55 Gallon Tank I think I am done with Aqueon Pro heaters

AndyP

AndyP

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I just had my fourth Aqueon Pro heater die on me. I think I am done with Aqueon heaters. Recommend me another brand. Need a 200 W heater for a 55 gallon tank.
 

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Yeah heaters are the most unpredictable of the devices we use on tanks. Those pro heater are usually highly recommended. Im using finnex heaters. I like the controls outside the tank. Been using for around 2 yrs with no problems. They are the HMA series.
 
Got to say the eheim is not what they used to be. The fact that they don’t come pre programmed and you have to program them yourself bothers me. Mine never worked right till I powered them up all the way and controlled them with an ink-bird.
 

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I run a Marineland 200watt on my 55. The first one I got only lasted 2 years. I contacted the company. Once I sent them a photo of it with the cord cut off they sent me a replacement. Great customer service. In the meantime, since I didn't know how long it would take to get it I ordered another one. The replacement arrived one day after the one I bought. Now I have a back up
 
I’ve just bought a hygger 800w for one of my 125s. Does a nice job and heats fast. I do have it on an ink-bird though because if it over heats it will go to 94 before it shuts down and it will restart when temp hit 92.
 
I just had my fourth Aqueon Pro heater die on me. I think I am done with Aqueon heaters. Recommend me another brand. Need a 200 W heater for a 55 gallon tank.
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New [clear handle ] or old [ blue handle ] ?
I have had lots of the new ones break too fast for me ..
I need many heaters so will be buying from Jehmco in the future .
Thinking titanium is the one left I can try with hope .
I agree with Tom on the Ehiems . So good you need to calibrate them ?? I had /have 3 and they never worked right or could be properly calibrated ..I thought to myself I should have known ??
 
We are using Aqueon pros and Tetras.
I really think heaters are a roll of the dice.

The only thing less predictable is the manufacturers customer service. Any given day can be great. Other days non existent.
 
I use Fluval heaters. I used to use Eheim but if they become inaccurate and need to be recalibrated, they are very difficult to get calibrated correctly again IME. The Fluval has been very easy and very accurate so far.
 

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NOT Eheim if you know what's good for you. I've had nothing but issues with this company who don't support their products and troll their customers along until they give up in my experience. Was having a problem with my impellor and contacted the company. They had 3 different people grill me over the course of two weeks, kept repeating steps I had already tried, had me send photos over and over and I finally gave up. Follow on: just tossed my Eheim heater in the trash today since it wasn't working properly. Just my opinion but WORST COMPANY EVER for aquarium products.

I'm currently using Aqueon and having no problems but never know when problems may hit. Fluval and Cobalt Aquatics are generally highly rated by sites that do that sort of thing so may want to start there.
 
I have used Aqueon Pros (Blue and Clear knobs) on all my tanks for years, based on recommendation from coralbandit and all his tanks
I even recommended them but...
As mentioned the failures are happening too often now, 3 in less than a few months, just started using the Hygger. Time will tell.

Good Luck!
 
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  • #14
Agreed Eheim.... we also use a fluval 300 on our 55 that works good
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I've had Eheims die on me too. The old Ebo Jagers on the other hand, lasted forever.
New [clear handle ] or old [ blue handle ] ?
I have had lots of the new ones **** out too fast for me ..
I need many heaters so will be buying from Jehmco in the future .
Thinking titanium is the one left I can try with hope .
I agree with Tom on the Ehiems . So good you need to calibrate them ?? I had /have 3 and they never worked right or could be properly calibrated ..I thought to myself I should have known ??
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The new ones with the white tip. All my blue tips died and Aqueon replaced them under warranty.

I use my Eheim on a temperature controller.
 
I have a Finnex HPG that Ive had for over a year and still going strong. The Hyggar 50w I got for my 5g overheated my tank and I chucked it. In less that 10 mos.
 
