IS THERE A HEATER, THERMO-CONTROLER, OR COMBO UNIT THAT SHOWS TRUE TEMPERATURE?

[EASTERN INDIGO]

I have several different submersible heaters. Recently I purchase several Hygger 500 and 800 watt heaters, with controller attached. Putting them in the same vat overnight, all set to the same temperature, every one of them had a different reading on the controller, (set at 79). Temperatures ranged from 77 to 81. I realize that they have an up and down variation due to the minimum allowable 1 degree on/off setting, but two degrees in each direction, is too high for that to be the reason. 77 to 81 is a huge swing. In addition to the heater's thermostat, every heater is backed up with and Inkbird temperature controller so the power shuts down one degree above the HEATER setting.
DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH SOMETHING THAT REALLY HEATS TO TRUE TEMPERATURES?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Gtinnel]

Eheim heater because it gives you the option to move the temp dial. Also, with inkbird (at least the model I have) you can adjust the temp to where the amount that is shown on the controller matches the tank.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

What benefit do you get as a reefer of knowing the exact temperature? A fish doesn't care if a tank is 77.5 or 77.8. A fish might care if they are suddenly moved from water that is 77.8 to say 72 but as long as your are stable then the number is irrelevant.

 

[KStatefan]

Unless you get some type of PID controller any simple on/off controller will have swings.

 

[Waynerock]

use the tru temp heaters and the wifi ink bird. I think most combos will get you close as long as you properly calibrate it before hand. never rely on the manufacture settings they are usually off. The tru temp heaters have a 3 year warranty where no one else does and even though they are glass they have not changed in a decade or more. Besides the breakability of the glass they are about as low tech perfect as you can get. With the ink bird you can get app access with warnings it stuff goes crazy. My inkbird usually matches exactly with the Hanna hand help thermometer, good combo

 

[PeterC99]

Last week I installed the new Innovative Marine Helio PTC 400 Watt Aquarium Heater w/ Controller (2 x 200W). Replaced a BRS 300W heater with Inkbird controller which gave me erratic temp ranges.

This heater agrees exactly to my Apex (without any calibration).

This heater keeps the heat consistent at 78 degrees and uses significantly less energy. The BRS 300W would used 353 watts (according to my Apex). The Helio has two 200W heating elements, that uses 309 watts when both are on. Also interesting that when the aquarium needs a minor temp increase, only one heating element comes on. Below are the pics from my Apex showing the temp swings before and after Helio install (Jan. 31) and the unit using only one heater to keep the temps stable.

 

[Twitchy]

I usually calibrate my temp probes in a vat of Ice water, and then calibrate everybody else to that probe. I found my inkbird wifi to be spot on back when I got it. Unfortunately 32F is outside of the Apex probe range, so I have to use another calibrated probe to get the apex in line.

 

[ca1ore]

This stuff is mostly hobby grade equipment .... not lab grade. Aquarium hobby heaters are notoriously inaccurate, all that one can really hope for is some level of precision. I used a couple of inkbirds a few years back and found them to be absolute crap; perhaps they are better now. Something like the Ranco is better. It's designed to operate in industrial applications where accuracy and precision are important.

 

[Tamberav]

I have several different submersible heaters. Recently I purchase several Hygger 500 and 800 watt heaters, with controller attached. Putting them in the same vat overnight, all set to the same temperature, every one of them had a different reading on the controller, (set at 79). Temperatures ranged from 77 to 81. I realize that they have an up and down variation due to the minimum allowable 1 degree on/off setting, but two degrees in each direction, is too high for that to be the reason. 77 to 81 is a huge swing. In addition to the heater's thermostat, every heater is backed up with and Inkbird temperature controller so the power shuts down one degree above the HEATER setting.
DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH SOMETHING THAT REALLY HEATS TO TRUE TEMPERATURES?

Thank you in advance.

The new heater by Innovative Marine has a controller and alarms and adjustable and so on. Anyways it has held my set point exactly 78 degrees for me without swinging.

