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what submersabile(spelling???) heater is best for a 10? and a good price would be?
thanks you]:|

A Visi-Therm is a good choice or if you can get your hands on an Ebo-Jager at a cheap price, you'd be getting the top of the line. As far as prices are concerned, depends on where you live. For example, in Montreal, I can get a 250W Ebo-Jager for around $60 CND. But if I order it from Vancouver, I can get the same item for around $30.00 !

As for wattage, get a 100W heater. It will run less often and less longer, thus maintaining a more constant temperature in your tank. A 100W is usually indicated for tanks of 20 - 30 gallons.

Last but not least, STAY AWAY from those cheap heaters that are fragile and not reliable. No sense in getting a crappy item that will not do the job right for $20, when spending a few dollars more will provide you with a reliable, safe and durable item. When buying aquarium equipment, you either spend for quality or you wait to gather the money. Never settle for cheap stuff. You will only end up with "cheap" results.

Hoping that helps you,

Sponge

Certainly buy a good one and be prepared to pay more for it. By doing this it will be more reliable and easy adjusted. Also make sure it states either on the heater or its box that it is completly submersable just dont rely on sales talk, check for your self.

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Keith

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If you find & if they make submersable heaters, get an Ebo Jager of 100W, even if a 50W one will be fine aswell.


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I am partial to VisiTherm heaters. The Ebo Jaegers have been excellent but then had a series of problems with reliability and accuracy that led to the sale of the company to Eheim. Hopefully, Eheim will be able to restore their reputation.

In the VisTherm line, you will have a choice of a glass bodied or plastic body unit called the Stealth. My preference is for the Stealth unit as it is more durable than glass and the black may be easier to hide in the aquarium.

The last question is a question of size. Sponge Bob recommends a 100W heater as it will cycle or run less frequently. I disagree with his recommendation. A 50W heater will heat up to a 15 gallon tank depending on the difference that you desire between your aquarium and the room temperature. If your house temperature is 70F and you want to maintain a 75 or 78F tank, the 50W will be supersized for your 10G.

The second reason that I disagree is because heaters fail. When they fail, they fail in two ways - either by going off or by staying on. A 100W heater that fails in the on position will boil your 10G, it is better for the fish to get a little cold.

In my 125G aquarium, I run a 200W stealth heater with a 200W Eheim heater. Each unit is rated fore up to 55 gallons. I prefer that units stay on as long as possible to provide heat. It has been my experience that cycling or turning on and off is a prime cause of heater failure.

__________
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I'm with Bob on this one. You should not get any larger than a 50W heater. For the reasons he suggests, as well, they will heat the water more evenly. What I mean by this, is they will come on and heat it at a slower more steady rate. While the 100W heater will come on and super heat a small tank quickly. This will cause a more fluctuating temp in your tank. Probably/maybe not enough to worry about, but you never know. And in that small of a tank, it could be enough to stress your fish.

As for the brand, my personal fav is the Stealths. I like them for several reasons; unbreakable, safety switch for accidentally lowering the water too much during water changes, easily hid and does not draw attention to it as much as the "pretty" looking ones do. No light flashing on and off, etc etc. I have several different brands, but for about the last year or so, I have only bought the Stealths. They are not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

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There is always a bigger fish...

I'd be going for a 25-50w heater in a 10.
I run a 100w in my 26, and it doesn't come on very often.
25-50 is more than enough in a 10 you don't need to boil it

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thanks all

I have a Hydor 50w in my 10g. It has the light that shows when it is on. It does a good job and keeps my tank at a steady 80F. I ordered it from Big Als Online. It is glass so very breakable. I don't take it out often so I don't worry about that.
I have a Visi Therm Stealth in my 55g. It is like the others said, not breakable and easy to hide. Especially if you have a black background because it is solid black. It keeps the temp steady but doesn't seem to be very accurate. Of course I haven't really adjusted the Hydor since I have had it so I don't know how accurate it is.
Both are good brands IMO...and both are of medium pricing. Big Als has the best prices I have seen. I ordered both of my heaters from there.

*Kristin*

As for accuracy, I recommend you do not go by the numbers on any of the heaters. You should always use a thermometer to correctly set your heaters up.
And then only use the glass thermometers that go inside the tank. The stickers on the outside can give a false reading as well, depending on the ambient temp of the air around the outside of the tank.

In all the years I have been keeping fish, I have rarely found any heaters to be exactly what the temp numbers show on the heaters.

Another thing, when you set it up, place it at a 30 degree angle or more. Do not place it straight up and down. As the regulator is in the top part of the heater, and the heating ellement is in the lower half. You will find your heater turning on and off more often if it is placed vertically. As the heated water will cause it to turn off, and then turn on as soon as it passes by the regulator. I try to place all mine horizontally. This way the regulator is reading the water temp because the newly heated water goes upwards into the water column, and not directly up to the regulator.

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There is always a bigger fish...

i live in CA i only will need the heater foe a month or less
my lfs has one for 8$ it is made by tetra whisper brand. i have there products and it seems to work fine, i dont need a expensive heater to run for about 25 days