Equipment Review and Discussion :: Problems With Stealth Heaters

[lotsofpets]

For anyone who uses Visitherm Stealth heaters: Has anyone had problems with theirs? The one I have been using in Eddie's tank simply quit working. I'm not sure how long ago it quit, but the water was cold. I plan on ordering a new one tomorrow, but it will take several days to get here. I would buy one at a pet store, but they are usually at least twice as much as they are online. Plus, it's hard to find the Stealths, and I don't feel safe putting anything glass in with a 4"+ turtle that likes to kick things around.
I also noticed that Giuseppe's heater had some rust on it, and Joseph's had calcium deposits all over that are nearly impossible to get off.

[marisa]

I had three of them and two malfunctioned (one stopped working totally like yours did and one will work for a while if the temp is fiddled with but then turns off). I don't use them any more and have switched to Ebo Jagers. (I know you said that your turtle likes to kick things around, but if there aren't any rocks in the area of the heater and you used a protective cover/guard, the breakage issue would be minimized.

[str1p]

the new style visitherm pros are pretty nice, it has leds in the temp dail to let you know when its working.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I have the TopFin one from PetSmart and it has been working great for well over 2 years now. It has a dial to change the temp and has a little orange light that turns on when it's on and heating. I think it's glass, but I've had no breakage and Umi abuses it!

[lotsofpets]

I bought a couple of the Jagers and installed one of the heaters Friday. It says something about having to keep it vertical? In a 50 gallon stock tank there is no way to keep it vertical. None of the suction cups the companies provide stick to that type of plastic. Either way, it seems to be working fine. Hopefully I can get her to start eating again.