afishbestservedcold
Active Member
Hi all, finally joined Reef2reef after recently setting up my first saltwater tank (4g cube w a kessil a80, hydor water bottle ato thing, hydor rotating flo valve on a dennerle corner filter, live rock, a few easy corals, 2 tiny hermits and a tiny tiger conch, 1 cerith and 1 bumblebee snail. Its been up for almost a month) and figured I'd post!
I want to get people's thoughts on the best heater for a pico tank. I know this has been discussed a lot, so specifically:
1. Whether it is worth getting an adjustable heater or a preset, and what temp is best for a small reef? The 78 presets keep the water at 79-80, is it worth going adjustable?
2. For a 4/5g tank, do you use 25w or 50w? I've found a little more wattage keeps the temperature steadier.
After weeks buying and returing heaters on Amazon, here's what I think:
1. Eheim jager
too big! any wattage is 9+inchs and not worth putting in a 4g tank.
2. Cobalt neotherm
I got the 25w and its a lot bigger (and more expensive) than it should be even with its "thinness". I'm also terrified it will explode so it s on a bucket of guppies for a few months before trying it on the salt tank. Obviously like this one and I'd prefer to run my tank at around 76, supposedly it keeps the temp spot on.
3. Hydor Theo
Didn't try this one because of the overwhelming negative reviews, though I'd love to be told otherwise. The other Hydor products I have are great.
4. Oase HeatUp
Same thing as the Jager, its way too big for a 4g but would be great for a larger tank.
5. The Winner
Surprisingly, I went with the Lifegard Aquatics Preset Quartz glass Heater. I've had two Lifegard 7gs running freshwater for 3 years and the 100w heater that came with them is great. I used the 100w on my reef tank for the first few weeks and it kept the temp at a consistent 79. Even at 100w its smaller than any of the above options. I found the 50w which is only 5.5 inches! So far its kept the tank at a steady 79-80, its super tiny but less sketchy than a lot of the bizarre options on Amazon.
Thoughts on the preset? is 79-80 too high?
I want to get people's thoughts on the best heater for a pico tank. I know this has been discussed a lot, so specifically:
1. Whether it is worth getting an adjustable heater or a preset, and what temp is best for a small reef? The 78 presets keep the water at 79-80, is it worth going adjustable?
2. For a 4/5g tank, do you use 25w or 50w? I've found a little more wattage keeps the temperature steadier.
After weeks buying and returing heaters on Amazon, here's what I think:
1. Eheim jager
too big! any wattage is 9+inchs and not worth putting in a 4g tank.
2. Cobalt neotherm
I got the 25w and its a lot bigger (and more expensive) than it should be even with its "thinness". I'm also terrified it will explode so it s on a bucket of guppies for a few months before trying it on the salt tank. Obviously like this one and I'd prefer to run my tank at around 76, supposedly it keeps the temp spot on.
3. Hydor Theo
Didn't try this one because of the overwhelming negative reviews, though I'd love to be told otherwise. The other Hydor products I have are great.
4. Oase HeatUp
Same thing as the Jager, its way too big for a 4g but would be great for a larger tank.
5. The Winner
Surprisingly, I went with the Lifegard Aquatics Preset Quartz glass Heater. I've had two Lifegard 7gs running freshwater for 3 years and the 100w heater that came with them is great. I used the 100w on my reef tank for the first few weeks and it kept the temp at a consistent 79. Even at 100w its smaller than any of the above options. I found the 50w which is only 5.5 inches! So far its kept the tank at a steady 79-80, its super tiny but less sketchy than a lot of the bizarre options on Amazon.
Thoughts on the preset? is 79-80 too high?
