Glass Aqueon Heater Light Flashing

[WrenFeenix]

I have a glass 100W aqueon heater. The indicator light on the heater started flashing, which I'm assuming is bad, so I'm going to replace it immediately. I'd like to know what that could mean though, a faulty temperature sensor?

 

[cdwag29]

Hmm..never heard of one flashing. Not sure if anyone else has experienced this, but I’ve noticed over the years aquenons products have had a decline. Ordered a air pump that works for 2 minutes before shutting off, and 4 50W heaters that could barely heat a shoebox sized tub.

I’d settle with the idea it’s just faulty and try to get your money back.

 

[WrenFeenix]

I heard the Pros have taken a huge quality nosedive. I've had a decent experience with my heaters so far, but the build quality is definitely much lower than the cheapo heater I bought on Amazon. It's really saying something when sketchy generic heaters are significantly better than the big brands.

This situation is the exact reason I bought an Inkbird. Who knows what could've happened without it. The inkbird definitely didn't cause this btw.

 

[cdwag29]

Wow, I’m surprised a cheap heater would be better than an aquenon pro heater! Never thought I’d hear that said. Aren’t they like crazy expensive as well? You‘d think for how high the prices are you’d be getting a quality, well made, reliable heater. Never heard of an Inkbird before, but glad you had it!

 

[WrenFeenix]

Wow, I’m surprised a cheap heater would be better than an aquenon pro heater! Never thought I’d hear that said. Aren’t they like crazy expensive as well? You‘d think for how high the prices are you’d be getting a quality, well made, reliable heater. Never heard of an Inkbird before, but glad you had it!

Whoops, I didn’t mean the Pro because I don’t own one. I just heard the newer Pros with the orange switches are worse than the old ones with blue switches.
I usually see Pros for sale on Amazon around $30, which I think is lower than in the past. That can’t be a good sign.

I was comparing my Aqueon glass to my cheapo glass. Aqueon’s heating filaments always flopped around in the tube and have made the glass cloudy over time, while cheapo’s filaments don’t move at all and the glass is crystal clear despite using it for nearly a year now.

An Inkbird is a brand of temperature controller. I have it set to cut power to the heater if temps exceed 80F. I was terrified of boiled fish.

 

[cdwag29]

Yeah in the past a 50W Pro was almost $55. Certainty not a good sign they went down.

By Aqueon glass I'm assuming you meant the preset ones? Correct me if I'm wrong. But the same thing happened to me with the filaments! I wasn't sure if it was safe to use so I stuck it it in my snail tub. It defiently was not up to par. When I first got it, I had a beta in a 5 gallon and the water was constantly barely bordering 71. It never reached 75 like it said it would and it was constantly fluctuating. I remember I checked up on him to find the temp at 68! That happened with 2 different heaters, and the other 2 just barely managed to keep the tank at 73. Aquenon needs to get back on their game.

Maybe I should buy an Inkbird, especially with the summer months coming up. Are they usable for any heater?

 

[WrenFeenix]

Yeah in the past a 50W Pro was almost $55. Certainty not a good sign they went down.

By Aqueon glass I'm assuming you meant the preset ones? Correct me if I'm wrong. But the same thing happened to me with the filaments! I wasn't sure if it was safe to use so I stuck it it in my snail tub. It defiently was not up to par. When I first got it, I had a beta in a 5 gallon and the water was constantly barely bordering 71. It never reached 75 like it said it would and it was constantly fluctuating. I remember I checked up on him to find the temp at 68! That happened with 2 different heaters, and the other 2 just barely managed to keep the tank at 73. Aquenon needs to get back on their game.

Maybe I should buy an Inkbird, especially with the summer months coming up. Are they usable for any heater?

I have an adjustable Aqueon heater. I heard preset heaters sometimes aren't set to the right temp, so they're always too hot or too cold. My adjustable one set to 80F kept the tank at 77-78F.

An Inkbird is little more than a temperature probe with a specialized outlet that can pull the contacts away from the plug prongs. There are a TON of different models, and some are aquarium-specific. All of them can fit both polarized and grounded plugs (3 prongs). I think one model can be used with both a chiller and a heater.

Here's the one I have:
https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Ther...529330&sprefix=inkbird+aquarium,aps,98&sr=8-4
I've had 2 of them running for 3 years with no problems. Instructions are a bit confusing tho.

 

[cdwag29]

Oops, my mistake about the preset thing. After that experience with the presets I just decided they weren't reliable and switched to adjustable, which the brands I have seem to keep the water at almost the exact temperature you set it to. It's weird yours did the whole filament thing though, especially since adjustable are supposed to be a higher quality.

I have no clue how I've haven't heard about the Inkbird, or other similar devices. I'll defiently be buying them when I have the extra cash. I noticed on the link you provided there was two options. One of them had the probe as well. Should I get that one?

 

[WrenFeenix]

Oops, my mistake about the preset thing. After that experience with the presets I just decided they weren't reliable and switched to adjustable, which the brands I have seem to keep the water at almost the exact temperature you set it to. It's weird yours did the whole filament thing though, especially since adjustable are supposed to be a higher quality.

I have no clue how I've haven't heard about the Inkbird, or other similar devices. I'll defiently be buying them when I have the extra cash. I noticed on the link you provided there was two options. One of them had the probe as well. Should I get that one?

I only found out about the Inkbird when someone on Fishlore first told me about heater controllers, so same situation as you I guess. Get the one with the aquarium probe; the probe is encased in plastic so it won't corrode.

I'm just going to assume all Aqueon heaters are like that, especially since I have 2 adjustable glass heaters that both have loose filaments. If you're in a store, you could gently shake the box of whatever heater you're looking at, and if it sounds like an old incandescent lightbulb, it's no good.

 

[cdwag29]

Much appreciated, sorry for asking so many questions! I just blew through a ton of money on a bookshelf tank..but I'll defiently be buying an Inkbird when I can!

Really a shame what has happened to the aqueon brand. I always thought they were this super reliable company that I could depend on for everything, but honestly now that I think about it I've bought quite a few products from them that were defaulty or broke quickly. The heater thing is by far the worst, mainly because it's something that could kill a fish in an instant. I've heard the same thing about tetra heaters and filters. Anyways, sorry for rambling and wasting your time lol, thank you for the tips!