What's your opinion on this heater?

[Cambrianexplosion24]

I'm currently in the process of setting up my new 90 gallon tank and gathering all the necessary components for it. A sturdy titanium heater rather than a glass one was recommended to me so I searched for one and found one on Amazon called the Hygger. It's 500 watts and recommended for 60-120 gallons and you can digitally set the water temperature you want. The thing is it only has 71% 5 star ratings and I guess that's okay but not perfect. I don't always trust negative reviews on amazon because a lot of complaints seem to be by people who don't know how to operate what they bought so does anybody here know about this heater or have experience with it? Is it a decent heater? Is it reliable? I want to keep my tank at a constant 77 degrees and occasionally bring it up to 80 for a couple days to increase the odds of some possible livebearer spawning.

 

[Mikedick77]

Not sure on that brand. Do you know why Titanium was suggested? Personally, i'd go with a brand I trust. With a tank that large, i'd also buy 2 heaters and pop them in on opposite sides. You'd have the added benefit of if one fails, you have a back up. Also, 77 should be a great temp for livebearer breeding. Mine's at 76, and i'm flush with fry.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Funny yesterday soneone mentioned this brand (never heared of it) as a reliable brand. Only an't remember who did grrrr.

 

[Cambrianexplosion24]

Not sure on that brand. Do you know why Titanium was suggested? Personally, i'd go with a brand I trust. With a tank that large, i'd also buy 2 heaters and pop them in on opposite sides. You'd have the added benefit of if one fails, you have a back up. Also, 77 should be a great temp for livebearer breeding. Mine's at 76, and i'm flush with fry.

Thanks Mikedick77! I'm glad to hear about just staying around 77 degrees as that seems to be the comfort zone of most of the fish I want to get. As for a titanium heater, from what I was told apparently glass heaters can shatter at high wattages and based on my research I would need about 270-500 watts for my 90.

Funny yesterday soneone mentioned this brand (never heared of it) as a reliable brand. Only an't remember who did grrrr.

Thanks doubledutch! I guess it might definitely be worth trying then or at least putting in the maybe pile.

 

[Redshark1]

I've been running a 90 uk gallon for 30 years and I never had a glass heater shatter yet so maybe this is not something you need to worry about.

You do need to watch out for water inside the heater and replace it then. Also, the wire where it joins the heater can short out so make sure it stays in good condition and you don't get a nasty shock.

I used to have two heaters, one in each back corner. I found, however, that one of the heaters never came on because the other did all the work.

Interestingly, it seemed to me that the one that never came on did not last any longer because the failure of the watertight seal was the cause of its demise.

I switched to one single 300W heater and this has proved adequate. When it did fail I found the tank was big enough not to lose too much heat before I could attend to it.

I also mounted a tiny Fluval EDGE Digital Aquarium Thermometer costing £3.10 to my front glass top corner to make checking easy.

The brand of heater I use is Visitherm and it is the most reliable and most popular heater in the UK according to the survey by Practical Fishkeeping Magazine. I would agree with that.

Visitherm may represent a different and less well regarded model in the United States though, I think I remember reading.

Jaeger / Eheim also have a reputation for reliability. I would avoid buying anything other than a straightforward basic heater. All the gimmicky ones I bought were not so good in practice.

Cheap stuff off eBay has also proved a gamble. If you want to know where you stand use an established brand.

 

[Cambrianexplosion24]

I've been running a 90 uk gallon for 30 years and I never had a glass heater shatter yet so maybe this is not something you need to worry about.

You do need to watch out for water inside the heater and replace it then. Also, the wire where it joins the heater can short out so make sure it stays in good condition and you don't get a nasty shock.

I used to have two heaters, one in each back corner. I found, however, that one of the heaters never came on because the other did all the work.

Interestingly, it seemed to me that the one that never came on did not last any longer because the failure of the watertight seal was the cause of its demise.

I switched to one single 300W heater and this has proved adequate. When it did fail I found the tank was big enough not to lose too much heat before I could attend to it.

I also mounted a tiny Fluval EDGE Digital Aquarium Thermometer costing £3.10 to my front glass top corner to make checking easy.

The brand of heater I use is Visitherm and it is the most reliable and most popular heater in the UK according to the survey by Practical Fishkeeping Magazine. I would agree with that.

Visitherm may represent a different and less well regarded model in the United States though, I think I remember reading.

Jaeger / Eheim also have a reputation for reliability. I would avoid buying anything other than a straightforward basic heater. All the gimmicky ones I bought were not so good in practice.

Cheap stuff off eBay has also proved a gamble. If you want to know where you stand use an established brand.

Thanks a bunch Redshark1! I'll see what the top rated brands I can find are and I just looked up the heaters you mentioned and I really, really like the Eheim thermalcontrol. It definitely looks like you can set it at the temperature you want rather than just a preset which I certainly like. I found the 300 watt model available but I'm not sure if I'd prefer a heater that goes up to 450 watts because it gets insanely cold here in Wisconsin in winter, particularly in the basement where I plan to put it but I get the feeling it will probably be okay if I use an aquarium thermostat with it.

 

[Charlie’s Dad]

I would purchase two as mentioned before. Also for added peace of mind and investment buy two Inkbird temp controllers. It takes the guesswork out of it all together.

 

[Cambrianexplosion24]

I would purchase two as mentioned before. Also for added peace of mind and investment buy two Inkbird temp controllers. It takes the guesswork out of it all together.

Yeah I'll still get two of them and do a lot of experimenting. I think the inkbird is really going to make a big difference!

 

[StarGirl]

I had my 50w Hyggar malfunction and kill my betta this week. I'll never buy one again. I went to the store for a Fluval M or Eheim Jager. I got the Jager it was cheaper and they had one lol. So far so good.

 

[Cambrianexplosion24]

I had my 50w Hyggar malfunction and kill my betta this week. I'll never buy one again. I went to the store for a Fluval M or Eheim Jager. I got the Jager it was cheaper and they had one lol. So far so good.

Oh man that's awful! Well, I know I won't be risking that now. The Jager certainly has been praised a lot I found. I bet I'll probably end up with some them.