Jager heaters are a solid option but larger ones are long. Often too long for some tanks/sumps. Finnex titanium heaters are a good alternative for a low cost and smaller sized heater. If you have the cash, new Neo-therm heaters are a solid pick. All heaters IMO should have a backup controller to shut them off since they all fail sooner or later.
Even in TX 3w per gallon is typically a minimum. Overworking a heater simply causes it to run longer and fail sooner. IMO on a tank, two properly sized heaters with two different backup controllers is my suggestion.
All hobby grade heaters and probes should be calibrated. The thermometers in these units are pretty consistent but can be off by as much as 5 degrees either direction. Best to calibrate a temp controller probe or manual thermometer using the "ice water" method. Then calibrate the heater in a 5 gallon bucket using the calibrated thermometer.
Even in TX 3w per gallon is typically a minimum. Overworking a heater simply causes it to run longer and fail sooner. IMO on a tank, two properly sized heaters with two different backup controllers is my suggestion.
The EJ heaters do need to be 'calibrated' though. It's stunningly simple, involving adjusting the measurement ring to match actual temperature. Just read the instructions.
All hobby grade heaters and probes should be calibrated. The thermometers in these units are pretty consistent but can be off by as much as 5 degrees either direction. Best to calibrate a temp controller probe or manual thermometer using the "ice water" method. Then calibrate the heater in a 5 gallon bucket using the calibrated thermometer.