The Truth About Aquarium Heaters (and Why They Always Break...)
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 15. 06. 2024
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â Why do heaters always fail? What can we change to increase their reliability and lifespan?
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At Aquarium Co-Op, we focus on your aquariums. We specialize in freshwater tropical fish, aquatic plants, and the overall betterment of the freshwater fish keeping hobby. Our goal is to help you with your first pet fish and graduate you to an advanced aquarium hobbyist. If you'd like to take it to the next level, subscribe to Aquarium Co-Op and check out our weekly videos.
Cory McElroy is employed by Aquarium Co-Op LLC. He also owns Aquarium Co-Op LLC. Therefore, all content is sponsored by Aquarium Co-Op.
0:00 - INTRO
0:08 - MY EXPERIENCE WITH AQUARIUM HEATERS
1:29 - PROBLEMS WITH AQUARIUM HEATERS
5:40 - HOW TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF A HEATER
11:16 - SPLITTING UP OUR NEEDS
16:04 - OUTRO
#Aquariumcoop #Aquariumfish #Fishtank
Visit aquariumcoop.com/ to buy aquarium plants, lights, fish food, and more from Aquarium Co-Op
@LightSoundGeometry Analog Electronics exactly. Mine still running as well
Hey cory, i have a Question would it be an Idea to Make Bio kits (Bio Filter material, Bacteria etc.) And starter medic kits So its easier for people that are startes to Find out what they need For serten Things like Standard treatment stuff for Fish sicknesses etc. (Btw sorry for my bad english đ Im dutch(
@LightSoundGeometry Analog Electronics I have two. One failed after a few years. The other probably still works but is retired.
Aquarium Co-Op one of your fish in the tank behind you was looking suspicious. Hope it is ok!
so what your saying is. Instead of buying a Bus... I should buy 3 Mini vans?
Cory, one thing that differentiates your videos from others I watch on the hobby, is that after watching yours I end up making changes to my tanks. Thank you very much. You make a difference.
The fact he educated his audience instead of pushing products is freshing plus the products he makes he's tested himself to be to a standard which he approves of
As a retired electronics engineer, I can
tell you the reason heaters fail is
because they are designed wrong.
With the correct design, the heater can
last decades. It really wouldn't cost
that much more to do it right.
The current design hooks up the heating
elements directly to the mains (Constant
Voltage Source). They need to design it
so the heating elements connect to a
Constant Current Source. That way the
heater can turn on and off thousands of
times a day without the destructive
current surges through the heating
elements when it turns on.
If the heater detects a low flow
condition the electronics can throttle
back the current to the heating
elements.
Another design flaw of most heaters is
the electronics are in the same tube
that the heating elements are,
subjecting the electronics to high
temperatures. High heat is the enemy of
electronics. The designs that use a
separate controller out side of the tank
are much better.
Couldn't agree more and the heater manufacturers know this too. That's why they will never implement such a design because then they couldn't sell you another one when their flawed design fails. I'm not telling you anything you dont already know ;)
How long does a tmperature sensor last when seperated from teh heat source? I have one of the rare filters with a seperated system like you suggest, but the temperature sensor broke (physical force). I think it is a pt100 because these seem to be very common and I will replace it with such a sensor.
I believe the titanium heaters are designed this way. The only problem I've had with them is the temp probes going bad. But at the same time I've had old glass heaters last over 15 years.
Tony Meagher your 2nd paragraph is the #1 reason why they don't make better heaters
@Sweet James agree it's a big long commercial given. All that was needed to explain this is what Tony Meagher wrote.
A warning to everyone who keep large fish concerning heaters. I had a 75 gallon tank with two Oscars, and as anyone who has kept Oscars know they can be rowdy fish. I went to feed them one day and noticed something shiny in the bottom of the tank. Reached in to take it out and it was the glass case from the heater. I immediately went to remove the remains of the heater from the tank, but it wasn't there.
I found it lying behind the tank on the wooden tank stand, it had been there, still running, and had burnt the wood, I mean a serious deep charred spot. I'm just lucky my house didn't catch fire. So anyone with large fish capable of doing this beware, take precautions to avoid this happening. Myself, I quit using heaters altogether.
If you want to use a heater in this scenario you'd probably be better off to have your heater in a sump or somewhere outside of the aquarium.
@@merfishsandwich691 If you have that option, yes, but it's not always one people have.
