Which heater brand?

I would like to know which one of these heaters is best in your opinion: All-Glass Submersible Heater, Aquarium Pharmaceuticals RENA Cal Top Light, Aquarium Systems Visi-Therm, Aquarium Systems Visi-Therm Stealth Heater, Jager Heater, Tronic Heater, or any other heaters?

A heater that I am looking for must have an automatic shut-off when it's taken out of the water, and it must have a thermostat (that is, I want it to turn off by itself when the water has reached the desired temperature). I also want it to have a strong glass or some other material that doesn't break easily.

Any help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated

 

I prefer the stainless steel or titanium heaters because they don't break, and the temperature control is on the outside of the tank. However, I have already had to replace a couple of them after only about 2 years of constant use. I have read Chickadee say many times that she likes the marineland brand because of their reliability, and lifetime warranty. I would go with the non-glass type if you are planning to have any large fish in that beautiful tank.

 

my friend has lots of Saltwater tanks and uses all-glass aquarium. All eheim producst are amazing. that's all I know, I don't know the name of my heater as I got it from my grandpa, I have a elite one and it's been running for over a year no problems and I'v used hagen filters and their good.

 

Thanks Gunnie and Atm Hmm ... seems like all of those submersibles are good these days. Hmm! LOL

 

I vote for the Visi-therm Stealth all the way. It is made by Marineland and now put out by Aquarium Systems as they are trying to remove themselves from a part of the business. The warranty is for LIFE and they look really nice in the aquariums. The last order I made, I ended up with a Visi-therm Deluxe for the big tank and was mad because the place sent me the wrong heater, but it would have cost me a fortune to return it and it is also a LIFETIME warrantied heater so I kept it. I may wait until I can replace it but did not want to place an order for just the heater.

I like the way the Visi-therm Stealth looks and they are not glass but made out of a material kind of like the stuff they make bowling balls out of. It looks like plastic but is very hard and tough.

Rose

 

I think mines glass is that bad :-X

 

I use the stainless steel heaters and have never had a problem with them. I love having the controler outside the tank. It looks like this:
It doesn't shut off when out it comes out of the water unless unplugged.
carol

 

that's quite nifty

 

OK, I've had enough of thinking, and so I've ordered two 150W Visi-Therm Stealth heaters. I hope I've made a good choice. I like the fact that they're not glass and that they're black, as I'll have black background and black substrate - they should blend in well. I've also ordered an Eheim powerhead for better water circulation. I hope this one is a good choice too, as I hear all the time how "great" all of the Eheim products are.

 

They are great, their not made in China, their made in Germany

 

aquamarine would have to be the best I had a all glass Sub and was very off and eventually was to the point were I had it on 69 and it was reaching 87 so I didnt want to try to figure out what it had to go on to be at 80 so went out spent a good amount of money and its with in 1 degree of what you set it to

 

I've got a Marineland Visithem Stealth in my tank and it does a great job. It is a little inconvenient having to reach in the tank to adjust it but once it's set it does a good job keeping the temperature very stable. They also have a lifetime warranty and are plastic so there is less of a chance of breakage. I've been happy with them so I haven't really tried anything other than the cheap glass ones to compare with though. Anyway that's my two cents.

 

I know I'm late to the discussion but Marineland has a new heater out and it has a dual temp function however it's glass so like all glass heaters it'll break if dropped. Personally I like the Stealths because it's a straight forward functional design with no fancy gimmicks.

 

It is a HIGH/LOW heat with preset temperature for the fish. Would not work for my tanks as I like to have more control than that. They make good products but they did a dumb thing here...I believe LOW is 76 and HIGH is 82.

Rose

 

Marineland Visi-therm Stealth also. Very accurate & dependable. I had a less expensive one a while back that developed a bad thermostat and wouldn't shut off. I went crazy trying to find out why I had stressed & dying fish till I found the temperature was up at 90 degrees plus!

And if anyone takes a vote on thermometers mine is for a digital one! If I had known what the temperature really was, instead of relying on one of those hard-to-read, stick-on-the-outside, color strip thermometers, I could have saved some fish. It was when I got the digital that I found out what the temperature really was. I got one at Petco for 9.95 - the probe has a suction cup to hold it on the inside of the tank, and the digital readout has a suction cup to stick on the outside of the tank, with a thin wire connecting the two. I'll never buy any other kind of thermometer again. I'd even buy the old glass tube type before I'd buy another strip thermometer.

