Best Heater/Temperature controller? (Non-Apex)

[Ironwill723]

Eheims w/ranco is what I use.

 

[BigDog55]

I hear people say this since its industrial style, but the probes arent waterproof. How do i make them?

Had mine in my tank for 5 years no problem best controller ever had

 

[jason2459]

So, this is interesting. Which should control which.

I have my heater turn itself on and off. With my Ranco and Apex set higher.

So, let's say my heater is set at 78, Ranco at 80, and Apex at 80.5.

My thought process is there's a function of on/off which at some point will fail on any device that's doing that function. The rated capacity of that function may be really high and not something seen in my tanks lifetime but mean time to failure increasingly goes up every year my tank runs.

The cheapest thing for me to replace is the heaters. Also, heaters have other areas of failure like seals and it's own function of turning on/off the heating element. So, I replace one of the two every year or so and alternate each year so no heater isn't much older then 2 years.


Am I doing it wrong? Should I go with the Apex or Rancho or xyz controller with the lower set point and the heater or other controller with the safety higher set point?

 

[KStatefan]

So, this is interesting. Which should control which.

I have my heater turn itself on and off. With my Ranco and Apex set higher.

So, let's say my heater is set at 78, Ranco at 80, and Apex at 80.5.

My thought process is there's a function of on/off which at some point will fail on any device that's doing that function. The rated capacity of that function may be really high and not something seen in my tanks lifetime but mean time to failure increasingly goes up every year my tank runs.

The cheapest thing for me to replace is the heaters. Also, heaters have other areas of failure like seals and it's own function of turning on/off the heating element. So, I replace one of the two every year or so and alternate each year so no heater isn't much older then 2 years.


Am I doing it wrong? Should I go with the Apex or Rancho or xyz controller with the lower set point and the heater or other controller with the safety higher set point?

That is different from how I do it but that does not make it wrong. It all depends on how you evaluate the risk failure. I use two stand alone Ranco controllers one primary and one secondary they are on different electrical circuits. In my option the greatest risk of failure is the heaters, then my controller, then the Rancos. But in realiity the operator is the greatest risk.

 

[jda]

I have had Eheims fail, but we are talking in the 5-10 year range, at least for me. Since I use multiples, it is OK if one goes out, so I see no reason to replace them prematurely.

The Ranco/Ehiem route is a decade type of deal, not a year. The Ranco is probably a lifetime piece of equipment.

 

[dsh92056]

Get an IM Helio and kiss your worries goodbye.

I second this

 

[adammarcos]

Had mine in my tank for 5 years Showbox jiofi.local.html tplinklogin no problem best controller ever had

 

[Alexander1312]

Does anyone know where to buy the Ranco pre-wired and which model I should be using? I bought a year ago this for another tank. I bought this from Aqua Logic but the website seems to be down.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Honey Run Apiaries

We offer beekeeping supplies, honey, honey bees and queen bees.

honeyrunapiaries.com

Has always been a good source for them. I don't know if their pricing is still competitive or not.

 

[MnFish1]

Im so confused especially because the reviews on amazon and BRS are all mixed which makes it a pain in the butt to choose between options. I have a standard 20 gallon long (planning to upgrade to 90 next year), but I need a good heater and controller. California's temperatures are whack. Sometimes its hot, sometimes freezing which also ruins my life. Ive heard titanium heaters are good but which ones?! Finnex? BRS? Aquatop? Also what about temperature controllers? Ranco? IM Helios? Hygger? InkBird has extremely mixed reviews with so many calling it garbage for crashing their systems while others praise it, making me afraid to purchase. WHICH ONES???!!! I dont wanna come back home one day and find my fish boiled or frozen. Apex costs an arm and a leg and is way beyond my budget.

I used a Finnex heater and controller - never had a problem. However, I also had a non-apex temperature measure that would alert me if the temp was too high or too low (the finnex also had an audible alarm) and shut off the heater if too warm. There are a number available. I don't have a specific controller recommendation.

 

[BeanAnimal]

So, this is interesting. Which should control which.

I have my heater turn itself on and off. With my Ranco and Apex set higher.

You should NEVER - let me repeat NEVER let the heater do the controlling.

There are two types (lets ignore Helio peltier and feedback, making 3) of thermostats in heaters.

1 - mechanical bi-metal strip/contact
2 - digital SCR based.

Both will basically have a 100% failure rate. The problem with the mechanical type is metal fatigue and arcing. It is not "if" it will fail. It is "when". They typically fail ON due to the contact arcing closed or breaking and creating a short.

So you use the Apex or the Ranco for control. Rancos are industrial controllers. You use the crappy thermostat on the heater and set it just above where the ranco turns off. That way it acts as a fail-safe. It never thermally cycles or arcs, as it is "ON" all of the time unless there is an overheat condition in the rare instance that a ranco would fail on.

Failure modes for the type 2 (digital) are different, but most heaters have cheap components that are not surge or arc protected. Failure rates of both type are high.

