heaters

fishyscientist

fishyscientist

Member
My tank is currently cycling right now after adding a raw shrimp on Friday. I have a lot of time before I add any critters, but I want to get your opinion on heaters. I have read some HORROR stories about various heaters, and I'm quite frankly scared to put them in my tank! Is there a particular brand of heater that is reliable and won't eventually kill the fish by exploding or electrocuting???
 
mrdc

mrdc

Active Member
I'm a fan of the Rena Smartheater. Its incased in a plastic housing and is supposed to be shatterproof. Though I think all heaters are susceptible to malfunction.
 
S

saxman

Guest
to be honest, we typically don't run heaters at all, unless the tank is chilled and then the heater is actually controlled by the internal temp controller of the chiller. we do this to minimize fluctuation.
it really depends on how cool your home gets during the winter. if it drops lower than say 75*F, you might want to consider one, depending on what you keep. remember that your lights, pumps, etc all contribute to the tank's 'inherent' temperature, so there is usually SOME heating anyhow.
also, you can also use it in conjunction with a tank controller (RK, Neptune, etc.) or a single-stage temp controller. either of these will serve as the thermostat, so even if the heater contacts stick "on", the heater won't run away with itself.
lastly, another thing you can do is unplug the heater in the summertime when it's not needed, which minimizes the risk since the heater isn't receiving power.
HTH
 
fishyscientist

fishyscientist

Member
Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3263332
plus 1 or i just pm meowzer for all the heat i need
whoa! well...no chance of electrocution there, huh?

on a serious note...I read somewhere the the stealth heaters have recently been reported to explode!!! Anyone else heard that?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by FishyScientist
http:///forum/post/3263335
whoa! well...no chance of electrocution there, huh?

on a serious note...I read somewhere the the stealth heaters have recently been reported to explode!!! Anyone else heard that?
NO...I have not heard that...and I have about 6+ of them ....SOOOOO if you find out there is any truth to this....PLEASE let me know :)
 
mrdc

mrdc

Active Member
Originally Posted by saxman
http:///forum/post/3263325
to be honest, we typically don't run heaters at all, unless the tank is chilled and then the heater is actually controlled by the internal temp controller of the chiller. we do this to minimize fluctuation.
it really depends on how cool your home gets during the winter. if it drops lower than say 75*F, you might want to consider one, depending on what you keep. remember that your lights, pumps, etc all contribute to the tank's 'inherent' temperature, so there is usually SOME heating anyhow.
also, you can also use it in conjunction with a tank controller (RK, Neptune, etc.) or a single-stage temp controller. either of these will serve as the thermostat, so even if the heater contacts stick "on", the heater won't run away with itself.
lastly, another thing you can do is unplug the heater in the summertime when it's not needed, which minimizes the risk since the heater isn't receiving power.
HTH
I did a water change one time in the winter and forgot to plug my heater back in for a week. I noticed one day that the water felt really cool. Well the temp had fallen to 72. So I guess I need to keep mine on.
 
S

saxman

Guest
never heard of that one...IIRC, some of the heaters we have are stealths and we've never had any trouble. i think you hear stories of LOTS of heaters exploding, but it's usually a case of somebody forgetting unplug them when they do a WC. the heater tries to heat the air around it, gets hot, and they explode when the cool water hits them.
my all time fave heaters are the old green Ebo-Jagers...the ones before Eheim took them over (they're black now). i have a few of those that are 20 years old and they still work fine.
Joe, you crack me up!
 
govolsguy31

govolsguy31

New Member
it really depends on how cool your home gets during the winter. if it drops lower than say 75*F, you might want to consider one, depending on what you keep
Good grief... My house rarely gets ABOVE 72 or 73*, much less 75*! Usually 72 in the summer, 68 in the winter... But I'm a bachelor with no lady complaining its cold inside, so I guess that helps!
 
fishyscientist

fishyscientist

Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3263337
NO...I have not heard that...and I have about 6+ of them ....SOOOOO if you find out there is any truth to this....PLEASE let me know :)
From a different forum (not sure if this is allowed) :
So I bought a brand new VisiTherm 250w Stealth heater for my new tank setup. Been going for about a month, and today, I come home to water in the garage.
"After some searching around, I found that the heater exploded in two parts, forcing the long heating element end into the glass of the AGA 40B sump. As shown in the pictures, the heater won, and I'm currently setting up my spare 40B for my sump. Good thing I only have two little chromis in my tank since I just got done cycling. "
"Mine did the same thing. Thankfully it didn't crack my sump. I was however present when it exploded. Exploded is the correct term as well. It was LOUD. M-80 loud. Absolutly junk. The breaker in my bedroom where my other tank was kept tripping. Every time i reset it, it would trip again. Low and behold the heater was shorting. BEWARE! "
"this is the second thread iv read this week on stealth heaters exploding "
There are many more comments from others having this experience. It seems there might be a recall on some of the heaters? Whether or not this only pertains to the newer models, I don't know.
It scares me, though!!!
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by FishyScientist
http:///forum/post/3263353
From a different forum (not sure if this is allowed) :
So I bought a brand new VisiTherm 250w Stealth heater for my new tank setup. Been going for about a month, and today, I come home to water in the garage.
"After some searching around, I found that the heater exploded in two parts, forcing the long heating element end into the glass of the AGA 40B sump. As shown in the pictures, the heater won, and I'm currently setting up my spare 40B for my sump. Good thing I only have two little chromis in my tank since I just got done cycling. "
"Mine did the same thing. Thankfully it didn't crack my sump. I was however present when it exploded. Exploded is the correct term as well. It was LOUD. M-80 loud. Absolutly junk. The breaker in my bedroom where my other tank was kept tripping. Every time i reset it, it would trip again. Low and behold the heater was shorting. BEWARE! "
"this is the second thread iv read this week on stealth heaters exploding "
There are many more comments from others having this experience. It seems there might be a recall on some of the heaters? Whether or not this only pertains to the newer models, I don't know.
It scares me, though!!!
The Visitherm and marineland are 2 different brands......
 
ibanez

ibanez

Member
I have the stealth also, and I have read about them melting through but it is much less frequent than glass ones.
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Ive had three won pro heaters, the two old ones are still fine, the newer one had a seperate line with a heat sensor on it. This coating on the sensor disitigrated and was sparking in my refugium. so now I'll be looking for a new heater brand.
Thomas
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Jalli or finnex titanium heaters with separate temp controllers. Extra protection on any heater would be using a controller like Apex or ReefKeeper.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
IMO&IME, the biggest potential for trouble is a sticking thermostat and then way over-heating. On larger tanks, I like to use 2 heaters, each about 1/2 the needed wattage. If one has trouble, it will give you plenty of time to catch it. Also, the thermometers with the high/low temp alarms are very handy.
 
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