Fluval E series heaters fit your needs I think
@@seane1516 Appreciate it, that was years ago however. I only have small fish now. I love Oscars but I got tired of not being able to have plants or much decoration in my tank. Plus, mine lived like 15 years, that was a long time with a bare tank.
Can you tell me how you keep your tanks warm without a heater? They do give me a lot of anxiety. But if I ever forget to plug them in after a water change, my water can go down to 62!
Beautiful goldfish tank. I'd happily watch a video of that tank for an hour.
Srsly, I find myself just staring at it during these videos
Hear hear!:)) same here
Same! I have my heart set on some fancy goldfish like those. đ
Cory, you are so good at explaining things! Thank you, I never looked at it that away!
Damn, I tilted my heater right away and put it near my bubbles for flow. Thanks for the advice!!
Raflm, I put my filter intake tube near the heater to push the water around.
âDonât drive your car like an idiot...â. LOL! Coop needs to develop a heater with range, so less on and off. Love the vid!
All that is required is a separate temperature controller, so you can set the interval however you please
@@paulsabucchi Where would one find such a thing? Link?
"Retain as much heat as you can first" was the approach I've applied to my aquarium, which is currently in my basement. My basement is only semi-finished, so only semi-insulated. At least it's heated. So to keep as much heat as possible, the outside back and one end are covered with styrofoam sheets, and I usually have towels laying on top of my lid (which doubles to keep dust out).
The heating I use is an under-gravel heating cable.
Best fish keeping advice on CZcams, as always. Practical, common sense, honest. If everyone ran their business like Cory the world would be such a nicer and easier place.
Nice job with the explanation here Cory. It would definitely be nice to have a heater with a heating curve, instead of a hard-set temperature to stick to.
Great information. Thanks for taking the time to explain it all so well. It helps me to really understand the âwhyâ behind things.
WOW this has been the best put together information about heaters and how they work and why they fail.... EVER!! Thank you. You have just changed my entire thinking on heating my aquariums.
Thank you Incredibly informative - some of the best information on an important subject
My personal experience is that once i started going with Eheim (JĂ€ger) i haven't had a failed heater for over 10 years. They are all still going strong. Previously i had broken heaters every year.
Very good info to know, and exactly why I LOVE this channel. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us, Cory!
Thanks for making this video, and sharing the knowledge. Lots of fish keepers including myself presume to know much about aquarium heaters, but I think you have just given us that little extra knowledge that we needed. Thanks mate.
I'd love to see a heater developed by Aquatium Co-OP. The sponge filters you have are great, I'd imagine anything you guys produce would be cost effective and well made.
Tbh sponge filters are almost failproof and definitely dropshipped from China but yes, Cory would do great with sales of a heater of his own with his branding behind it
@@lukas______ Not too fast. My last sponge filter I purchased had great bubbles and air flow, but would not suck in anything. I replace it with a CoOp and voila!
Problem is, you'd need to re-invent the wheel on these or find existing things to combine into one thing... that are already manufactured. They'd just end up selling off brand stuff.
Love what you guys bring to the hobby! You remind me of brs but for fresh water.
Temp controllers and exchangeable parts are the future of heaters with a way to cut power if temp exceeds a certain value.
Really like the background set up. Way to produce quality content. Thanks
Totally excellent rendition on something so basic & critical. Thank you.
Excellent video. You brought up great points I've never considered and they make a lot of sense. Thanks. đ
They can easily make a better heater, seriously it's 2021, they have electric cars that go 600 miles. It's all about cheap Chinese manufacturing and forced obsolescence.
Or itâs about making a heater at a price point that people will actually purchase it.
Thank you for the explanation. And for providing the temperature also in Celsius.
That was very informative! Thank you! I love all of your videos. I appreciate all of the in depth explanations. I'm very excited to set up my new aquarium now that I'm informed.
I have two small heaters in my 40 gl. Not by choice, but because I upgraded my tank to a bigger size and I used the heaters from the two smaller tanks. Now I find out that it is a good idea.
Great Video Cory! You made some excellent points on heaters that are spot on. I truly enjoyed listening to this video on my lunch break.
I've been thinking about this exact topic all weak. Thanks for the great info Cory!
Youâve been reading my rants! (Maybe) I love these âhow to properly use your equipmentâ videos.
