Heaters

[Kissyboots]

I'm contemplating whether or not to get a heater...Petco is having a sale and I also have a coupon.

Soooo.....

Would this 13" 200W work for the 55g? Marineland Stealth Visi-Therm Submersible Aquarium Heaters at PETCO

(I know it's out of stock, but they should have it at the store here.)

 

[MatthewLaw]

I would recommend a 300w for the 55g. I have used Visi-Therm and Hydor heaters (both from petsmart) without any issues!!

 

[Wind_Danzer]

Just keep in mind, they will not price match to their website.

The heater I got was priced cheaper online then in the store but I was still able to get it around what it may have cost with shipping.

Don't forget your PETCO card!

 

[Kissyboots]

Ah, so I should go bigger? K.

The store has very similar prices to online, and I know for sure they have the same sale at the store as they do online.

So no one's had experience with this particular one? I read the reviews on several different ones and this seems like the only one that isn't breaking...I don't want my fish to die cuz I got some heater that I probably could live without.

 

[TMony]

If you look back in the treads a little ways, you will see where I asked for opinions about heaters a couple of weeks ago. Everyone agreed I should go with Ebo Jager.
I'm going to go with two 150's or two 200's in my 55 gallon tank. Price isn't very different in the two, so I will most likely opt for the 200's.
I will have more even heating and also a backup if one ever goes bad.

 

[tom91970]

That's a very good heater. I have one on each end of my 55g. Stealth is the only heater I will even consider buying.

 

[emmanuelchavez]

I use a 100w in my 100g. It does a pretty decent job... but then again, the weather in Houston isn't the same as Phoenix...

 

[89must]

i have 1 100 watt stealth in my 75 and 1 300 watt plane old visi therm in my 180 and neither heater is over worked i only buy visi therm the jebos are NOT U.L. LISTED

 

[TMony]

General rule of thumb is usually 3-4 watts per gallon, but I like to go 4-5 watts per gallon.

 

[Lone Wolff]

I have a Visi-Therm Deluxe 200W in my 55. It does a good job maintaining temp about 10 degrees warmer(76) than the room temp(66). You may not need one that strong if avg room temp is warmer in AZ.

At the time, I found the cheapest price from Walmart's Ship-to-Store option because 0.00 shipping.

 

[Kissyboots]

Well, I missed the sale...thanks for the info though. I will consider it in the future.

I have to say, I'm not sure if it's really necessary; over a two month period or so, the temp cools by about 8 degrees...and that only lasts for another two months. It's already getting warmer here again and it's only January! As for the fish, they don't seem to mind at all. Even Weebo who's right next to the window doesn't get sluggish or anything. The rams in the 55g don't show any signs of stress either, in fact, they're growing and chasing each other around all day...

So I'm stumped. I don't want to "waste" my money on a heater when I'll only need it for two months and have the risk of it breaking and killing everything. I'd really need a cooler for the summer instead of a heater (the ice cubes aren't going to work so well for the 55g...) After hearing all the "cooked fish" stories, I'm kind of reluctant to get one...

What do you guys think?

 

[brian1973]

Kissy what temps do you get to in the summer? If your A/C is in the 70's you tank temps should stay about that.

How cold does it get in Phoenix? I rarely see my heaters come on that are in my tropical tanks, we have had a couple cold days where it was kinda close to freezing in the early morning then 40's or low 50's during the day but then in a day or 2 back to shorts. I do have a heater in native tank at the lowest setting just to avoid drastic changes in it.

Oh check EBAY I bought a NIB stealth heater for a 30G for $13 including shipping, not sure what I need it for but I have it..lol.

 

[Kissyboots]

The highest it has ever gotten is 82. The fish don't show any signs of stress even when it's that high, but it's usually around 78 and then slowly goes down to around 68-70 in the winter, sometimes lower. I think the fact that the temperature changes so slowly is why the fish don't visibly react to it. So if I can't get it cheaper (like on ebay), then I don't know if I should even bother...

 

[TMony]

Doesn't sound like you really need one unless you get some unusually cold weather in AZ. I think you have the right idea to wait until you can get a good deal on Ebay or somewhere else. If you can pick one up cheap, it wouldn't hurt to have it on hand.