Terry

 

Thanks for all of the replies folks

I hope my Visi-Therms will work well. The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't have a light that indicates when the heater is on or off. I have two 150W heaters, so in case one breaks, I will have no way of knowing which one broke.

 

There is a Visi-therm Deluxe that does have the light but it is harder to set.  It is a very good heater though. There is the thermometer I use on all my tanks.



Rose

 

Okay Rose, I just ordered 2 of the visI therm heaters. I think one of my heaters quit working in the 55 gal. tank, and I got an extra one just to have on hand. The visI therms are on sale at Drs. Foster and Smith at the moment.

 

Well, I've already purchased the 2 heaters, so there's not much I can do. I guess now I hope for the best, lol.

 

So after moving my fish from the 10 gallon to the 20 Long I notice that my heater is not doing the job anymore. Its keeping the tank at about 76F and I need it to be 78-82 (I have a GBR and 6 Tiger Barbs). I currently have the Tetra Heater for 5-15 gallons (remember they were in a 10 gallon yesterday before I got "educated").

So should I buy the Tetra Heater for 10-30 gallons (since before the tank upgrade it worked fine, no complaints, just need a higher power one it seems) or go with the Aqueon Pro Heater? I have read from other threads on fishlore that they like the Pro Heater and it for sure has better reviews on Amazon... Or is the Tetra Heater decent too and its all "brand hype"? (I know heaters aren't something to fudge with and I'm thinking to just get the Pro Heater to be safe...)

I live in Iowa and the house temps are anywhere from 70F to 63F in the winter (if I'm home alone I like it cold! ) But in the Summer it can get kinda warm during the day, up to low 80's upstairs which is where the fish tanks are. So would the Pro Heater keep the tank too hot in the summer?

This is the Tetra 10-30:



This is the Pro Heater:


***Also what "watt" should I be buying?? 50 watt -250 watt??? Help!? I have no clue which one to get...

-I'm also worried with a heater like this that I or the fish may bump it and then my fish will fry... or freeze... How easy are they to "bump"? If some food lands on it and my Tigers go into a feeding frenzy all over it will they change the temp?? (sorry if this is a way stupid question...)

 

I'm afraid I can't answer much about this, although the first time I had fish I bought a tetra heater, it malfunctioned, stopped heating in the middle of winter, and all my fish passed away. Just a personal story, I'm sure it was nothing but a defective model.

 

Also any idea about what I could do to cover the top of the tank? It is a screen top for now until I can save for a 20L hood. It would look really but would foil/saran wrapping the screen help?

Daniostetras:
So sorry for you loosing all your fish, I'm hoping to order and get this heater ASAP to avoid that with mine too.

 

The aqueon pro heater is far more accurate and stable than the tetra heater (or so I have read, never owned one). Also, the aqueon has a lifetime warranty, unless they changed that. I have two of them and the temperature fluctuations are kept very minimal, and the temp know is spot on in my case. There are a lot more advantages over the tetra, in my opinion. If the tank water is higher than what you have it set at in the summer, then it won't be on to cause overheating.

As for the heater size I think that the 100 watt would work out just fine for you. The 100 is rated up to 30 gallons. I have the 100 watt on my 20 gallon in the basement/ my room which is a little above 60 degrees in the winter. Not a single problem holding 78 degrees in the tank. I don't trust preset heaters, which is one reason I have not used the tetra heater, along with some poor reviews.

I am not sure how easy it would be for it to be bumped, but you could run part of the heater emersed so the knob is above the water. Never had a problem with it submerged completely and fish changing the temp, and my kuhlis have hit the knob many times in their swimming frenzy times.

 

aqueon pro!

 

Ok, so we all agree on the Aqueon Pro Heater 100 watt?

Chevyguy:
Indiana yea you get cold there too don't ya!? I am NOT looking forward to winter! BURRrr!