 

[jason2459]

You should NEVER - let me repeat NEVER let the heater do the controlling.

There are two types (lets ignore Helio peltier and feedback, making 3) of thermostats in heaters.

1 - mechanical bi-metal strip/contact
2 - digital SCR based.

Both will basically have a 100% failure rate. The problem with the mechanical type is metal fatigue and arcing. It is not "if" it will fail. It is "when". They typically fail ON due to the contact arcing closed or breaking and creating a short.

So you use the Apex or the Ranco for control. Rancos are industrial controllers. You use the crappy thermostat on the heater and set it just above where the ranco turns off. That way it acts as a fail-safe. It never thermally cycles or arcs, as it is "ON" all of the time unless there is an overheat condition in the rare instance that a ranco would fail on.

Failure modes for the type 2 (digital) are different, but most heaters have cheap components that are not surge or arc protected. Failure rates of both type are high.

I've been using finnex titanium heaters with an inline temp controller. Are these the same as what you're talking about or are they more on the lines of a cheap controller like the inkbird that's just hardwired inline?

 

[BeanAnimal]

I've been using finnex titanium heaters with an inline temp controller. Are these the same as what you're talking about or are they more on the lines of a cheap controller like the inkbird that's just hardwired inline?

I don't know much about the finnex stuff anymore. If I remember, I think the heaters themselves were ok, but the controllers nowhere near as reliable as a RANCO.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I don't know much about the finnex stuff anymore. If I remember, I think the heaters themselves were ok, but the controllers nowhere near as reliable as a RANCO.

Nothing out there really compares to long term reliability of RANCO, especially if the probe is epoxy encapsulated like the AquaLogic version did.

 

[dpfriedman]

Im so confused especially because the reviews on amazon and BRS are all mixed which makes it a pain in the butt to choose between options. I have a standard 20 gallon long (planning to upgrade to 90 next year), but I need a good heater and controller. California's temperatures are whack. Sometimes its hot, sometimes freezing which also ruins my life. Ive heard titanium heaters are good but which ones?! Finnex? BRS? Aquatop? Also what about temperature controllers? Ranco? IM Helios? Hygger? InkBird has extremely mixed reviews with so many calling it garbage for crashing their systems while others praise it, making me afraid to purchase. WHICH ONES???!!! I dont wanna come back home one day and find my fish boiled or frozen. Apex costs an arm and a leg and is way beyond my budget.

Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi heater controller. Runs for about $50 on Amazon. Has dual probes for redundancy and dual sockets so you can put 2 heaters in your tank for redundancy as well. Set and monitor from app. Ez-Pz

Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi Temperature Controller, Wi-Fi Aquarium Thermostat Heater Controller 120V~1200W Temperature Control with Two Probes only for Heater Aquarium Breeding Reptiles Hatching. https://a.co/d/4fjWoSn

 

[vetteguy53081]

Finnex has been a die-hard for me. Also have had great lick via-aqua units

 

[BZOFIQ]

I just put heat shrink tubing over the end of mine and sealed it over. I believe you can purchase them with a better probe as well from some of the aquarium suppliers.

There is also a type of heat shrink tubing that comes with type of adhesive that when heated it laminates the whole thing.

I believe its designed for outdoor applications.

One call also put it in a piece of hose and fill it with silicone or two part epoxy

 

[rd62rdstr]

Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi heater controller. Runs for about $50 on Amazon. Has dual probes for redundancy and dual sockets so you can put 2 heaters in your tank for redundancy as well. Set and monitor from app. Ez-Pz

Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi Temperature Controller, Wi-Fi Aquarium Thermostat Heater Controller 120V~1200W Temperature Control with Two Probes only for Heater Aquarium Breeding Reptiles Hatching. https://a.co/d/4fjWoSn

I have 4 of these running on my tanks and water station. Super easy and extremely dependable. I’ve had no issues. The dual probes are a great redundancy to have and operate independently thus validating your temperature and or differences. I’m running eheims which have been dependable for me.?

 

[KStatefan]

There is also a type of heat shrink tubing that comes with type of adhesive that when heated it laminates the whole thing.

I believe its designed for outdoor applications.

One call also put it in a piece of hose and fill it with silicone or two part epoxy

I made a titanium thermometer for mine then epoxied the probe in the well with heat shrink sealing the two together. I ran the heat shrink long enough so none of the probe sheathing was submerged.
If I was going to do it again i would use titanium tubing instead of rod that I drilled a hole in.
You can also order the probe from Aqualogic ready to go.

 

[sfin52]

I use a simple eheim glass heater with built in thermostat. I find it keeps the temperature in a 0.5 degree (f) range. I set it at 80 and I find my temperature anywhere from 79.8 to 80.3.
I also use an inkbird as an emergency shutoff in case the heater gets stuck on (I suppose it would also alarm if too cold but I don't care about that).

U do as well but use the ink bird as the controller and eheim as fail safe. Love the cold alarm in case heater fails off. Had a heater fail off. Temp got to 71 before I realized it.