What Brand Heaters Do You Trust the Most?

It seems like many people have had issues with their heaters lately.

I'm hoping this poll helps us discover which brands can be trusted the most not to malfunction and to last the longest.

What is your most-trusted brand of heater?

If you've had personal issues with a particular brand, please feel free to post that experience as well.

Also, if you wouldn't mind, please post how long you've had the heater, wattage, tank size, etc. Anything that can help us discover the best heater based on personal experience.

 

I'd answer this poll BB, but man, my luck lately has been terrible.
I hate to blame the brand since they were in use for years with no problems.

I'll be interested to see others responses.

 

Eheim/Ebo Jager for me. I have many that have been in use for several years with no issues. Some of those were used when I got them.

I also chose "other" because I absolutely love my Rena Smart Heater. It attaches to the intake for my XP canister and it's been working flawlessly since I picked it up used more than a year ago.

 

Visitherm were head and shoulders above the others in the UK poll by Practical Fishkeeping and I have found them very reliable. This is a glass heaterstat.

My 2 interpet thermasure heaters lasted 10 years before they both packed up before Christmas. One leaked water and the other stuck on but because I split the required wattage up between 2 heaters I didn't have a major temperature change.

 

Visi-Therm would be Marineland. I've had one fail and cook a tank of fish, but I've seen a lot of others that love them.

 

I voted for others. I use tetra ones.

 

I voted other...

I have been using a ViaAqua 150w in my 29 gallon for about a year now.

No problems with it so far.

 

Fluval Tronic.

 

I have Jager and VisiTherm heaters and have had a single issue with a VisiTherm heater that suddenly stopped heating after only one year; and have other heaters that are more than 10 years.

I recently picked up a TempTec heater. It was the only 300W heater I could find locally when the above heater stopped working and my tank dropped 12 degrees in 24-hours. And, to be honest, I do not like this heater. It is very difficult to turn the knob to adjust the heat; and it acts differently, making it hard to adjust the heat. When I first picked up this heater, I left it at the default setting, but after 3 days, my tank was only 73F. So, I raised the heat, waiting 24-48 hours to adjust again. After a week, I had my tank back to its normal 78-80F range. But my tank kept getting hotter and hotter. At 85 I turned the heat down. Then, the tank dropped to 76. So, back up.

I was on this roller coaster for another week before I finally got the temp adjusted. But, instead of being steady, the tank is 77 in the morning at 80 when the lights go off at night.

 

It's my opinion that most all heaters have the potential to fail in time as most mechanical things do. I've read/heard of stories of heaters failing concerning every brand from the old/new Stealths to Jager's and everything in between.

I've had several of the older Stealths and the only one to go out on me was a 50w. Thankfully it didn't get stuck 'on'. I had a 75w and a 100w in service for several years.

Current heater brands I would trust in my tanks.....

- Aqueon Pro (appears to be very similar to the old Stealths but sports an indicator light to help potentially avert problems)

- Finnex HMA series titanium with digital analog controller (seems the LED controller models get more mixed reviews)

- Rena Smart heater (have read/heard largely positive things regarding these heaters)

- ETH in-line (again, have read/heard largely positive things)

- Ebo Jager's (many respected keepers have used these over the years)

 

I exclusively use the old stealth heaters, though I did have one get stuck ON once. Temp was about 92 degrees - didn't loose any fish though.

 

Good morning,

I voted for Marineland. I have 3 250w Stealth Pros in my 265g and they have done a wonderful job over the past 14 months or so. No issues to date.

I also have some of the older Stealth heaters, very nice but no indicator light on them. I like to know what my heaters are doing so I switched to the Stealth Pros when they came out.

I used the Ebo Jager for many years prior to getting the Stealth Pros and no issues there either. I have these as spares now.

Ken

 

Maybe we should plan for heater failure as it seems bound to happen with any heater.

I mentioned the Visitherm glass heater as the Practical Fishkeeping survey is the only large survey of consumers that I am aware of in England. It said they were considered by far the best by the readers. It did not say they wouldn't fail though!

We should perhaps replace heaters after a certain number of years if malfunction would lead to catastrophe.

But I designed my heating by using two heaters per aquarium each of half the wattage required. This reduces the rate and size of the temperature change in the event of a heater failure. Of course it doubles the likelyhood of heater failure, not to mention the initial price! But it's worth it as I have suffered the pain of a single heater failure boiling my fish. The method has worked for me.

I am aware that there are some (probably expensive) ways of controlling heating that are more reliable than the simple thermostat in our heaters. Reefkeepers with expensive fish use them.

 

ive gone with others I use interpet 100w 200w 300w heaters and have had no problems with them al all

 

I have Rena 150 on my 75 and Fluval M series in my 29 and 46 and they work great.
I am also getting a Fluval M 300 for my 125.