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  • #16
NOT Eheim if you know what's good for you. I've had nothing but issues with this company who don't support their products and troll their customers along until they give up in my experience. Was having a problem with my impellor and contacted the company. They had 3 different people grill me over the course of two weeks, kept repeating steps I had already tried, had me send photos over and over and I finally gave up. Follow on: just tossed my Eheim heater in the trash today since it wasn't working properly. Just my opinion but WORST COMPANY EVER for aquarium products.

I'm currently using Aqueon and having no problems but never know when problems may hit. Fluval and Cobalt Aquatics are generally highly rated by sites that do that sort of thing so may want to start there.
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If you're in the US, then you're not dealing with Eheim. Eheim USA was shut down a few years ago, and they outsourced their support to a third party. Rumor has it that Eheim wants to pull out of the US market.

Back in the 80s and 90s, Eheim was considered top of the line when it came to canister filters, and Ebo Jäger was considered a top of the line heater. My friend had 2 Ebo Jäger 150W heaters he bought for a 55 gallon aquarium and he had them for well over a decade. I remember you had to adjust the top with a screwdriver to set the temperature.

The most reliable heather I ever owned was a Aquarium Systems Visitherm heater. That thing lasted well over a decade. I bought it in the late 80s, and I moved into this house with it in 2001.
I have used Aqueon Pros (Blue and Clear knobs) on all my tanks for years, based on recommendation from coralbandit and all his tanks
I even recommended them but...
As mentioned the failures are happening too often now, 3 in less than a few months, just started using the Hygger. Time will tell.

Good Luck!
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Lately I have been noticing that any heater fails in about 2 years. The Aqueon Pros have a limited lifetime warranty, which has recently been changed to mean, you get one replacement and that's it.

At this point, I think you're better off just buying the cheapest heater you can in your wattage requirement and put it on a temperature controller. You can build a DIY temperature controller for less than $20.00. And if you really want to get crazy, you can get a Sonoff TH10 smart switch and a temperature probe for under $20 as well.
Got to say the eheim is not what they used to be. The fact that they don’t come pre programmed and you have to program them yourself bothers me. Mine never worked right till I powered them up all the way and controlled them with an ink-bird.
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I thought Eheim were calibrated at the factory?
 
I have a Fluval Tronic heater that is 20 years old that still works in a pinch.
 
I ordered a Vivosun 200W from Amazon about 7 months ago when I was building my Hex tank. It was an Amazon Choice with a lot of good reviews.

What I liked about it was that it had a digital display that I could see clearly. I hate the knob style heaters because I often can't read the temperature very well. It also has a control for outside of the tank. It has done a really great job and stays true to it's calibration, as I've tested it several times with digital thermometers. Price is pretty good too!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TSBCQW5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Fluval E series are really nice. It has a digital display that displays temperature, and is either green, blue, or red depending if your tank temperature is within 1.5 degrees of what you’ve selected, or if it’s too cold or too warm. You can see it from across the room. It’s calibrated right on the money, always within a fraction of a degree when compared with a thermometer. They are not inexpensive but I’ve had good luck with it so far.
 
You can get a 150 watt cascade heater on amazon for $13. I have 3 cascade heater for over 4 years and they havent break yet. They are cheap and work.
 
It seems all heaters are unpredictable. I like my eheim ones I do have, just they are so long! Recommended to use controllers even with them.

I actually use an eheim jagger 300w for my 210 with the inkbird controller in the sump. Works awesome. I have another one (200 I think) in my 75, and I keep meaning to get an inkbird.... and one spare 300w I keep for backup for my big tank. Both them I run at 80 degrees, and are def my most reliable.

Eventually I plan to move to all eheims. Ideally all on inkbirds, but that adds up when you have as many tanks as me LOL.

Oh I have some ancient marineland I think, that sits on the side of the tank I use for 10 gallons when needed.. has to be from 90s or so, and the thing is a die hard.
 

