lilswimmer

I need to get a heater for my betta's 5 gallon tank. I was wondering what brands other people have had success with and which ones to avoid. Thanks!

Chief_waterchanger

Ebu Jager is the best in my opinion. Dino told me he had one last almost 15 years before it went out on him.

lilswimmer

Cool deal. I think Petsmart has that brand. Is it okay to use a 50 watt heater in a 5 gallon tank?

Pepsi216

I highly recommend the Visitherm Stealth heater. They're adjustable, fully submersable, and have a lifetime guarantee. Many people swear by them.

If Petsmart is where you shop, I've discovered that you can print off the online price and they'll honor it in-store. That lets me save about $5, which buys this broke college student dinner that night

~Kelly

Chief_waterchanger

50w in a 5g is overkill, but unless the heater stuck in the 'on' position it would not be a problem. Ebu Jager or Visitherm Stealth either one would be reliable with a 50w in a 5g, but I'd be darned leery of any other brands with that kinda overkill, just because if it did stick in the 'on' position, as several of the "Discount priced brands" certain chain stores sell, it would fry the inhabitants of the tank.

Lilswimmer, check your private messages.

lilswimmer

I will check out both of those heaters and see what I can get. I work with audio/visual equipment so I understand the value of buying a good product and the kind of liability a poor product can bring. There are some brands that should definitely be avoided like the plague.

Thanks for the info!!!

COBettaCouple

we are completely switched over to visitherms - and would recommend their stealth heaters for any size tank.. they have them at deathco, but i think the price is so much more than the DFS website than even with shipping you could order the heater alone and it'd be cheaper.

lilswimmer

Thanks all! I did get the visitherm stealth. It was easy to install and so far it is working great. I appreciate all the input!

chickadee

I used the Visitherm Stealth for all my 12 gallon but found that the 25 tall tank just did not seem to get the heat I wanted with them so I use titanium heaters in it. But since most folks do not use that big a tank for their bettas, I suppose that the Visitherm is still my recommendation.

Rose

bhcaaron

I know I'm in the wrong section, and I will repost in the correct one, but, will that visither work well in a 150G salt water?

jsalemi

I believe they're fine for salt water, but you'd need at least 2 250w heaters for a tank that size. You can get more info on them here:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...0&pcatid=12060

tkfury

I was thinking about posting a question but I pretty much found my answer here, so just wanted to say thanks heh.

More of a curiosity question, around what size tank should two heaters start being used? Is there a minimum or is it usually personal preference until you get up to a certain size?

jsalemi

Well, any tank really, though on less than a 20 gallon tank it's probably overkill to have more than one. On the other hand, the heaters only go up to a certain wattage, limiting the maximum amount of water they'd heat, so over 75g you usually have to go with more than one.

In the in-between range where one heater would suffice, lots of folks like to use 2 smaller ones rather than one larger one so they have a built-in backup in case one fails. Plus, I guess with a long tank having a heater on each end would give you a more even heat distribution.

bhcaaron

Continuing on about different heaters...

Eheim has this canister filter with built in heater. I loved the idea, however, it states the heater can only be used for freshwater tanks and not for saltwater ones. Why?

jsalemi

The heater elements probably aren't sealed as well as a submersible heater, so the salt in the water would eventually corrode them.