I always put my heaters (which are E. Jager) either next to the filter intake or output, horizontal and below water change level. And set them to winter water temps for the fishes natural habitat. (Shrimp donât need a heater for ex)
Ha ha ha... I use a lot of 50w & 75w heaters in the house and donât go to 100w except for the garage tanks with bigger tanks (unheated garage). I also add rigid insulation to the back of my tanks.
When i experimented with insulating tanks, I find it didn't help as much as I would have liked. A glass top did help a lot though. Eliminating super cold air near the tanks helps as well.
Thank you so much for explaining how to use an aquarium heater properly. I have been going through heaters like crazy.
Always so informative. Thank you.
My last heater JUST burned out... And you explained every thing I did wrong. Just fixed my mistakes. Thank you!! :)
Iâm really digginâ the beard!
Mine literally just broke 10 minutes ago wtf why is CZcams stalking me
The Algorithm knows all o.o
Alexa ..... Stop spying .
Add a sock to the end of your phone to block the camera and mic lol
đ
Thank you from a newbie for a very comprehensive explanation on heaters and water flow etc
I can't begin to explain how much this video just helped me out. Your a genius mate
Great explanation! Supervaluable information for all hobbyists.
I have 4 Aqueon âProâ heaters after 3 years they are all working fine. im pretty happy with that
This is super helpful, thank you. I'm looking to get my first tank but before i do im researching everything to make sure my new flat mates are well cared for and this made perfect sense! Defo my fav fishtuber :D
Sound logic and insights, Corey! Great job.
Dollar store foam poster board is a secret weapon on the back and some sides of my tank. Don't tell anyone.
I still have a heater from the late 70s I have started using it again for the last 3 years
Be careful if the manufacturer Does not warranty the heater that long, your looking at a fire hazard, hazard to your tank, fluctuations in temperature can harm fish sensitive to temperature change. Please for the sake of the hobbie, your life, the life of your fish. Get a new heater!!!!!! Immediately. Test your tank water with more than one thermometer. Check digital against glass thermometer. Always have a way to verify your numbers. Also Never assume a heater is good, always have. A back up waiting to throw in the tank. Check to see if you are having fluctuations In temp with that old heater your using, if you care about your fish, that are living breathing ANIMALS, stop treating them like there a Peasant, they are as important as our cats or dogs.
As someone from the reptile keeping hobby just getting into keeping Australian red claw Iâm so thankful for having a few different types of thermostats meant for heat mats/cables/lights etc, makes life 10 times easier. They can be a bit pricey though thatâs the only problem.
Love the new color scheme! You look healthier and the tank looks great. This is a lot of great info that is very helpful. Thank you!
Cory , do you have any info or experience with in-line heaters ?
Could you talk about condensation inside the heater?
great advice, a good backdrop for your presentation
Wow, just opened my eyes on heating my tanks! Thanks man!
I've got a variety of heaters and I haven't lost one yet (aside from those crappy "Always On" Betta tank ones). Granted, my heaters live beside my filter's outflow, might account for a lot of my "luck"...
I love the idea that other commenters have mentioned of putting them on a timer so there is some fluctuation like there is in nature, your other suggestions are certainly going to help me and others out as well.
I always have my heaters hooked to a thermostat to give me that added piece of mind
What happens if the thermostat is faulty... lol but, I agree, have mine on thermostat also along with thermometers also. In 120 have 4 and in 75 have 3 and 150 have 5. All the lil ones, 55 and delow I have 3 to 2. What we won't do for our fishy family!! Lol
thermostats are rubbish for heat control, either full on or fully off, this puts strain on everything else but its the cheapest solution for the manufacturer, a PID controller like used in incubaters is far more accurate and coupled to an ssr relay no moving parts, its whats in your cruise control in your car, imagin trying to hold 50 in your car using only full throttle or no throttle, almos imposible. thats just what a thermostat does.
@@incubatork Sounds smart but where would such a thing be found that would work with aquarium heaters? Link?
As usual, great information for us to consider and make our aquariums a better environment for our fish.
Thanks for the information Cory, Iâve adjusted the position of my heater as it was vertical đ đ
Use to have a heater in my tank when I first got it 2 years ago but i'v never used it cause my house is allways warm enough even in the winter
Good discussion. I use heater controllers on all my tanks and set with a variance of +/- 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Less on/off cycles. Also use smaller than recommended heaters on most tanks and they heat just fine. 25w on 10 gal, 50 watt on 20 gal, etc. Iâve had 5 of the cobalt neo-therm heaters and all but one has failed.