 

I have a Tetra heater in my 20H. It's nonadjustable, though, which I don't really like but it has been keeping the water at a constant 78 most of the time. The other thing I don't like about it is that the rubber suction cup ring that holds the heater has melted a little bit. I wouldn't purchase it again. It'll do for now.

I have a Marineland in my 10 gallon that I got used from a local. Supposedly it's adjustable and can range from 5 gallons to 20 gallons. However, the temperature is around 80-81, which I don't want. I want it to be around 78-79, but I already have the knob on the negative. I can't adjust it any further than that.

I'm looking for a good heater for my 40g. Would a 55 gallon heater work?

 

the size of your heater is mostly based on the temperature of the room its in.

 

I now use Jagers in my tanks. I did have one of the older Stealths in my betta's tank but it never worked properly and it just stopped working after two years of using it.

A worker at Big Al's recommended the Jager to me so I read up reviews on it and decided to try it. So far, they've been doing a good job at keeping the temperatures stable in my tanks.

 

aqua-one

 

I didn't vote, because I'm not sure about what heaters I have (I buy whatever's on sale, and they're all coated with algae). I've only had one spectacular failure in the past three years. The rest may be off a bit, but are still working.
I will say that, after that failure, I don't trust any heater completely, and I try to make sure I have two heaters going in my tanks, so that if one fails, it's not instant doom for the fish.

 

HI all, I have been using Marineland for quite some time and I must say that the overall quality and accuracy of temperature is terrific. I've had one fail in 5 years. It didn't cook anything, it simply stopped heating. Luckily I caught it before the tank dropped to low in degrees. I have both Visi-Therm and Stealth. Now back to your regularly scheduled program !!

 

I use Via Aqua stainless steel heaters just about exclusively. Think I have about or 8
Carol

 

jagers all the way, try to find a bad review, just try!

 

Well, one of them is called 'Neptune' and it came with my 29gal starter kit. Not quite sure who makes them, but I've had success with mine and it is still working after either Dec '08 or '09. I've had 3 Marineland Stealth heaters and two have already failed (just kept heating my tank up to 90 degrees F and were still increasing in temperatures before I unplugged them).

The next brand I will be trying is the Eheim Jager heaters...considering the recall and other issues the Marineland heaters are facing - plus I don't want my current heater to fail and kill my fish off.

 

Good morning Escapay and Welcome to Fish Lore!

I'm glad that your aquariums and fish are ok. I've also returned and or returning 8 Marineland Stealth Pros and Stealth Models. I would suggest that you remove them ALL and return them for replacements/refund if you haven't already.

Please be sure to check the dates of the original post before responding. This thread is a bit old.

Glad to have you on the forum! If you need an address or phone # for Marineland, just let us know in a new thread.

Thanks!
Ken (thread closed)

 

I have an Aqueon and it doesn't seem too reliable. It always runs hotter than what I have it set for. I keep turning it down but the knob has a lot of play in it. It's currently set at 72 (trying to get it stable at 76) and the water temperature is almost 80 with the 72 setting. Thoughts?

 

I like the Cobalt Visa-Therm heaters. So easy to place to desired temp, reliable, and look nice in tank.

 

I have two Eheim Jäger heaters. One I have had for years and it is still accurate. I just bought the other and have only had it a few weeks but so far it's doing well.

 

I like Fluval. I have heard good and bad things but they have always worked for me. Haven't had one give out yet and it always is spot on with my floating therm as well.

 

I've only used Hydor, but I like them. They do run hotter that what you set them for, but maintain a steady temp after you've adjusted them,

 

Thank you for your input, I will see which I can find at our local stores.

 

I mistrust heaters, especially at this time of year when ambient room temps rise so quickly here. I disconnect all my heaters for Canadian summer, and they go back on around late September (unless I have a special breeding project). My house sits at 24-25 (75-77f), which is warm enough.
I use both fluvals and ebo jaegers, and have had decent results. They often lock at a heat (I have an ebo jaeger that gives me 23.5c no what I do to the dial) but as long as they are predictable, I live with it.
What matters to me is how heaters die... My ebo jaegers and fluvals turn off when they are toast. My other brands have often stuck on and killed tanks of fish with over heating.

There's probably a Chinese heater factory that just changes the outside shells on a lot of the brands, and churns them out with the same works. It happens with some filters, so why not heaters. Brand loyalties, and more importantly, brand reputations are becoming fairly worthless.

 

There's probably a Chinese heater factory that just changes the outside shells on a lot of the brands, and churns them out with the same works. It happens with some filters, so why not heaters. Brand loyalties, and more importantly, brand reputations are becoming fairly worthless.

I watched a review the other day from a vendor. He was sure several of his favorite brands had switched factories. The famous heaters he loved from 10 years ago still exist, but now in a completely different brand and model.

 

Not to hijack the OPs thread but that was interesting about disconnecting heaters for the summer.

