Looking for heater recommendations

[Herpin Man]

I'm looking for recommendations for aquarium heaters with precise temperature control. These are not for aquariums; these are for reptile egg incubators that I will be making. They won't need to heat a large volume of water, but will need to easily heat into the upper 80's. I am looking for something with minimal temperature fluctuation, so that I don't also have to use separate thermostats.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Will the heater be submerged in water?

 

[Herpin Man]

Yes, it will need to be fully submersible. It will lay on its side in shallow water.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

How many gallons/liters will you be having in the tank? Or how many inches? I’m afraid that any heater I know of, will be to hot. (All That I know of, have 3 gallon minimum gallon limits.)

 

[Herpin Man]

That I'm not sure of. I'm thinking of a basic chest cooler with 4-6 inches of water.

 

[Silencedogood]

I recommend the Aqua Top heater. I have the one that isn't fully submersible, but they do sell a completely submersible one. I have my tank temp at 82 F and it has never fluctuated. So far it has lasted 8+ years without any problems.

 

[seangee]

How tight do you need the range to be?
Is it for a one off breeding project or is it long term?

Most aquarium heaters don't specify a range so you are likely to get a fluctuation of a couple of degrees e.g. set the temp to 88
temp is 84 so the heater comes on
temp reaches 88 and the heater turns off
Heater does not come back on until the temp drops to 85

Conversely I have a really cheap heater with a very narrow range. I find it annoying in a fish tank because it regularly turns itself on and off every few minutes - so I suspect it won't last very long. I keep this one as a spare and don't usually use it. Oh and the calibration is way off. It does maintain a constant temp - but its about 4C (8F) different to what the digital display reads

You would be advised to calibrate the temp anyway as these can be some way off (even with the more expensive heaters).

I am not sure what the objection is to thermostatic controllers but I have found the Inkbird ones very reliable and accurate (and inexpensive). I use these in all of my fish tanks and can set the on and off tempratures separately with an accuracy of 0.1C. I have never checked the F settings because I can't get my head around farenheit . All 3 of mine were 100% accurately calibrated out of the box, but if needed you can calibrate the display to avoid giving yourself needless stress when you do a temp check half asleep and it shows the wrong temp

 

[Silencedogood]

How tight do you need the range to be?
Is it for a one off breeding project or is it long term?

Most aquarium heaters don't specify a range so you are likely to get a fluctuation of a couple of degrees e.g. set the temp to 88
temp is 84 so the heater comes on
temp reaches 88 and the heater turns off
Heater does not come back on until the temp drops to 85

Conversely I have a really cheap heater with a very narrow range. I find it annoying in a fish tank because it regularly turns itself on and off every few minutes - so I suspect it won't last very long. I keep this one as a spare and don't usually use it. Oh and the calibration is way off. It does maintain a constant temp - but its about 4C (8F) different to what the digital display reads

You would be advised to calibrate the temp anyway as these can be some way off (even with the more expensive heaters).

I am not sure what the objection is to thermostatic controllers but I have found the Inkbird ones very reliable and accurate (and inexpensive). I use these in all of my fish tanks and can set the on and off tempratures separately with an accuracy of 0.1C. I have never checked the F settings because I can't get my head around farenheit . All 3 of mine were 100% accurately calibrated out of the box, but if needed you can calibrate the display to avoid giving yourself needless stress when you do a temp check half asleep and it shows the wrong temp

A thermostatic controller sounds like a good idea if you want to make sure you don't have any fluctuations although I have never used one myself.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I think nearly any adjustable submersible heater of the appropriate wattage will work just fine, even with a slight 1-2 degree deviation (which is normal). Don't over think it - these reptile eggs in nature would likely see an even wider temperature range and be just fine.

 

[Herpin Man]

Don't over think it - these reptile eggs in nature would likely see an even wider temperature range and be just fine.

They would, and I am expecting to get some fluctuation regardless of what I do. However many reptiles' gender is determined by the temperature at which they are incubated, so I'd like to control it as much as possible.