Heater recommendation

[jerryc]

OK i need to order a new heater thought i wood get your input on the one or brands
everyone likes best. please state the risen for likes or dislikes :-)

[peregrinus]

i ordered a titainum heater with the temp guage on the out side works get.

[Reptoreef]

That's what I use... dependable and will not crack in the tank like those glass ones. Mine is a 300 watt Via Aqua... works really well.

[dakar]

I will not embarass myself with announcing how many glass heater tubes I've managed to break over the past 6 months. Angel can attest to this, anything made of glass that I touched in the last 6 months only stood a 25% chance of not being broken.

But going to switch all of the bigger heaters to the steel ones before I electrocute myself (and the critters), think I saw F&S had the 300W ones on sale for like $18 or so, you'll have to check on that one for sure, I know they have them and priced well.

[davejnz]

I had such a bad experience with the titanium heaters.I had 2 fail within a month.Must of been a bad batch as i bought them at the same time,I think it was the same brand you use Repto.

[jerryc]

Thanks all i ordered a Stainless steel 300 watt heater and a Refractometer

[cq28]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Anyone have the vasi-therm, it's been giving me a little bit of trouble as far as holding temperature. In order to maintain temp. I have to set it at a higher degree.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Clem#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[dakar]

Thanks for bumping this back up, both of the stainless heaters failed over 6 months ago... no to mention began rusting around the same time, turned out you get what you pay for... junk.

The visi-therm's are pretty good once you have them set where you want, though the adjustments are a little touchy and can take a while to get dialed in. Just keep an eye on it and dial it in over a few days, just make minor adjustments over the period of several hours and you'll find a good setting, the markings on them never seem to be quite on, we've got several and there is probably 5 degrees difference between them all.

Seems like they go through a test cycle or something where they come on for 10-15 seconds every now and again, unfortunately they come up to full power each time and raise the temp, not too big an issue except in smaller tanks.

[jerryc]

Daker take the remote thermostat from the stainless heaters and use them to back up the thermostat on the heater you or using.
Im doing it just set a little above the temp of your heater makes for good insurance

[Fishez]

I have 3 visi-therm deluxe and I have had 2 of em for over 2 years and 1 for 6 months and I would highly recomend them.

[dakar]

Daker take the remote thermostat from the stainless heaters and use them to back up the thermostat on the heater you or using.

Im doing it just set a little above the temp of your heater makes for good insurance

That's a great idea... I've got another huge 300w non-submersable heater that the thermostat is a total POS on... bet franksteining the good thermostat and good heating element would work like a charm for the grow out tank. The dead ones are in a box under one of my workbenches... I'm a horrible packrat, never throw ANYTHNG away, always got a use for the junk later.

I was planning on using one of them to control the block heater for my deisel truck this winter. Might just get my $10 a piece from them yet :D

[jerryc]

Yep always a use for such things. I just cut the end of the cord to a visitherm and connected the cords to gather so if the thermostat gets stuck the other one will
take over no over heating

[shovelhead91701]

After getting rid of my glass tube heater I replaced it with a WON Titanium unit- have had no probs and I think it was only about $30.00 for it.