Best Heater For Tropical Aquarium

[N0body Of The Goat]

I bought two 300W Rena Smart Heaters, one failed within a year and the other heats the tank water to 23C when set at its minimum 20C (regardless of whether it is free-standing or being used as the inlet strainer via the Rena connection kit for my Eheim 2078).

 

[Man of fish]

I've got an aqueon 100 watt regular that is working great for about 10-12 months, a 150 watt aqueon PRO working great for 6 mos (much better than a regular) and a tetra ht10 that works ok I guess it only heats my water to 75* not 78*. I also have a regular aqueon 50 watt that I used great for 3 months and a 100 watt visitherm that looks pretty cool but never used it.

I think that the aqueon PRO is at the top of the line.

 

[Ruskull]

I don't like the mirror finish Fluvals because they aren't fully submersible. Aqueon Pro series on all 3 of my tanks. I have one 100 watt on each 20 gallon & a 200 watt on my 36 gallon.

 

[Noahs ark6]

I don't like the mirror finish Fluvals because they aren't fully submersible. Aqueon Pro series on all 3 of my tanks. I have one 100 watt on each 20 gallon & a 200 watt on my 36 gallon.

My mirror fluval is fully submersed and has been working great for the past year........
I think you have looked at a picture of one and assumed the water level mark means that it can't go deeper than that line, however that is the minimum water level mark, not the maximum.

 

[Aquamaniac]

I have a eheim jager 100 w and a fluval mirrored M 300w at home. They are both very exact and work fine. But in the winter my Fluval couldn't cope and keep temperature of the big tank.but my eheim kept keeping temperature without extra help.
I also used some tetratec in the past but they tended to brake down fast so i never touched one of them before.
I am happy with both fluval and eheim but i'd have to say the eheim has been more reliable. I even forget its there.

 

[Noahs ark6]

I have a eheim jager 100 w and a fluval mirrored M 300w at home. They are both very exact and work fine. But in the winter my Fluval couldn't cope and keep temperature of the big tank.but my eheim kept keeping temperature without extra help.
I also used some tetratec in the past but they tended to brake down fast so i never touched one of them before.
I am happy with both fluval and eheim but i'd have to say the eheim has been more reliable. I even forget its there.

You would forget it's there because it's smaller than the fluval because the fluvals 300w and the eheim is 100w. How many litres was the tank the fluval was in?

 

[Aquamaniac]

I have a eheim jager 100 w and a fluval mirrored M 300w at home. They are both very exact and work fine. But in the winter my Fluval couldn't cope and keep temperature of the big tank.but my eheim kept keeping temperature without extra help.
I also used some tetratec in the past but they tended to brake down fast so i never touched one of them before.
I am happy with both fluval and eheim but i'd have to say the eheim has been more reliable. I even forget its there.

You would forget it's there because it's smaller than the fluval because the fluvals 300w and the eheim is 100w. How many litres was the tank the fluval was in?

The fluval is a 300 watts for 240 litres. And the eheim is 100 watts for a 75 litres. Anyway like i said in normal conditions they are both very precise. My project is to run 2 heaters in the 240 litre tank every winter. To prevent break downs.
But i used to run tanks in a country were most of the year you don't even run a heater on the tank and the water is still over temperature. On the summer we put frozen water bottles inside the tank to lower the temperature or, for the ones who have money buy a chiller or put some fans pointed to the water surface.
So my first winter in england even though i had my doubts if the heater would hold still caught me by surprise.
Right now both heater work like clokwork.
Just don't buy tetratec.

 

[Noahs ark6]

What bad experience have you had with tetratecs'?

 

[Aquamaniac]

What bad experience have you had with tetratecs'?

Used to have them in my first 60 liter tank, and 120 liter tank back home. with more than one of them either stopped heating at all or kept heating non-stop. Because they were the cheaper in portugal and there every cent is precious i didn't have much too choose from. But i think i've had four of those. My mother in law had two and my neighbour two.
So i can say i had a very bad experience with tetratec at least the models around 6 to 8 years ago.
And that looks to much heaters to be just bad luck.

 

[pdludbrooke]

I bought two 300W Rena Smart Heaters, one failed within a year and the other heats the tank water to 23C when set at its minimum 20C (regardless of whether it is free-standing or being used as the inlet strainer via the Rena connection kit for my Eheim 2078).

You must have got a bad two there, I have no problems and the temp stays dead on, I have a digital thermometer hooked up 24/7 that displays the lowest+the highest temp and the current temp hasn't shifted once in 3 months