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I use Fluval M heaters on all but one of my tanks. So far all have been doing good, and none have malfunctioned. In my 40 gallon I’m using a hygger heater and that’s working well too. My only complaint with the fluval heaters is the temperature dial. It’s hard to tell exactly what temp you set it to, but I usually fix that problem by testing it in a bucket for a day, and I’ll adjust the heater as needed until I get to the desired temperature so I can get it within 1-2°F of where I want it.
 
  • Thread Starter
  • #23
You can get a 150 watt cascade heater on amazon for $13. I have 3 cascade heater for over 4 years and they havent break yet. They are cheap and work.
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I had a cascade heater years ago. It worked great, till I dropped on the concrete floor of my garage and it shattered. Sigh...
 
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  • #24
You know, I have been lucky. All my heater failures have been with the heater failing to turn on, rather than failing to turn off.

I built one DIY Inkbird Temperature Controller, but then I decided to go "smart" and bought some Sonoff TH10 temperature controllers and wired them into extension cords. They've been working great for the last 2 years and I can check my aquarium temperature on my phone and I get alerts if the temperature gets too low or too high.
 
You know, I have been lucky. All my heater failures have been with the heater failing to turn on, rather than failing to turn off.

I built one DIY Inkbird Temperature Controller, but then I decided to go "smart" and bought some Sonoff TH10 temperature controllers and wired them into extension cords. They've been working great for the last 2 years and I can check my aquarium temperature on my phone and I get alerts if the temperature gets too low or too high.
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That's pretty cool. I'd love to find one that works more at scale (multiple tanks) but I'm not sure I have the time to invest in putting together something lol
 
I've been using the Blueline titanium heaters with controller for years and I love them
 
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  • #27
That's pretty cool. I'd love to find one that works more at scale (multiple tanks) but I'm not sure I have the time to invest in putting together something lol
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To do multiple tank, you would use multiple TH10s. One for each tank. Then you set up a Home Assistant server ona $35 Raspberry Pi and you have an interface for all your aquariums. For simple stuff like temperature, lights and turning filters/skimmers/powerheads on and off, using Sonoff switches and Home Assistant does a great job for me. If you want to get all fancy and check salinity, pH, etc, you need a more advanced solution.
 
I have decent luck with Fluval Type M and Eheim Heaters. I do think the calibration on the Eheims can be a little off with calibration but once they are dialed in they work great. The Fluval works awesome but I wish it had more numbers on the dial - you're kind of guessing a little but once you get the right temp it holds nice and steady.

I recently purchased a couple 50w OASE heaters that I'm trying out right now. I like the look and feel of them but Its only been a few weeks so I wont be able to speak to the quality for a while.
 
I've been using an Eheim Jager for a couple months and I'm very unhappy with it. After calibrating it the accuracy was maybe +/- 3 degrees. After several weeks it started working a bit better for some reason and now keeps my tank +/- 0.5 degrees. But its stuck on 74 F. If I set the heat to 72, 76, 78, 80, etc. It continues heating my tank to 74 degrees.

I know its supposed to be the best heater on the market but its the worst heater I've ever used and that includes the topfin heater that was off by 8 degrees. At least that one worked properly at first
 
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  • #30
I wish you could just buy a heater. Just a stick with a heating element that you plug into your own temperature controller.

My experience has been that the thermostat is the piece most likely to fail. I've taken apart broken heaters and applied current directly to the coil and had the heating element come on. And heaters that get "stuck on" also have a thermostat that failed on.

You can place an external temperature controller outside the aquarium and you are no longer constrained by the space in the glass tube. You can add fuses to protect from overload. You can add an in-line GFCI. You can add an alarm. And you can make a far more robust temperature controller that those tiny things you stick inside a heater tube.
 
I agree with Tom on the Ehiems . So good you need to calibrate them ?? I had /have 3 and they never worked right or could be properly calibrated ..I thought to myself I should have known ??
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I've used Eheim heaters for about 20 yrs without any critical failures but they can certainly be a pain to calibrate. I noticed that Eheim now has a new electronic model that does not require calibration. Not cheap, but I may try one of them next.

