Heater advice

[Jdfox]

Hey guys. I'm starting a 37 gallon and never had to use heaters before. From my research of what I want out of this tank, I want to maintain 76-77 degrees.

Should I do a single 150 watt heater? Would that be enough? Or should I do two smaller heaters?

Any particular heaters you guys recommend that you have good experiences with?

Thanks for any advice

 

[DeeLee2013]

Hello!!

Currently, I use a 100w Aqueon heater that I purchased from one of the big chain pet stores. I have had no problem keeping a consistent temp of 78*F in my 36g bowfront tank. I have the heater close to one HOB filter intake so that the warm water gets circulated a bit more.

One note about the Aqueon - I have it set at 74*F and my tank stays about 3-4* warmer than that. The thermometer is on the opposite end of the tank. My smaller tank has an Aqueon as well, and I notice the same issue. Set at 72*F and the tank sits about 75*F.

Other than that, they've worked well thus far!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
36g Rescape in Progress!
10g Orchid Endler's N-Class
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

[Jferrante]

I have an Aqueon and Cobalt heater and like deelee said the aqueon is 3-4 degrees higher but it is pretty steady regardless.
The cobalt though is spot on all the time but i only have it in a 5 gallon for it. It's a little more money though but it's just really accurate and steady.

If you want cheaper I think Aqueon is the 2nd best and marineland 3rd Based on whats been recommended to me and ratings online..
But cobalt has the best reviews online.
Any of those three are good though overall.

Never buy a preset heater though those to me are just a waste of money because you can't control the temp and they have a knack for malfunctioning and overheating the water.

To figure out size and model i'd go to the cobalt site. And just get the same size or one above for the other brands. Buying a higher watt heater despite the extra cost initially means it takes less time to heat the water to the desired temp which could be a desirable feature but it's up to you. they all work pretty well at the minimum recommended size too.
Plastic ones are nice too because they have no chance of breaking on you but the glass ones are usually shatterproof and shockproof (atleast the cobalt one is) so it's not likely to break unless you deliberately smash it lol.
I'd assume you need a 150w.

Also agree with Deelee on putting it in front of the filter return it works much better that way. You could also put it horizontally in the middle of the back and it'll have the same effect. It depends what will be easier to hide it and if you're bothered by sticking your hand that far down in the water to adjust it.
https://cobaltaquatics.com/product-category/heaters/

 

[Jdfox]

Thanks Dee! Ok, wasn't sure what wattage I needed, good to know you use 100w on a similar size tank. I thought I read somewhere that someone said using two heaters was a good idea. I'll keep the Aqueons in mind then!

 

[Jdfox]

Appreciate that Jferrante. I had never heard of cobalt before, thanks for the info and link. Have any knowledge or experience with an Eheim Jager? I saw someone speak highly of them before. Yea, I will probably get bigger than I need, whichever brand I get.

Thank you again

 

[Jferrante]

To me it's always better to get the bigger model than two of the smaller. The same deal with lights. It's much cheaper to get a bigger light that meets the same needs than to buy two of the smaller ones in my opinion. Just kind of seems silly to have double of everything lol
Unless the tank is huge and needs the heat on both sides that way you can keep the temp steadier in such a tank or is really wide and the drop off doesn't reach the end of the tank so you'd need two lights or a wide light to cover it properly. But a 37 gallon bowfront shouldn't run into either of those problems.

I've never tried the Eheim Jager but Eheim is a pretty trustworthy brand with most of their stuff so I'd imagine it's in the same ballpark as the other three.