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Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:19 am
by vear
Hello all, just moved from an apartment to a new house! I never used a heater for Tomi before b/c it was always toasty in the apt. Now that I moved... it's no longer toasty, lol. So anyway, I have to buy a heater for my 75 gallon tank. I know it's 3-5W per gallon. My question is, what's the safest most indestructible heater? Tomi bites at everything and I'm afraid he'll brake it. I no longer keep a thermometer in his tank because he bit and broke one in the past. I just check the temp. when I need to. Any suggestions for a wonderful heater will be greatly appreciated!
Re: Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:23 pm
by devilduck
Couple of choices two are rather spendy;if you have a canister filter you can get an inline heater like they Hydor, which heats the water on the way into the tank. The other option is a stainless steel or titanium heater. Otherwise you can purchase a new heater with some type of heater guard over it.
Re: Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 07, 2013 6:32 pm
by ljapa
I have a Fluval E series heater. It comes with a plastic guard that has been turtle proof so far. As a bonus, it has a backlit LED thermometer. I had to take my glass one out too.
It is pricey, though compared to other heaters.
I've also seen people build heater guards out of PVC pipe with holes drilled in it for standard glass heaters.
Re: Heater

Posted:
Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:05 am
by Kansasslider
Re: Heater

Posted:
Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:14 am
by steve
Eheim Jager here... I keep it at an angle so the power cord sticks out of the water.
Re: Heater

Posted:
Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:28 am
by VeipaCray
Eheim Jager here as well. It's not your typical glass heater. This sucker has very thick glass and is built well.
For titanium heaters, I have a Finnex on a controller in my planted tank.
Re: Heater

Posted:
Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:37 am
by Kansasslider
I use an Aqeon Pro Aluminum heater. Cheap but so far so good.
Re: Heater

Posted:
Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:39 am
by vear
Great, thank you so much! I'll look into all of this.

Re: Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 14, 2013 2:07 am
by ILoveRocky
Great post, this question is for DevilDuck. I also have a 55 gallon tank but not filled to the top. Its filled a bit higher than midway. I had to get rid of my heater because it started to make popping sounds, and when i googled, I found out it had been discontinued :/
I want to get the heater you have eheim jager, my question is how come you have so many wattage usage? should I get that much, my last heater was just 100 watts, and it heated fine. Is the eheim jager weak in heating?
Thank you
Re: Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:51 am
by steve
What heater did you have? If its a Visitherm Stealth, they were recalled and you can get a refund. Get a heater that is 3-5 watts per gallon of water. So if you have 40 gallons of water, your heater should be between 120 - 200 watts. A little more isn't a problem since the Jager has a very accurate thermostat.
Re: Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:21 pm
by cutepanda86
I hope no one minds me asking this here but I'm upgrading Sheldon to a 40 gallon tank and I was think about putting at least 20 gallons of water into it. What heater is the best for that? 60 to 100 watts, I get but I'm thinking he'll need one more upgrade eventually and I really don't want to have to purchase three heaters (have one now that would not work for the 40 gallon tank). These Jager heaters, sound cool. Can I get an oversized one or is that a bad idea?
Re: Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:59 pm
by ILoveRocky
Hi steve, thanks for answering. Yes I had that heater, but I didnt keep the receipt or any papers, I just actually threw it out a few days ago. its ok, I actually liked it a lot until it started making noises.
I'll probably go with 15owatts, incase I ever do a above tank basking area.
Re: Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:04 pm
by Kansasslider
A heater has nothing to do with an above tank basking area? Hmmm
Re: Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:17 pm
by ljapa
Kansasslider wrote:A heater has nothing to do with an above tank basking area? Hmmm
I think he means he'd buy one now to cover the increased volume of water.
I have two, so that if one goes out, I still have some heat being supplied. Though I've since read that heaters often fail on not off.
Re: Heater

Posted:
Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:39 pm
by cutepanda86
ljapa wrote:I have two, so that if one goes out, I still have some heat being supplied. Though I've since read that heaters often fail on not off.
Two different brands? Or did you buy the same kind?
ILoveRocky, an increased heater size seems like the way to go. I'm beginning to think I should do that too.

Thanks for the great question. It reminded me to ask mine as I am moving soon myself into an apartment.