EHEIM thermocontrol e 25

I don't know of any more reliable alternatives other than using a temperature controller.
 

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  • Thread Starter
  • #32
Got to say the eheim is not what they used to be. The fact that they don’t come pre programmed and you have to program them yourself bothers me. Mine never worked right till I powered them up all the way and controlled them with an ink-bird.
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I kind of like this feature. I bought a Marineland heater a few years ago that was off by 5ºF. I called Marineland and they told me to take it back to the store. The next one was off by 8ºF. Had either of those been an Eheim, I would have been able to calibrate it and just keep it.
I've used Eheim heaters for about 20 yrs without any critical failures but they can certainly be a pain to calibrate. I noticed that Eheim now has a new electronic model that does not require calibration. Not cheap, but I may try one of them next.

EHEIM thermocontrol e 25

I don't know of any more reliable alternatives other than using a temperature controller.
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I read somewhere in the past that it's not a good idea to stick a heater that has an electronic thermostat on am external temperature controller. The Eheims always came recommended because they used a simple bi-metal thermostat.
 
I read somewhere in the past that it's not a good idea to stick a heater that has an electronic thermostat on am external temperature controller. The Eheims always came recommended because they used a simple bi-metal thermostat.
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If I buy one I don't intend to use it with a controller, but thanks for the heads up I wasn't aware of that.
 
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  • #34
If I buy one I don't intend to use it with a controller, but thanks for the heads up I wasn't aware of that.
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I had an exchange with Aqueon tech support about sticking one of their Pro heaters on a temperature controller. They told to absolutely NOT do it, but instead buy one of the regular Aqueon heaters, since they didn't have an electronic thermostat.
If anyone is as old as me, you probably remember the old hang on back heaters, you would screw on the lip of your tank. Well all those things had simple bi-metal thermostats. I remember if the thermostat ever got stuck closed, where it would continuously heat your tank, you would just unplug it, let it cool down, take it apart and sand the two pieces of metal. You'd put it back together and it would be good as new.
 
You know, I have been lucky. All my heater failures have been with the heater failing to turn on, rather than failing to turn off.

I built one DIY Inkbird Temperature Controller, but then I decided to go "smart" and bought some Sonoff TH10 temperature controllers and wired them into extension cords. They've been working great for the last 2 years and I can check my aquarium temperature on my phone and I get alerts if the temperature gets too low or too high.
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Having a heater that failed to turn off is not a good thing either. I once saw heat wave in the water raising from a 300w heater. Turn out my aquarium was over 85F. It was fortunate I caught it before my aquarium became a fish soup
 
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  • #36
I'll be damned. I sent Aqueon an email about the heater with the receipt attached as PDF. I never heard back from them. I just got an email from UPS that the heater is arriving tomorrow.
I found an old email from Aqueon that says their products have a "Limited Lifetime" warranty, which is only good for one replacement. That doesn't seem like a lifetime warranty. That seems like a "one replacement warranty."
 
Not the greatest quality, but topfin heaters usually work for me. My 100w and 50w have lasted fine for 2 years. Hygger is also a good brand, it’s what I have in my 29.
 
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  • #38
Not the greatest quality, but topfin heaters usually work for me. My 100w and 50w have lasted fine for 2 years. Hygger is also a good brand, it’s what I have in my 29.
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There a new line of Top Fin Pro heaters. Digital temperature display and looks like an aluminum or plastic composite body.



They're pricey. Hopefully they're reliable.
 
There a new line of Top Fin Pro heaters. Digital temperature display and looks like an aluminum or plastic composite body.

Top Fin® Pro Aquarium Heater | fish Heaters | PetSmart

They're pricey. Hopefully they're reliable.
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Wow, I use the cheap ones lol.
 
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  • #40
I read an article a few years ago that said all modern aquarium heaters are only going to last 2-4 years. To build a reliable heater that will last a very long time would be expensive, with a retail price in the hundreds of dollars.

