# Heater / Heater-stat / Temp Controller...



## Samuran (3 Oct 2013)

Hey

Anyone got any experience with one of these / similar?  Temperature Controller Thermostat 300W Heater Aquarium 220V | eBay

I seem to have the worst luck in the world with heaters failing on me my current one is slowly getting more and more broken... when I got it it held a good reasonably accurate temperature but now it's drifting further and further off (it's set at 22°C tank is actually closer to 29°C)...

When I was a kid, using some of my dads kit, I only had separate stats and heaters. Normally one in each corner of the tank, don't know if I should go back that way or burn some more money on another heater...

Ohh and I've gone the hydor inline route but that failed and over heated the tank massivly too 

Cheers
Ben

P.s. not sure if this is the best place to ask this, if it's not can someone (mod) please move it?


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## sa80mark (3 Oct 2013)

There pretty useless tbh not accurate at all, my advice would be spend a little extra and go for one of these,

 AQUARIUM TC-10 DIGITAL TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER, HEATER + COOLER, FISH TANK MARINE | eBay

 UK Local--Digital Auto Aquarium Temperature Controller Heater & Cooler ATC-800+ | eBay


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## Samuran (3 Oct 2013)

Yeah I had one of those STC ones when I was doing marine tanks... it was pretty poo tbh


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## Palm Tree (3 Oct 2013)

Have you tried Eheim jager heaters ? They are very reliable and you can calibrate them. O thing to consider is the accuracy of the thermometer you are using, it helps to always have a couple of good ones on hand and check the temperature at different areas in the tank. Before I used to think my heaters were off by a few degrees, and they were off but a dodgy thermometer didn't help and exaggerated the problem. In a perfect world I would have two Eheim jagers or Hydor inline heaters on separate thermostats as it is an almost fail safe method.


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## squid102 (3 Oct 2013)

I think you get what you pay for. The one you are looking at advertises the same level of accuracy as all the others on the market. I also changed my opinion of my heaters when I bought and accurate digital thermometer (feature of my TDS pen). It doesn't really matter if a heater is a couple of degrees off provided that your method of measuring is accurate. Just so long as the heater always heats to the same temperature of course.

If a heater is going to fail it will usually be because it won't switch on or won't switch off. If it won't switch off then having two will make no difference anyway. If it won't switch on then the worst will be a tank at room temperature.

If you buy it in the UK remember your rights under the Sale of Goods Act should it fail in the first 12 months.


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## Samuran (4 Oct 2013)

Cheers chaps, I think I'll give an eheim a go.

I use standard aquarium thermometers but I also have a lab standard thermometer that I umm borrowed from work when I used to work in a lab that I can use to compare them to... shhhh!

Ben


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## Palm Tree (4 Oct 2013)

squid102 said:


> If a heater is going to fail it will usually be because it won't switch on or won't switch off. If it won't switch off then having two will make no difference anyway. If it won't switch on then the worst will be a tank at room temperature.


 
If your using two lower wattage heaters and one sticks on the water will not heat up half as fast, giving you more time to discover the problem. I know this better than anyone, I used to use two 75w heaters in my 240l tank and one day one stuck on, the water only managed to get to 26c, which was only 4 degrees c above normal temperature. If this would have happened with the 300w heater I had before this setup the water would have easily got above 32c and I would have lost all my fish, and that makes it worthwhile to me. Also I read somewhere that with a lower wattage heater it will be on more, and its switching on/off that breaks heaters.


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## squid102 (4 Oct 2013)

Good point. I didn't think of it in terms of using two lower wattage heaters.


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