Has anyone had any bad experiences with these heaters? I just bought two 50w heaters to use in 5g tanks.
I was so excited when I received them today, because my 5g had a Tetra preset heater before that was only keeping the tank at 76F and I'm excited for it to be up to 79-80. I put it in the tank and plugged it in, and now I have to leave so I won't be able to watch the temp. I'm scared now, because I will probably be gone for at least 4 hours and don't want to cook my fish! I have the dial set to 79 right now, and it is heating (as it should because the tank is only at 76 right now) but need some reassurance that everything will be fine, lol. Or I might just put the old heater back in until I can keep an eye on things...
Hydor THEOs are one of the best heaters around... Your heater should be fine. I have 2, actually. A 100 watt and a 25 watt. I'm content with it, it will heat to the desired temperature in less than 24 hours.
Is it normal for it to heat in short bursts of like 10 seconds? Lol, I haven't left yet and have been watching it...temp doesn't seem to be doing anything yet but heater keeps turning on and off.
I'm actually wondering if I got the right heater - it's a Hydor and Amazon said it was the Theo but the heater itself, box and instructions don't say Theo anywhere...
The only reason it should be turning on and off like that is if it's at the desired temperature. It'll turn off when its at the temp and turn back on when it gets any lower.
Give it a couple days and keep a close eye.
Hm.... Mine always turns on and off if it's going to start heating colder tanks. It just needs breaks I guess. Is yours adjustable? It should say THEO.
I've been less than thrilled with all three of mine, actually. They work ok, but the thermostats on the ones I have seem off to varying degrees - there's one that was set to 87* and still only went to 75* before shutting off. I agree with aemaki to keep an eye on it for a couple days
Yes it's adjustable.
That's it. On Amazon it was listed as Hydor USA Theo 50w.
I guess we'll see when I get home. I bought this because I had heard good things about the Theos and it was small, 7" long. If it really sucks I will return it and try to find something else I guess. It's hard to find heaters that are short though.
Last edited by carbonxxkidd; 01-08-2013 at 07:07 PM.
I had the 25 watt version and absolutely loved it - until it sent the temperature to 92F when it was set to 80. The months when it worked were great though, it's small and quite attractive for a heater. I'm hoping it was just a dud because I'd like to buy another, good luck with yours!
I have 3 of them, and while I have had my problems, I would have to agree with the fact they're one of the better adjustable heaters out there. I have the 25w, one of which works perfectly. The other 2 are always slightly off of what it is set at (~3 degrees), but nothing unmanageable. Just make sure you have a good thermometer and keep an eye on things.
The biggest issue I had was that when I first got one, it worked for 2 days and then stopped heating. I exchanged it and now the replacement is the one that works perfectly.
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