 

Chevyguy: Indiana yea you get cold there too don't ya!? I am NOT looking forward to winter! BURRrr!

Haha, yeah it tends to get a bit cold. Temperatures have already been dropping below freezing at night. I am the opposite, I really like winter and can't wait for snow .

 

Snowboarding I like...
Walking the dog before work, in the dark, at 6am, when its 20F and icy... not so much!

 

I had to replace a kit heater (came with the tank/hood/etc) because it wasn't keeping it balanced. Got a mild case of ich which I was able to cure by getting a better heater and raising the temp as indicated in fishlore natural ich cure thread.

I have an Aqueon Pro on my 5 gallon as well, and the knob is easy enough to turn but not so easy that the fish will be able to adjust it on their own. I also liked the more accurate temp setting instead of just turning it warmer or cooler and waiting to see how much it changed /

 

Heater brands are much alike in performance IMO. It's a simple device after all. I have an old 20W Tetra that still works after 6 years of use and I had a 300W Aqueon Pro that gave me a good shock in the water. I still have another 300W Aqueon Pro in use but I stopped submerging the knobs on all my heaters. In fact, my 300W Fluval recommends that the knob be over the water line. Next time I buy a heater it will be a titanium one with a remote knob.

 

Good morning,

I'm currently running 7 Aqueon Pros in all of my tanks. Very accurate within 1 degree.

Once of the best heaters I've ever used and I've been in the hobby for many, many years.

50w or 100w should do well for 20 gallons. In the summer, you can lower the temperature of the heaters a bit. The tanks will remain the same temperature as the room temperature.

Ken

 

I'm sure the Aqueon Pros are good. It's just bad luck that I got a defective one which could be rare. The one I had it was a bit loose at the top part (the head that house the knob). On my other Aqueon of the same model it's built solid. Anyway I got to return it at PetSmart for a refund. I bought a Fluval to replace it.

 

I agree with Ken - Aqueon heaters are excellent and are more towards accuracy than any other brand of heaters I have ever used.

I truly think you can't go wrong with them.

 

I use Aqeons in all my tanks and they are great! I had tetra ones and I found them a pain in the butt...2 died on me;(

 

Ok, I'm ordering the Aqueon and hoping I don't get a lemon!

Should I leave the knobs above water or submerge it completely? If the top part isn't loose it should be ok to submerge right? If its loose I'm returning it...

 

I have most of mine under the water with no problems.

 

Thanks everyone! I ordered it and some NLS Thera-A pellets.

 

thera A is great stuff!

 

I just purchashed a Finnex HMA 500 titanium heater will see how it holds up.

 

I started with an Aqueon heater, but it malfunctioned on me (the temperature went all over the place within one day - from 72 to into the 90s in my coldwater tank). I upgraded to a heavier duty Tetra heater when I upgraded from my ten gallon to the twenty and haven't had any problems since. It keeps it right where I need it to be to keep both my cories and my goldfish happy. (72-74)

My house gets COLD in the winter time so I bought a heater with a little more wattage (175, I think) thinking it might need the extra oomph when it gets colder. Just my two cents.

 

I started with an Aqueon heater, but it malfunctioned on me (the temperature went all over the place within one day - from 72 to into the 90s in my coldwater tank). I upgraded to a heavier duty Tetra heater when I upgraded from my ten gallon to the twenty and haven't had any problems since. It keeps it right where I need it to be to keep both my cories and my goldfish happy. (72-74)

My house gets COLD in the winter time so I bought a heater with a little more wattage (175, I think) thinking it might need the extra oomph when it gets colder. Just my two cents.

I doubt it was the pro model.... but you can get lemons.

I have used fluval heaters (ones with led screen) - never buy these are very awful.
one elite heater (5g tank) - dose a ok job but tank does flux a degree or two.
old aqueon heater - did a ok job but started making a knocking sound.
petco heater - same as old aqueon, ok job but knocking.
hydor inline heater - does a great job and can't beat inline.
hydor under gravel heater - dose a ok job but don't think I would use it on a tall tank, at least not without a second heater.

I now have 3 of the aqueon pros (2 50w, 1 100w) and all are doing a great job of keeping the tank steady. I plan on replacing other heaters with these soon as I have money.