Help With Heater

I just purchased a Jäger 200 W heater after reading so many horror stories of how peoples thermometers will break or melt or destroy their tank. Since I have no idea how old my heater was I decided to invest in a new one.

First off, I have read that Jäger is a reliable heater, is this correct? Secondly, is there any precautions I need to take before I install the heater? Do I simply just set the temperature dial and then let it do its thing?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Robert

 

I've heard they're more reliable than some, but all heaters can fail. I have no personal experience with them. Just make sure you use at least one other thermometer to check it against to make sure the thermostat is not off.
The safest way is to get a controller (even the cheaper $100 ones like the ReefKeeper Lite) because they have sturdier thermostats and are less prone to breaking/failing.

 

Thanks for the input. Where would you go about finding one of those controllers?

 

Oh crap, I just bought a Marinland 200 today (it's not glass), are those bad? Now you have me worried, lol.

 

+1 100 bucks for peace of mind is worth it

 

I use the Via Aqua Titanium heaters myself, no more glass for me.
I also use the Reefkeeper Lite to control it like found here:
www.digitalaquatics.com
You can also buy the Reefkeeper through places like Bulk Reef Supply and Marine Depot.

 

Definitely use a controller with the heater. I would set the heater stat just a slight bit higher than the controller's, that way if the controller's stat goes wacko the heater's internal one will still shut the heater off with only a slight raise in temperature.

 

There's nothing really special you need to do, just set it and put it in. Make sure to find out if it is fully submersible or not. Also, monitor your temperature closely for a few days to make sure it's keeping your tank at the proper temperature. I like to check in the morning to see how well it kept the temp up during the nights, and at the end of the day to see how the lights and such affect the temp.

I also just bought a new heater, my old heater broke, which I eventually figured out b/c my temp was always around 80-82. I wondered why b/c my heater was set to 78 and I could see that it was on. Well, it ended up being broken, stuck in the "on" position. Luckily for me it could keep up with my tank size, but couldn't heat up the water much more. So I replaced it with a Marineland 200w heater. I like it a lot. It's not glass, has a new style heating element, no springs on the inside, is fully submersible, has an LED light to let you know if it's on or not and automatically shuts off when taken out of the water. So far so good.