5 Gallon Tank Recommendations please - Heater for Spec V

I have had a Spec V for a little over a year. I have been using a Hydor 25 wattwhich fit well. It has malfunctioned, and is overheating the tank. I pulled it out, and noticed water inside the heater. I threw it out.

I prefer something that would fit in the pump compartment. I have a betta in the tank, so I want to keep about 78-80 degrees. I prefer around a 25 watt, with heaters overheating, a 50 watt makes me nervous.
Thank you!

 

Im sorry, You said you want the heater to fit in the pump compartment. What do you mean?

 

Knowing the amount of room you have for the heater in there would help for reccomendations.

 

Sure! I’ll attach a couple pictures of what I mean. (Lights aren’t on yet this morning!) The Spec V has the main compartment. Then it has a filter compartment on the side. The larger section has the sponge with Purigen and the ceramic media. The smaller section in the back has the pump and the outlet that sends the water back out into the tank. Many people with this tank put the heater there to keep it hidden. (Right now I have my top fin 50w in the main tank to keep it at temp while I find a new permanent heater. Ugly and too big, but it works for now!)

The hydor was 7 inches in length, which was perfect for this compartment. (Has to fit with the outlet tube in there too). It just sat in there, no suction cups (no room). I loved it, perfect size and adjustable, but overheating in a year makes me nervous. So many heaters of this size are preset.

I am not against putting the heater in the main tank if I have to, it just allows more space in the main tank without it.

When I searched prior threads about this, they were all at least 4 years old, so I’m wondering if anyone has any more recent suggestions.

Thanks for your help!

 

All heaters i have had that would fit were all preset and 50 watts.... so no personal reccomendations from me.

 

I don't think that it is a good idea to put the heater there, I wonder if that is why it broke, though heaters break all the time, so who knows? I used the smallest Marineland heater in my 5-gallon hospital tank which I believe is 50 watts and it has been very long-lived for me. Sorry if I already said that.

The best way to hide a heater is to lay it horizontally on the gravel, but please be sure to read the manual, some instructions tell you specifically what angle the heater should be placed at and it seems like a good idea to follow those safety measures.

 

Thank you for the feedback! I might try putting a new one in the main compartment by the outlet instead.

 

I have had a Spec V for a little over a year. I have been using a Hydor 25 wattwhich fit well. It has malfunctioned, and is overheating the tank. I pulled it out, and noticed water inside the heater. I threw it out.

I prefer something that would fit in the pump compartment. I have a betta in the tank, so I want to keep about 78-80 degrees. I prefer around a 25 watt, with heaters overheating, a 50 watt makes me nervous.
Thank you!

Hello, and sorry your having heater problems. I happen to have a little top fin 5 gallon with the built in filtration system on the back wall, with the place for heater. Feel I need to share my experience with you. Fluval makes amazing line of slimline heaters that fit compartment well and do the trick! It's their P line. There is a P10, P25, and a P50. The numbers being the wattage. This line of heaters have automatic stats set to 78, and a red led to indicate it is heating. I will speak on the the P10 as it is what I'm running. Although fluval recommends the p10 for a 3 gallon, I have it mounted in the back compartment directly in front of the filter intake to ensure complete distribution of heat. Let me tell you this heater holds my 5 gallon at 78° with ease. You may feel safer going with the P25 as it's recommended for tanks up to 10 gallon, but I'm confident you'll be happy with either. Hopes this helps, and good luck getting the heater that fits your needs!! Pic included to show how small these things are!

 

I used an Aqueon PRO 50 in my spec.
Pretty sure it fit in the return.
Here is the size; 1.5" x 1.75" x 9"

 

Thank you both for the suggestions! I will look into them.