algorithm threw it at the top). Seemed pretty inexpensive with good reviews. Glad to hear some of you have had success with it for a decent period of time.

Josh, thanks for that. I could go with no heater but I think the tank would be a little too cool. The DIY build would be more for the experience than making something better. I've had success with most designs I've found online but the ones I build are usually customized to what makes sense for me and my applications. If I did a DIY build, it would probably be a part of a larger aquarium monitor/controller built around an arduino.

 

[CichlidAddict]

It's a common mistake to pick a heater rated higher than for your tank size. Bigger is not better when it comes to heater, but can be dangerous. Select a heater that can raise the temp to no more than 5 to 8 degree if your tank is located in a heated room. If there is AC, leave it on to say 80 if you go away so if the heater is stuck, it won't go above 90. If there is no AC, unplug the heater.

 

[AquaStudent]

Picked up the inkbird. It was easy to set up. The display is nice. Looking forward to seeing it long term.

 

[kevmo]

Reading this gets me scared, I have the fluvel heaters in my 220

Like this, should I switch?

Oh just did some reading, so my heaters would actually plug into this, and it shuts off if the temp goes over x degree? at 30 bucks I think it's worth it for the inkbird

https://www.chewy.com/fluval-electronic-aquarium-heater/dp/152099?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Fluval&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjw04vpBRB3EiwA0IieajHbQaRSbQqdx1WG8LaAaN9TDMzkCfT06c8cKtgRTkmA6i_eQNh2BBoCRkoQAvD_BwE

 

[AquaStudent]

That's exactly my thoughts Kevmo. I really wish I hadn't put it off so long...especially since $30 is nothing when compared to the cost of sentimental value of a tankful of fish.

 

[kevmo]

That's exactly my thoughts Kevmo. I really wish I hadn't put it off so long...especially since $30 is nothing when compared to the cost of sentimental value of a tankful of fish.

Any tips on setup? Mine gets here tomorrow lol

 

[JLW]

Generally, what I do is I set the temperature on the heaters to heat to say, 76, and then the Inkbird to heat until say, 82. If the heater sticks on, the inkbird will shut it off at 82.
You can also plug something else into the inkbird that will tell you things are screwed up when its off: your aquarium light, for instance (which you don't want on if it gets super hot). If the lights off in the middle of the day, your inkbird shut it off.

 

[AquaStudent]

That's a good idea. Watch the watchers.

kev, it was really ready to set up. The instructions are pretty good. It'll likely be in centigrade when you start it up but you can change that in the settings with a couple of clicks.