Hi guys, looking for suggestions for a heater for my 70 gallon with 20 or 30 gallon sump. I don't have a controller or anything. Might get an apex in the future but not any time soon. So I need a reliable heater. Let me know your ideas. Thanks!
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Well, I can't say that I would recommend the Cobalt NeoTherm. I am currently running two of them in tandem, each 200W, controlled by an Apex with internal thermostat backups. I have had absolutely no problems with them, for the last 6 months. I also have a 50W one in my mixing bucket and it's fantastically rugged, you don't have to worry about it breaking when you stir.
But I am going to change the two in the DT out for Eheim Jagers as soon as the box arrives.
Has the problem with the NeoTherms been discussed here before? I just recently learned of it. In brief, there have been instances where the plastic case of the 200W model of this heater (and I believe also the 150W) would crack open while heating, spilling hot epoxy resin into the tank water, gumming up everything, killing livestock, and making the unfortunate aquarist's home smell like burnt plastic. This problem was supposedly fixed ~2 years ago with a redesign, but recently someone on another forum described how one manufactured in 8/16 has apparently failed in this way.
You'll notice that BRS does not carry the 200W model.
I can position a glass heater where it won't get bumped, or readily deal with a heater that dies or has a thermostat stuck in the on position, but the possibility of this kind of failure mode isn't acceptable to me, even if it's rare.
I had the finnex HMX-S and it read about 4 degrees off. Don't get that one.I use Finnex Titanium 400wt and the Finnex Controller. Very happy. It keeps my 90 within 1 degree and no worries.
The two that I have works great but if it ever leaks all is lost.I love my neotherm have 2 100watts in my system, 55 -60ish gallons of total water volume and they work great. If my house is between 60-75 degrees my tank stays between 77.8 and 78.1 throughout the day. I have read the horror stories but seems to be blown out of proportion, so many of these heaters without issues in comparison.
An Apex will control themI just bought a couple of these but they need a controller.
https://www.marinedepot.com/Won_Bro...m_Heaters-Won_Brothers-WB13255-FIHTTH-vi.html
Enter clearance in the promo code and take 15%off. Can't beat $27 for a 250w titanium heater
An Apex will control them