I'm new at this and I have seen my heaters (2 Eheims, a Marineland and a Top Fin) struggle with rapid ambient temperature shifts. This Canadian summer has seen huge temperature variances plus the nights are quite cool.

I think I may disconnect mine.

 

I don't think it is a hijack. This afternoon in Boise Idaho, the Internet tells me they are expecting 35c/95f. So tank temperatures will rise - although if you have air conditioning pounding away, you can sidestep that.

Brutal temperatures there - stay hydrated.

I am not suggesting this is the case for this poster, but I've read threads from more than one poster here who has been irate about having an 80f tank when the heater was set at 75, only to realize the room was at 85f and the heater wasn't even on. We sometimes forget the outside of the tank environment. I expect the OP likes air conditioning.

I like certain types of heaters because in my Canadian environment, I sometimes have to keep a tank considerably higher than the room temp. An Australian or someone from Mexico, Singapore or the south of the US might find other brands more useful.
I find if I leave heaters on for several weeks when it's hot (to me, above 24c/75f) and then have them click on when they are needed, they fail more than if I only plug them in when the temperatures call for their use.

I also see a trend to overheat our tanks. The suggested temperatures for most fish seem to be rising, with no connection to their habitats - no sensible reason. I see people strruggling to keep tanks at 82f, when the fish in them evolved in stable 75f habitats.

 

There's probably a Chinese heater factory that just changes the outside shells on a lot of the brands, and churns them out with the same works. It happens with some filters, so why not heaters. Brand loyalties, and more importantly, brand reputations are becoming fairly worthless.

Exactly! My current most "accurate" heaters are Odyssea(*gasp* I know). Seriously I paid around $20 for 2x200watt shipped and straight out of the box I set them to 78*F and the tanks are always 78*F. I have had a lot of recent problems with Jager heaters which were my go to for everything...took ordering 3 to find one which worked reasonably well for my Discus and it still doesn't maintain temperature at all times. I am not incredibly anal about heaters being 100% on par all the time but if I am going to pay $40 for a heater it should work better than an $10 heater or I probably won't purchase the more expensive again.

I honestly do not believe that cheaper brands are more apt to fail than more expensive brands because the honesty is they are all probably made in the same factories with the same parts...some just get branded and others don't.

FYI Cobalt Neotherms had a nasty habit of exploding a few years ago....some of those "bad" models are still out there so I would be very wary about purchasing a Cobalt for quite some time.

 

I never worry about brand names for anything I buy. I think the only wellknow brand product in my tank is purigen. Everything else is just a generic chinese brand.

 

Exactly! My current most "accurate" heaters are Odyssea(*gasp* I know). Seriously I paid around $20 for 2x200watt shipped and straight out of the box I set them to 78*F and the tanks are always 78*F. I have had a lot of recent problems with Jager heaters which were my go to for everything...took ordering 3 to find one which worked reasonably well for my Discus and it still doesn't maintain temperature at all times. I am not incredibly anal about heaters being 100% on par all the time but if I am going to pay $40 for a heater it should work better than an $10 heater or I probably won't purchase the more expensive again.

I honestly do not believe that cheaper brands are more apt to fail than more expensive brands because the honesty is they are all probably made in the same factories with the same parts...some just get branded and others don't.

FYI Cobalt Neotherms had a nasty habit of exploding a few years ago....some of those "bad" models are still out there so I would be very wary about purchasing a Cobalt for quite some time.

I am aware of the problem with the Neotherm, it was the 200 watt. I have been using this heater exclusively for over a decade and it has been far superior to the Jager heaters I used to own.

 

That is where I am going these days too. My brand loyalty is gone....I'm running generic media in everything, as I need new filters they are becoming more "off brands". The thing is I keep being impressed by $50 knock off canisters....I'm not impressed anymore by a $200 canister or its useless to me perks which don't half work. lol

 

I don't think it is a hijack. This afternoon in Boise Idaho, the Internet tells me they are expecting 35c/95f. So tank temperatures will rise - although if you have air conditioning pounding away, you can sidestep that.

Brutal temperatures there - stay hydrated.

I am not suggesting this is the case for this poster, but I've read threads from more than one poster here who has been irate about having an 80f tank when the heater was set at 75, only to realize the room was at 85f and the heater wasn't even on. We sometimes forget the outside of the tank environment. I expect the OP likes air conditioning.

I like certain types of heaters because in my Canadian environment, I sometimes have to keep a tank considerably higher than the room temp. An Australian or someone from Mexico, Singapore or the south of the US might find other brands more useful.
I find if I leave heaters on for several weeks when it's hot (to me, above 24c/75f) and then have them click on when they are needed, they fail more than if I only plug them in when the temperatures call for their use.

I also see a trend to overheat our tanks. The suggested temperatures for most fish seem to be rising, with no connection to their habitats - no sensible reason. I see people strruggling to keep tanks at 82f, when the fish in them evolved in stable 75f habitats.

Air conditioning is on full throttle at my house!