I'm not sure how true that is, though. My friend has my Aquarium System Visitherm submersible heater that was purchased back in 1990 and it still works. Sadly, Aquarium Systems pulled out of the US Market. Marineland licensed the name and made their own line of Visitherm heaters that I believe were made in China. Aquarium Systems still make Visitherm heaters, but they're only for sale in Europe. They look identical to the heater I used to own. I thought about importing one, but they all 220V, so that wouldn't work.
 

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I'll be damned. I sent Aqueon an email about the heater with the receipt attached as PDF. I never heard back from them. I just got an email from UPS that the heater is arriving tomorrow.
I found an old email from Aqueon that says their products have a "Limited Lifetime" warranty, which is only good for one replacement. That doesn't seem like a lifetime warranty. That seems like a "one replacement warranty."
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Not only 1 replacement but the unit you will receive is a re built ,not new unit .
I have always sworn buy my Aqueon Pros and the old blue handled ones did well.
The new have indicator light failures so then you need thermometer to know if it is even working ..
I do still some old blue units they have held up much better then the new .
I have like 50 tanks which 40 of should have heaters ..I am out with Aqueon ..
 
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  • #45
According to a video, the Aqueon Pro heaters are the old Marineland Stealth heaters fixed. Spectrum Brands dumped their Chinese manufacturer when the whole Stealth recall happened. Aqueon stepped in and had the company fix the flaw in the heater and crank them out under the Aqueon Pro name. The new Aqeon Pros with the illuminated adjustment knob looks a heck of a lot like the old Marineland Stealth heaters.
 
Marineland /Perfecto are competiton to Aqueon .
Big picture is Central Garden and pet [aqueon,coralife ,kent ,zilla , nylabone and numerous lawn poisons]
and Spectrum Brands /formerly Rayovac [Marineland ,perfecto ,Tetra ,Instant ocean and Jungle and who knows what besides batteries ] .
I am less of a fan of both companies now more then ever ..
 
I found an old email from Aqueon that says their products have a "Limited Lifetime" warranty, which is only good for one replacement. That doesn't seem like a lifetime warranty. That seems like a "one replacement warranty."
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I guess that's the 'limited part' of it. :rolleyes:

I'm still trying to decide whether to get one of the new electronic Eheims or one of the old models and use it with an Inkbird controller. The cost adds up to about the same.
 
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  • #48
I guess that's the 'limited part' of it. :rolleyes:

I'm still trying to decide whether to get one of the new electronic Eheims or one of the old models and use it with an Inkbird controller. The cost adds up to about the same.
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I would use a controller and the old heater. My point of failure on any brand of heater has been the thermostat 100% of the time. I don't think I have ever had a bad heating coil. Plus if you use the old heater with an inkbird, you get redundancy. If the heater thermostat fails, the Inkbird will kill the heater. If the Inkbird fails on, the thermostat in the heater will shut the heater off.

Plus it's way easier to check the calibration on your Inkbird with a pot of boiling water than it is an aquarium heater. You just stick the probe in some water and see what the temp says.

You can also bild a DIY Inkbird for not a lot of money. I built the one from the King of DIY video:
TQH8X3X.jpg

I think I paid $20.00 for all the parts, and it took me about 30 minutes to put it all together.
 
50%of my failures with the pro were actual splits in the body and electric leak into water ..
The bad switches [thermostats] can be overcome but when more then one cracks and they have been treated no different that raises a flag of concern for me .
 
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  • #50
50%of my failures with the pro were actual splits in the body and electric leak into water ..
The bad switches [thermostats] can be overcome but when more then one cracks and they have been treated no different that raises a flag of concern for me .
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Oh wow. That's rough. Wasn't that the problem the Stealth heaters had?
New Aqueon Pro arrived today.
9G7ZITv.jpg

Went to put it away in the garage as a spare and found another Aqueon Pro 200 I had exchanged under warranty a few years ago.

The one that died on me was the old style with the blue knob and the green light that's always on. Don't know how good these newer ones are.
 

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