Expensive though and new so can’t speak of longevity but it is designed different and supposed to be much more reliable and accurate and so far it has been perfect.

Expect sticker shock although the price is pretty in line with how expensive the hobby is anyways.

PTC Smart Heater System from Innovative Marine | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The PTC Smart Heater is a very new and different way to manage aquarium water temperature from Innovative Marine. When you first look at it, the combination of a centralized thermostat…

reefbuilders.com

 

[Billldg]

I used Finnex Titanium heaters with t-stats and my Apex to keep a .5 degree variance. I will go with a BRS controller a titanium heaters, and my Apex to do the same on my upgrade.

 

[S.Pepper]

I know others have different experiences with the Inkbird controllers, but they have worked well for me. I have the ITC-306A wifi with 2 300 watt finnex heaters attached. It keeps my temperature with .3 degrees of what it is reading. I'm sure there are better systems out there, but it's working for me. gl

p.s. I have a 75 dt and total volume with sump is around 85 gallons.

 

[S.Pepper]

The new heater by Innovative Marine has a controller and alarms and adjustable and so on. Anyways it has held my set point exactly 78 degrees for me without swinging.

Expensive though and new so can’t speak of longevity but it is designed different and supposed to be much more reliable and accurate and so far it has been perfect.

Expect sticker shock although the price is pretty in line with how expensive the hobby is anyways.

PTC Smart Heater System from Innovative Marine | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The PTC Smart Heater is a very new and different way to manage aquarium water temperature from Innovative Marine. When you first look at it, the combination of a centralized thermostat…

reefbuilders.com

Those look great, and as u said, expensive. I might look at IM heating system in the future, but what I have now is working well.

 

[joec]

A Bulk Reef Supply analysis of all the heaters showed that the Cobalt Neotherm had the most narrow temperature range of any heater, I think it was around one degree +/-

 

[Tamberav]

A Bulk Reef Supply analysis of all the heaters showed that the Cobalt Neotherm had the most narrow temperature range of any heater, I think it was around one degree +/-

I found them very accurate for temp but also fail a lot. Of three I had one got stuck on and one exploded. Lots of threads about it out there.

 

[joec]

I found them very accurate for temp but also fail a lot. Of three I had one got stuck on and one exploded. Lots of threads about it out there.

Ive had a couple fail but also had several that have lasted almost three years and still working. I had one get stock on too

 

[PatW]

Well, the creatures will not care if the water temp is kept at 77 degrees or 78 degrees. Coral reefs do OK into the low 80s. They get problems with coral bleaching when they go at or over 85 degrees. Also, they do fine at lower temps to a point.

I would just set the heaters on “ON” and use a controller to turn them on or off based on the controllers thermO meter.

 

[Pkunk35]

What does everybody think about using this to calibrate or know where your current device's probes are at?

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/traceable-long-stem-calibration-thermometer.html

 

[joec]

What does everybody think about using this to calibrate or know where your current device's probes are at?

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/traceable-long-stem-calibration-thermometer.html

you can use any $5 aquarium thermometer and do an ice test to see how accurate it is and then you can use that finding to see how accurate your heaters or controllers are, no need to spend $70 but that's up to you

 

[Murphsreef]

I have found the BRS heaters and controller to be very accurate. Been Using them for 2 years now and never had an issue. I check them every couple of months with the ice test and a professional chef thermometer.

 

[EASTERN INDIGO]

What benefit do you get as a reefer of knowing the exact temperature? A fish doesn't care if a tank is 77.5 or 77.8. A fish might care if they are suddenly moved from water that is 77.8 to say 72 but as long as your are stable then the number is irrelevant.

Well, if I have a thermostat that is set to 78, and the unit is showing a temp or 74, that makes a difference doesn't it? I agree that you want a stable temperature, but knowing ACCURATELY what that temperature REALLY is, despite what the unit tells you IS crucial. Please don't tell me that a four degree variance is rare, because I can assure you it occurs very often, even with expensive systems. Dependability is the issue I'm trying to resolve.