Need a new heater

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

sobersteve323

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
474
Location
Huntington Beach, CA
Hi all.

I'm currently in the market for a new 250w heater for my 50 gallon planted tank. I have a 250w Aqueon heater that's about 4 years old but it's stuck at ~84 degrees (thankfully not higher). I have two other Aqeuon heaters that are still working fine so I might get another one but I wanted to see what you all like to use.

Any good ones for the price that you guys recommend?

Thanks in advance.
 
I can't complain about my Fluval heater. It's been running a year now flawlessly. They're a little more than an Aqueon but not by much. The newer ones I see have a black heat guard that makes them less visible in the tank. OS.
 
I like the Jager Eheim heaters. Work very well and are consistent. I would still get a heater controller if you have the $ for one. Peace of mind is worth the extra $50.
 
I like my Colbalt heaters quite a bit. It blends in with a black background to where its almost invisible. Has a slim profile, which makes it stick out even less. and has a small LED display that lets you know what the current temperature is and what it is currently set to.
Ive only had mine for around six months, so the jury is still out on how long they will last. They seems pretty sturdy though... kind of a rugged plastic feel instead of glass.
On the downside, they are a little bit more expensive than other heaters.

Amazon.com : Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm 75-Watt with Plastic LED : Aquarium Heaters : Pet Supplies
 
I can't complain about my Fluval heater. It's been running a year now flawlessly. They're a little more than an Aqueon but not by much. The newer ones I see have a black heat guard that makes them less visible in the tank. OS.


Thanks I'll check them out. That's what I liked about the Aqueon Pros that they were all black.
 
I like the Jager Eheim heaters. Work very well and are consistent. I would still get a heater controller if you have the $ for one. Peace of mind is worth the extra $50.


Actually that's a good idea. Any specific brands of controllers better than others? I see some Finnex ones for about $30 not sure if that's reasonable.
 
I like my Colbalt heaters quite a bit. It blends in with a black background to where its almost invisible. Has a slim profile, which makes it stick out even less. and has a small LED display that lets you know what the current temperature is and what it is currently set to.

Ive only had mine for around six months, so the jury is still out on how long they will last. They seems pretty sturdy though... kind of a rugged plastic feel instead of glass.

On the downside, they are a little bit more expensive than other heaters.



Amazon.com : Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm 75-Watt with Plastic LED : Aquarium Heaters : Pet Supplies


That flat design is pretty cool. I like that it has a temp reading on it instead of a dial like most do. I'll check them out too.
 
The Cobalts look really cool! Ian086 got one and showed me his while we were on Skype. I love the flat shape. I've looked at some websites and have only found them made up to 100W. In your size tank you could go with 2. Might be a safer option anyway in case one fails you still have some heat. Also in a really long tank it would give more even heat dispersion with one one each end. Just as thought. OS.
 
The Cobalts look really cool! Ian086 got one and showed me his while we were on Skype. I love the flat shape. I've looked at some websites and have only found them made up to 100W. In your size tank you could go with 2. Might be a safer option anyway in case one fails you still have some heat. Also in a really long tank it would give more even heat dispersion with one one each end. Just as thought. OS.
They do go up to 200W. They have a few on Ebay, one is priced at $51 but it's the last one!!!
 
They are also classed as unbreakable. A bloke on youtube drove over his and claimed it still worked. A bit extreme, I wouldn't fancy putting my hand in that tank....
 
Before you go and purchase a 250W heater, ask yourself if you need a heater that strong. You only need high wattage if the temperature outside the tank is drastically different from the temperature you want in the tank. I do not know the exact numbers off the top of my head but I think a 100W heater is good for up to 10 degrees fahrenheit change.
 
The Cobalts look really cool! Ian086 got one and showed me his while we were on Skype. I love the flat shape. I've looked at some websites and have only found them made up to 100W. In your size tank you could go with 2. Might be a safer option anyway in case one fails you still have some heat. Also in a really long tank it would give more even heat dispersion with one one each end. Just as thought. OS.


Good idea about two heaters. I actually thought about it before but decided on just one since I live in Southern California and the coldest we let the house get in the winter is 67 degrees (were wimps lol). Figured I'd have enough time to swap out one of my spares if I was in a pinch.
 
Before you go and purchase a 250W heater, ask yourself if you need a heater that strong. You only need high wattage if the temperature outside the tank is drastically different from the temperature you want in the tank. I do not know the exact numbers off the top of my head but I think a 100W heater is good for up to 10 degrees fahrenheit change.


I always read that you wanted 3-5 watts per gallon and if you get one towards the higher end of the equation it doesn't work as hard to heat the tank. Not sure how accurate any of that info is though haha. I'll have to look into it thanks.
 
I have an eheim jager for my tank and love it! I did have an older aqueon, well it was 3 years old, not the all black ceramic pro, and had water inside of it. So I got the jager and it's great! I like the fluval E series too, with the led color change display...
 
I always read that you wanted 3-5 watts per gallon and if you get one towards the higher end of the equation it doesn't work as hard to heat the tank. Not sure how accurate any of that info is though haha. I'll have to look into it thanks.

If you think about this logically, if your home's temperature is around 70, there's really no way for your tank to drop to 50 or escalate to 80. And heaters only turn on if the water only needs to be heated.

In the summer I usually turn off my heaters cause the water naturally goes to 78.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
If you think about this logically, if your home's temperature is around 70, there's really no way for your tank to drop to 50 or escalate to 80. And heaters only turn on if the water only needs to be heated.

In the summer I usually turn off my heaters cause the water naturally goes to 78.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Aquarium Advice mobile app


Actually, if you think about this logically, your tank can and will heat up during the summer months if you live in an area prone to high heat and humidity. As well, depending on what floor you live on, will also create a large difference of ambient outside temp verse actual inside temp. Also you have to look at windows open or closed as it too makes a large difference.
 
Actually, if you think about this logically, your tank can and will heat up during the summer months if you live in an area prone to high heat and humidity. As well, depending on what floor you live on, will also create a large difference of ambient outside temp verse actual inside temp. Also you have to look at windows open or closed as it too makes a large difference.

I completely agree with you. But we're on the topic of helping a fellow hobbyist pick the right heater/wattage.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
I completely agree with you. But we're on the topic of helping a fellow hobbyist pick the right heater/wattage.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Aquarium Advice mobile app


All things aside, why would claim that there's no way for a tank temp to escalate to 80 degrees. If you agree with what I said, then you would need to admit that your theory of no way for a tank temp is completely wrong and inaccurate. Then again what does room temp have to do with picking a heater anyways ?
 
Personally I love my ViaAqua titanium heaters. Since the original Ebo Jagers (the ugly green heaters) are no longer on the market, and I don't like the new ones, I started buying the ViaAqua titaniums and have had absolutely no problems with them. The controller is outside the tank, making it easy to fine tune the exact temp you want, they are fully submersible, and indestructible. My Jack Dempsey used to break heaters, these he can't.
 
Just an update.

So I emailed Aqueon with my issue and sent them a copy of my original invoice from Amazon. A week later, a brand new heater arrived today at no charge!

I'm very happy with the Aqueon customer service!
 
Back
Top Bottom