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I just needed to let off some steam and make everyone else aware of the problem. In August this year I purchased 3 heaters from a local Canadian chain store (*) because they were on sale for a really good price (yeah... they were the stores brand, but I've had them before and I never had a problem). Well, big mistake. I had to return them 4 times to find 3 that actually worked (so I've gone through 7 so far) I returned them cause they had seriously abnormal temperacture fluctations - I would check the temp at night to find it at 82 degrees F, and wake up to find the temps ranging anywhere from 68 to 94. Plus one of the 120W heaters couldn't even maintain 82 degrees in a 20 gallon tank. Now that's unheard of!!! I'll also note that they obviously put all damaged products back onto the shelf - I took down the lot number from 2 of these returns, only to find them back on the shelf a week later - it's obvious they were returns cause the boxes were all ripped and taped back together, and the electrical cords were unwrapped and stuffed indiscriminately back into the box
Anyway - I finally found 3 that would work in my tanks. All's been great since September. Well, I went to sleep last night with a temp of 82 in my 55 gallon, and woke up this morning with the temp skyrocketing up to 94!!! ]:| This tank is my BABY!!!! So anyway - I don't use water conditioners in my tank cause I choose not to submit my fish to these chemicals which I believe are in no way good for the health and well-being of my fish. Instead, I let the water age overnight to let the chlorine dissipate before I change the water in the tanks. Needless to say, I don't have any chemicals in my house, but still had to replace 10% of the water to get it back DOWN the 12 degrees that it shot up. So far the fish are looking fine - I'm sure that the 10% chlorine change won't hurt them too much, but it still makes me really angry!!! I sent a nasty email to the PetC*****'s head office, but I doubt that will do any good. And needless to say I'll be changing all my heaters to avoid similar problems in the future.
On that note: has anyone else had this happen? and can anyone recommend a good, relatively inexpensive brand of heater that would be good for a 33 or 55 gallon tank?

Last edited by bayara at 23-Oct-2004 18:30

Last edited by Adam at 26-Oct-2004 07:54

Heaters are probably the most important device you can put into your aquarium... You usually get what you pay for in this category, so it's not beneficial to skimp out. I hate to say it, but shop online at bigals or dr. fosters and smith and filch an ebo jager or visitherm or something similar to avoid any problems in the future.

Ebo Jager is, without a doubt, the best heater made today...

I have three that function beautifully and hold temp settings.

The tubes are shock-resistant Pyrex. The best.

--garyroland.

Agreed. Ebo Jager or Visitherm are great heaters. Both have functioned well for me.

I echo the endorsement of Ebo-Jagers. When you open the box, it exudes quality. You set it and don't have to worry about it. I've found that prices vary significantly and it pays to shop around. I bought mine from a store that was $20 cheaper than the competition. Since you're in Canada (like me), I've found that J&L Aquatics has good on-line prices for these, though I've found their shipping tends to be a bit pricy. But they ship quickly and I've had good service from them. You can find them at www.jlaquatics.com.

On that note: has anyone else had this happen? and can anyone recommend a good, relatively inexpensive brand of heater that would be good for a 33 or 55 gallon tank?

I have used cheaper heaters over the years and all failures.

My last two are Sera very costly two year gurantee running perfectly and not a problem

As said previously possibly one of the most important addition to you tank.

The old saying you get what you pay for. Also quality equals cost.

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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Rena Cal is also a greatheater, own 2 never a problem. i think Jagr and Cals are in the top 2 heater and only personal preference sepperating them.
as far as past experiences i have one of these junk heaters in my 10g now. just wanted a cheap tank for a betta, didnt need anythign expensive it was gona be WAY under stocked. so i bought a walmart speciel. the heater went up to the 90s at the 75 setting so i turned it down. it dropped to room temp from a few degrees change lol. deffinetly a smoked thermistat so i put it all the way down to the lowest setting and for some remarkable luck its holding 78 perfectly lol. and its been holding for months and months no problems. you get what you pay for.

Sin

I have a cheap 15 year old heater in my 20 gallon, and my 55 gallon tank.

They have never failed, and keep the tanks around 76-78 degrees.

I would get an ebo jager or visi therm heater though.

I've tried many and come to the conclusion (the hard way) that most of the cheaper ones are junk and not worth the heartache.

I recently tried the Hagen 'tronic' heaters. I put a digital thermometer in with them to see how they perform. So far they've been pretty consistent and accurate (tank temperature is usually within +/- 0.3F of the dial)

BTW: I got into the habit of putting a small dot with a marker pen on the box in an inconspicuous place before returning defective things. And then go back a few days and see if the box ended up on the shelf again and presented as a 'new' product. I was under the impression that it was illegal in california (misrepresenting a used or defective item as "new" and twice now I've found one and taken them to the store manager and complained that they're putting faulty returned items back on the shelves.

Ebos are tops (and not terribly pricey at good LFSes), after that Hagen Tronics are pretty good (but about the same price as Ebos), and Hagen Thermals are good too, but not much cheaper.

I feel the frustration too.

Does anyone know if there exists any brand/s of heater is guaranteed to fail in the OFF position only (as opposed to failing in the ON position)?

Over the years, I have had two Visi-therms fail on me, both in the ON position. The first time it ultimatley cost me every fish in the tank due to bacterial deaths as I was away and fish sitter did all he could - which was basically to remove dead fish and unplug everything except the filter. (I was genuinely impressed the non-fish oriented sitter did so well!)

Last night's fiasco appears to have only killed the large male Bristlenose. So far, the rest of the fish seem to be OK. Time will tell. Fingers crossed. Watching them with hope and fear.

Yes, I run Ebos and Tronics too. That was my last Visi to go and I won't be buying more. In all truth, I suspect with age, any brand may eventually fail...

To recap - I want to know which ones, if any, will always fail in the off position.