heater reviews: good, bad and the ugly

[HatsuneMiku]

as fall starts to set in .. and temps are getting cooler .. and the rise for the need of a good heater .. doing research for the best and worst brands out there on the market .. i'm hoping people can do a short review on the heater they have and how well it has worked for them all on one thread .. to make researching easier for new owners .. and a good reference point for everyone else .. please if you can follow the following format when making a review would help a lot to make it easier to compare ^_^

thanks in advance for everything and contributing !!

Heater brand name:
Wattage:
Gallons heatable:
Adjustable (knob .. remote .. etc):
Submerability:

Pros:

Cons:

Recommendations:

extra tips for usage:

[Pitluvs]

The only heater I use, everyone hates and suggests against it but I've had 4/5 work wonderfully for me LOL

[WDW Donna]

I would like to see a reveiw on a heater that is suitable for a small 1.77gal tank. Is the Elite 25w too much?

[HatsuneMiku]

Originally Posted by Pitluvs

The only heater I use, everyone hates and suggests against it but I've had 4/5 work wonderfully for me LOL

^_^ can u make a review on it anyway ? i mean it's good to compare everything that's on the market .. and i would love to hear you experiences on it too .. cus what will work for someone won't always work for someone else

the more research i've done .. the more i feel like heaters are just like bettas @_@ .. they are all different (even some that are the same brands)

@donna .. i hope someone with that heater will come and make a review for you ^_^

[Princess Penny]

I have a Tetra 2-15 heater in my 3gal. I would NOT recommend it for anything bigger than that, but it keeps the water at 76 which is not as warm as I would like but it works for now. It would probably work for your tank Donna.

I have an Aqueon submersible glass 25w heater in my 6.6gal, works much nicer, I like having the adjustable temperature. Keeps Ammo's tank at a nice toasty 82. It runs a little high (set to 80) but I would rather have something that is slightly inaccurate but still runs consistently than something that doesn't heat well enough.

[Pitluvs]

Heater brand name: Tetra Whisper 2-15g Submersible

Wattage: 50w
Gallons heatable: Says 2-15g but I use in 1.5g Tetra Water Wonders Aquarium and have used in 5g and 10g with no issues.
Adjustable (knob .. remote .. etc): Preset to 78F
Submerability: Yes

Pros: Submerged, price, suction cup, gallons range.

Cons: Non adjustable, prone to malfunctions.

Recommendations: If only option, use. Would recommend an adjustable heater.

Extra tips for usage: Always test in empty tank for a few days with conditioned water and no fish. Monitor temps to ensure it won't malfunction. My first heated my tank to 98F before I noticed, but the 4 I've bought after that worked great. If I had another option for heaters I would use it but these work well enough for us.

[Foisair]

Originally Posted by WDW Donna

I would like to see a reveiw on a heater that is suitable for a small 1.77gal tank. Is the Elite 25w too much?

I currently have my Elite 25w in my <1gal QT tank and it is working well and keeping things at a nice 78*. Normally it is in my 2.5gal and works great in there too.

I'll do reviews of my three different heaters in a bit...at work and kinda busy. >.<

[WDW Donna]

thank you everyone. That helps alot!

[HatsuneMiku]

thank you pitluvs !!

awesome review's and advice everyone =D !! keep them comming

[LittleBettaFish]

Heater brand name: Eheim Jager
Wattage: 25 watts
Gallons heatable: up to 25 litres
Adjustable (knob .. remote .. etc): Adjustable with thermostat and automatic shut-off
Submersible: Fully submersible

Pros:

• Maintains a consistent temperature regardless of fluctuating outside temperature.
• Only a 1-2 degree descrepancy between thermostat and actual aquarium temperature
• Quality made (German) and covered by a three year warranty

Cons:

• More expensive than some brands
• Slightly longer than cheaper brands of the same wattage

Recommendations: Excellent. Use them in 90% of my tanks and would highly recommend them. Have used a 50 watt Eheim in my 1 gallon hospital tank and have never had any issues with maintaining a consistent temperature.

Extra tips for usage: Remember to plug back in after water changes



Heater brand name: AquaOne
Wattage: 25 watts
Gallons heatable: up to 25 litres but I think that would be pushing its capabilities
Adjustable (knob .. remote .. etc): Adjustable with thermostat and automatic shut-off
Submersible: Fully submersible

Pros:

• Does a decent job of maintaining a consistent temperature
• Covered by a one or two year warranty
• Readily available in almost every pet and fish store here
• Much smaller than other brands making it easier to fit in smaller betta tanks

Cons:

• Average quality. Often need to turn it up a few degrees higher when outside temperatures are colder.
• Always have difficulty fitting the plug into my power sockets properly

Recommendations: Good. I use them and another cheap brand in some of my 3.5 gallon tanks and have never had an issue. However, I've found that I often need to use a higher setting to reach the temperature I want.

Extra tips for usage: None.