Heater Debate

Well as we all know heater don't last for ever. My main heater won't turn on now and is out of service on my 75g tank and I am in need of a quick replacement for it as my backup will only keep my tank temp around 75 degrees. For replacements I'm looking at the 250 or 300W Ehiem Jager or possibly the 300W Hydor inline but its more than twice as much and doesn't have the best reviews. Also I will be purchasing a heater controller to use with this new heater for that extra protection just in case and there are some reasonably priced titanium heaters but I have not heard much about the reliability and quality of these. What is your all's opinions and if there are any better options please let me know.

I have used the Hydor in-line heater and have success to a point. I have two on my 210g that have worked fine for years and then a newer one that stopped heating that I need to send in for warranty replacement. Once you get the heater out of the tank, you really do not want to go back.

I like the Ehiem but they are huge compared to other heaters out there. I personally prefer the SERA instead, its smaller and has a heater guard included. Just cant find them in store, you have to order online.

As to controllers, I am just starting that route. I decided to get the Ranco. This is not an aquarium product but many use it as such. You will have to do a bit of wiring but its well worth it. These are used in high end beer brewing and have an excellent reputation. I got mine here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

aqueon heaters have a lifetime warranty and are very reasonably priced and reliable in my experience. worth a look if you haven't already.

Warranties are kind of a joke. In the case of my Hydor, it is on my dime that it gets sent in to the company to replace/repair. Just remember there are no local repair shops on these things. You buy your heater for lets say $30 and then it will cost you another $8-$10 to ship it out. Thankfully I always keep spare heaters for emergencies.

I am liking the Fluval E series. It has dings and whistles such as digital temp readout. A flow sensor which at 1st I wasn't sure why it was there but now I use it for notification if my power heads get clogged up, lol. I totally like the casing around the heater. No more worries of my Plecos cramming themselves between the heater and glass getting heat marks (burns). The suction cups ROCK. The cost is completely unreasonable but hey, why not.....DOH

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

iandraco wrote:aqueon heaters have a lifetime warranty and are very reasonably priced and reliable in my experience.  worth a look if you haven't already.

Thanks for the heads up. My heater that just died on me is an Aqueon Pro 250W and I had no clue they had lifetime warranties. Quick search and 5 minute phone call, snapped a pic of the heater for the warranty return, cut the plug cord off and 30 minutes later received a conformation that my order has been received and is shipping out today. WOW. I got this heater for free a while back and its been working great for the last year and a half buy it decided to stop heating but now I'll have a new one in a few days for free and the best part is that is was no questions asked, no hassle of return shipping and I was on the phone for less than 5 minutes talking to a friendly guy the whole time, no annoying hold for 45 minutes like most places. I think they just got a customer for life although I wont have to buy anything from them again!   

That is awesome. Better than what Hydor is making me do. Sending my dead heater in when I have proof of purchase and I can take a pic. Oh well, each company handles it different. I might lean toward a Aqueon pro with that type of service.

Yeah they gave me 3 options of return, if you have the original receipt you can scan or mail a copy to them, or you can send a pic of the heater and cut the cord off so its no longer useable, or ship the heater to them your choice but I don't have a receipt so I just sent a pic.

Still better than being forced to spend more money to send the bad unit in.

I'm a big believer in the Hydor ETH in-lines. At the present time, I have one - a 200w - heating my 75 gallon. This heater is 8-9 years old and is heating a 75 gallon tank all by itself, and the garage is COLD in winter.

I really wanted to go with the hydor inline but it seems the new models are crap compared to the old ones.

I have aqueon pros in most of my tanks now. Aqueon's customer service was fantastic when I had a coralife T5HO fixture go out on me; I'm glad to see that hasn't changed.

wow. i didn't even know it was that easy to have your heater replaced. aqueon is an even better company than i thought.