Grrrrrr aquarium heaters

[marisa]

I am setting up a simple styro box incubator for some corn eggs that are almost here. So two weeks ago at Walmart I see a simple heater and grabbed it. Didn't work so I took it back and got the best one they had. The new one wouldn't even TURN ON! GRRR and now I am getting down to the wire here with my female already shed and about to lay in the next week.

So I'd like to know what brand aquarium heaters you guys use, how much they cost and where I can get them! (ontario thanks! :P)

Marisa

[BoidKeeper]

One word, Tronic! They start at about $50.
I messed around with a cheap one once. It's not worth it. The thermostates suck and the control knobs are a pain.
Cheers,
Trevor

[wyz]

I'm at my 2nd Hagen heater... they suck !

I heard Tronic and Ebo Yager are good, but you need to put near to double the $$$. That's what I should have done in the beginning :(

WYZ

[ChokeOnSmoke]

I use Tronic and it seems to have worked fine thus far

[marisa]

In my fish aquarium I have a Ebo Jager. It has worked EXCELLENT for the past year + So I might just look into buying the same kind....but so far Tronic has been highly recommended by you guys and a couple other people I have asked.

Thanks!

Marisa

[Scales Zoo]

Can you lay both the Tronic and Ebo Jager ones right under the water, cord and all?

I've seen people do it with the Ebo Jager's, but If I'm not mistaken there is a line on it saying don't go past here.

I've got a submersable heater I was gonna try, but I'm not sure that I trust fully submerging it. I think I'll put it on an angle so I don't risk water getting where it shouldn't.

Ryan

[latazyo]

yes, ebos are completely submersible they're all I use in my aquariums and in a cooler there's no reason you couldn't use a 50, 75 or 100 watt which are constantly on ebay for about 18 bucks shipped (usd)

[corrado]

Ebo yager are the best heater i have use but my incubator are heat whit a reptile heat pad whit a home thermostat it work very well.

Sebastien

[corr]

I believe the line on the Ebos is not to fall below rather than go above. Ebos are the best and not much more than Tronics at Aquarium Services.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Here's MY vote....

Don't bother with an aquarium heater. Run some heat tape along the bottom of the cooler and control it with a dimmer or a thermostat. Keep the egg box moist/humid.

When I had my python incubator up and running with a Tronic heater, I had the thing shut off on me a few times... I have NO idea why. Since I have changed to a "dry" incubator, it runs like a charm.

I also had a cooler run with a little 50W aquarium heater last year and had the water evaporate... now THAT'S no good. At least I noticed the problem in time! :D

But that's just MY vote! ;) :)

Good luck!

[concept3]

ive had like 5 tropical fish aquariums going at once before, i use tronic in the one i have now, they are very easy to set, they have a dial and the temp you want, but those cheap purplish hagen ones will outlast any tronic twice. they are not the most accurate but value wise are the best

[BoidKeeper]

Do any of you use a thermostate like a helix with your submersable heater?
Cheers,
Trevor

[Scales Zoo]

Trevor, Jeff Favelle uses one as a back up, I think, I'm sure he'll see this.

I'd just use a second heater, set just a tad lower than the first, incase the first one would happen to quit.

Ryan

[Jeff_Favelle]

Visi-therm or Ebo-jager. If I had to choose, I'd pick Visi-therm. Don't cheap out on a submersible. 2 CORN eggs pays for a good heater, so why bother?

Yes, I plug mine into a Helix as a back-up as well. Why risk it when you can spend $200 to protect $30,000 worth of eggs at any one time?

[Scales Zoo]

So the Helix would also shut the unit off if it was overheating, right? A wafer thermostat could also be set up to do the same thing.

Do you use a second heater incase the first one craps out?

Have you spent the $150 to get the "Eliminator", to use as back up. When you have $30,000 worth of eggs in there, it is worth it.

Ryan

[Lisa]

I thought about doing that trevor but i'm not sure i wanna expend that kind of $ for 8 corn eggs... maybe if i were breeding something like het for fur piebald spider balls.

[V.hb]

Hey Jeff, did you use the aquarium heater style to hatch out your acantharus? I found it way too humid?

[Jeff_Favelle]

So the Helix would also shut the unit off if it was overheating, right? A wafer thermostat could also be set up to do the same thing.

Yeah, or the Helix can be set as the low temp (89F) and the aquarium heater can be calibrated as the high temp (90F). Doesn't matter. I use the Helix as the back up.

I doubt a wafer thermostat could be used unless it has a probe that can be submersed. I regulate the temperature of the water. If you regulate the temp of the eggs, the water can continue to heat up if say you open the incubator and let cool air in over the eggs. Then before you know it, you've got an air temp of 95F because the thermostat told the heater that the air was cold (which it was, but air heats and cools down super fast when compared to water, eggs, brick, etc etc).


Have you spent the $150 to get the "Eliminator", to use as back up. When you have $30,000 worth of eggs in there, it is worth it.

No man, I live in BC!! We have TOO MUCH power! Our green is even called "hydro" man! Ha ha. No power outs here in decades......not to mention when I turned my incubator off in November last year, it took 3 days to go down like 4 degrees F. No need at this point in time to worry about that.

Hey Jeff, did you use the aquarium heater style to hatch out your acantharus? I found it way too humid?

Nope. Heat tape on a helix. Not an aquarium heater.

[latazyo]

aquarium heaters have thermostats in them already

my only experience with visitherm involved the heater exploding with no fish in the tank, so I know a fish didn't just hit it

[Scales Zoo]

Did not know the Helix probe was submersable, you make a very good point about a thermostat that isn't submerged - thanks for clearing that up.

Ryan

[meow_mix450]

I highly suggest tonic! I own a few fish tanks, and they are perfect, ive been using one for over a year now and have no probems with it. The cheap walmart ones are not worth it trust me. Better off to get a desent one to start off with. They sell them in watts, i bet you knew that already, the higher the watt the fast the water gets warmed up. Also if it gets to warm it shuts off, so its always conistent(sp)

Good luck

Meow

[marisa]

I ended up going with the Ebo Jager...it is working AMAZING!

I am using only the 50 watt as well. It's kept it at a perfect 83.7F the entire time so far, even on cooler nights with a near by window open, etc. This aquarium heater has a dial with a temp range in degrees going up to 88F I believe. So, so far in both my fish tanks and my little incubator, this heater is A+

Marisa

[Slannesh]

Just as an FYI I just bought 2 200w Tronic heaters from Ebay for 12.99 US each. add shipping and I think I ended up paying about $40 Canadian for both. The PJ's pets near my house sells them for $45 each so I basically got them for half price. Both are brand new and in the box as well.