Shrimple minded Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 It's getting that time of year.........I need to address temperature in a few 10g tanks. Was wondering small aquarium heaters people have used and what their experiences have been with different brands. From previous postings, it sounds like the Cobalt Neotherm line is the front-runner, but having multiple tanks I'd like to learn if there are other viable (cheaper) options that I could consider. Would love to hear back from as many people as would be kind enough to share their thoughts. Big thanks in advance! SM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordanroda Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I'm a Jager man... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zodiac Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 eheim jager... not recommend. you need to calibrate it. they will stay stable once calibrated,but again you need to calibrate them. i have one,my other tanks have marineland visi-therm 50 watt,no difference between the two. Shrimple minded and mjb1959 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillznglass Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 I really like the Auqeon pro heaters. They are really well made, unbreakable, come in sexy black, fully submersible, and come in sexy black. The light goes green when the heating cycle completes and turns red while it is heating. The temp dial on the top is really quite accurate. I have quite a few of these and they are all within one degree of what you set them to on the dial. Nope, don't work for Auqeon. They just made a winner here. And for a ten gallon tank the 50 watt would be perfect. Besides sexy black, what more could you want but a lifetime warranty, which they have. And, they are fairly decent with customer service from what I hear. Linky, http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Heaters-Submersible-Aquarium-50-Watt/dp/B003C5JNXK Best of luck finding a great heater. mjb1959 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Cobalt NeoTherm the only heaters I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buu Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 How about a archaea mini heater. It's really small.. about 4.5 inches in length. http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_91&products_id=687 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35ppt Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 eheim jager... not recommend. you need to calibrate it. they will stay stable once calibrated,but again you need to calibrate them. i have one,my other tanks have marineland visi-therm 50 watt,no difference between the two. I never go by the settings on the thermostat, anyway. I used to have EJ many years ago, but they always need replacing. I went to marineland visi-therm. Got a leak after using that, but they have a lifetime replacement, so for the price of shipping back to the manuf., I got a new heater. I think it's pretty sexy looking, too Wygglz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillznglass Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 I think it's pretty sexy looking, too Is it black? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35ppt Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Is it black? no, they have little silver fishes printed on it, IIRC. (I don't actually use heaters anymore.) I do like the unbreakable aspect of the black ones. But the glass ones you can see when the seal is gone, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillznglass Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 Little silver fishes can be sexy too. I thought you just stick your hand in the water and if you die it is leaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35ppt Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 For a small tank, you have less room for error. So I wonder if the Cobalt is the better way to go - if it keeps the temp more stable. Neos will probably be less affected than caridinas. Otherwise you get the less expensive heater and have to put a thermostat ($$) on it. I have had manymany heaters over the years, and only once had one that did not shut off. But it was enough to scare me (I caught it in time), and that's part of why I am not using them now. Shrimple minded 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 I used for quite sometime the Archaea brand of heaters and they worked great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phreeflow Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 There was a huge fuss over at Reefcentral and Nanoreef forums about Cobalt Neotherms blowing up and spewing smoke and molten epoxy in their tanks. Google cobalt heater blew up. Seems there were similar issues with Stealth heaters that also had a plastic body. It happened mostly on 150 and 200 watt models but it scared me enough to look elsewhere. Visitherm used to be amazing but also heard that they been problematic do folks have steered me toward Jäger TruTemp and Aqueon Pro. The first one gets hotter (important for my plecos), the second one has lifetime warranty. I went with Jäger and have been happy. Planning to get a Ranco temp controller just in case for insurance since my plecos were $$$. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Aw ... I've been looking at the Cobalt Neotherm because my planted tank doesn't have a lot of space behind the filter mat. I think the flat profile heater is going to be the only one I can safely stow in there - the Jager is in my other tank that I set up with more room behind the mat specifically to accomodate equipment. But the whole exploding thing would make me hesitate, too. Anyone want to trade some rasboras for cool water fish or shrimp? Getting a little nervous about getting these guys through the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phreeflow Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 Yeah, I was bummed about the Cobalts too. I love their form factor. I haven't read about any 50 or 75 watt Cobalts having issues but I decided not to take a chance. Love the jäger but they are HUGE Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff0712 Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 From what I have heard, there is a fault in the older model of Cobalt Heaters. I think it was the 150W and 200W heaters and it was causing them to melt down. I believe they have solved the problem in the new models. The way you can tell is on the back-top of the heater, there are a couple image squares on the newer models. If you don't have those I would get it replaced. There was a gentleman that came into the store I work at that had two older Cobalt heaters that broke down on him :/, he called up Cobalt and they just had him come in to replace them for the newer model (YMMV). I'm not trying to get people to get Cobalt, but trying to share some information that I've learned. 35ppt and Shrimple minded 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 No information or experience is useless thanks for sharing! Duff0712 and Soothing Shrimp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 I have used cobalt neo therm heaters exclusively for a year and a half sizes from 25w to 150w with no issues and absolutely love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 I've had my 50W Titanium Catalina heater for about 5 years now and it still works great. It's only 51/2" and has an external temp controller that's pretty accurate. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff0712 Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I've had my 50W Titanium Catalina heater for about 5 years now and it still works great. It's only 51/2" and has an external temp controller that's pretty accurate. I need to get a couple heaters with external temp controllers. I like my Jagers, but I hate having to dip my hands in to calibrate to the perf temp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buu Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I've had my 50W Titanium Catalina heater for about 5 years now and it still works great. It's only 51/2" and has an external temp controller that's pretty accurate. How accurate is it? And can it hold temp well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Just a heads up for anyone looking for a heater: I just got an Aqueon pro 100 for about $22, including tax. It was on sale at Petco for $9 off MSRP ($44.99 --> $35.99). They price matched Amazon ($28.63) AND deducted the $9 for the sale. Pretty awesome. I have no idea how good the heater is, but the price was definitely right. dr0p and adrand 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillznglass Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 Woot! Someone got a sexy black pro! And better yet cheep.... uh inexpensive. So with all this talk about heaters and the discussion heating up. Just have to put in a vote for finnex 800w titanium with the digital remote. It has a lower and upper temp alarm you can set to whatever you like. It has dual backups for safety in case something goes shrimpy. ..... and the best is, it remembers all of your settings after a power failure. Have two of these and they have performed flawlessly. But, they are not black and they don't have little silver fishes or a really cool name like Yager. Ah well can't have it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amyers22 Posted October 25, 2015 Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 I use 50 watt Titanium Finnex heaters. I love them and they look great in my small 7g cubes and I also use one in my 20g long and it works perfectly. Very small and discrete! Here's a link to it on amazon. Read the product description. It's safe and has an outside controller. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00354QO9Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1445752321&sr=8-1π=SY200_QL40&keywords=finnex+50&dpPl=1&dpID=41nqAIyhTIL&ref=plSrch 35ppt and gillznglass 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimple minded Posted November 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2015 If I can get a 75w cobalt neotherm cheaper than 50w, for a ten gallon tank, which heater should I select? The heaters are the same size. Would a 75w have to "work less" or be more efficient, or is it possible to have a slightly higher rated heater for a given tank size? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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