For some further info for us, what was the purchase date on those cobalt neo therms?
Aquarium Co-Op Cory, I purchased two when they first came out (2014?). They both failed and were replaced by Cobalt in 2016 or 2017 before the warranty expired. I had also purchased an additional Neo-therm. The new heater and the two replacements were acquired after Cobalt âfixedâ the issue which caused early production heaters to explode/crack. Only have one still working. Most of them failed by sticking âOnâ. Only one had a cracked housing.
What about 5 gallon tanks? It's hard to find good quality heater for less than 25 watts.
I love your way of explaining... Brilliant.
Shout out from Ireland đźđȘ đ
My favorite video so far. Thank you for those precious informations!
AWESOME video! Great points and alot of good info that all fishkeepers need to know. Saving fish lives and fishkeepers money one video at a time đ
I plug my heater into a timer; temp fluctuates gently over the course of the day and reduces the number of on/off cycles. Fish appear happy.
That's an interesting idea, I'm assuming that streams even in the tropics cool down over night, so you could even turn the heater off for a while at night....
Wow Ima try this thanks
@Huds S alternating on/off every 3-4hrs.
Great conversation! We should all work to make things more sustainable and last longer.
Thank you for the great info. Iâll certainly use it going forward.đ
I've never really had any issues with my heaters. I think the shortest lifespan of any of my heaters has been like 10 years.
Mike Keough As a kid I only had one heater last at least 15 years when I had my freshwater aquarium. That was back in the 90s. Havenât had an aquarium in quite some time so donât know how durable modern heaters are
@@scottl5910 Yeah I've wondered if why people are seemingly having so many issues are the materials being used or the way they are being assembled now vs 30 years ago. Sometimes there can be such a thing as too much "tech" or other bells and whistles. I'd honestly be super leery of purchasing a heater with a digital readout. I've always just used basic wand style heaters complete with power cord and temperature dial.
Definitely something to be said for nano tanks in that regard. My 2.5gal and my 5gal tanks I had 25 years ago had no heaters. Just kept them in climate controlled rooms. Those were some great little experiment tanks.
@@spinelessmoderate8715 what type of heaters do you have? Brand & size?
it would be interesting to know the day/night temp fluctuations where the fish are found locally. It would probably differ between fish found in large lakes vs streams/rivers. I don't think multiple cycles of heating and cooling during the day is the answer, but being able to set a day and night target temperature to get one nice temperature ramp up during the day and cool down during the night should be the goal. This would probably only be feasible using a heater attached to a variable wattage controller. Assuming proper heater use (located in higher flow area, placed at 45 deg, etc), the large number of variables (tank size, ambient temperature, target temperatures, etc) would necessitate developing a complex heating algorithm or ultimately an AI algorithm to control temperature to achieve previous stated goal. In other words, ultimately a computer controlled device.
As far as safety is concerned, on any tank with livestock i wouldn't risk using a heater without a thermostat. Additionally, if I had a really rare/endangered/extinct in the wild species, I would probably go to the extreme of DIY'ing a heat exchanger system that would physically isolate the heated water from the tank water, to prevent heater ruptures from possibly contaminating the tank and killing livestock.
Interesting topic. Fluke makes temperature data loggers that would allow accurate data gathering. That would be my first step.
I have to say as someone just entering the hobby these videos have been invaluable!
Thanks so much for the explanation about the lower wattage heaters producing fewer on/off cycles. Makes so much sense!
I have learned a lot from trial and error, and your channel. I've removed heaters from the two aquariums that I have since freshwater tanks don't really need them; as long as your place is heated and a steady room temperature.
Love the honesty and explanation Cory, thats why I buy my stuff from you...Q: Why cant they design a 2 or 3 degree range, seems like a simple fix; way less cycling and less heat build up??
Marketing, people buy accuracy. They believe in that. It'll take quite a bit to change the opinion of 30 years of marketing currently.
Extremely well presented... thx
What a great video, so insightful. Thank you very much
Use an external/separate thermostat to regulate the temperature and set the internal thermostat a couple of degrees higher, then you have a failsafe if it should get stuck and you won't boil your fish.
I make mine myself and have WiFi access and monitoring on them, not that hard to do if you got some knowledge in electronics.
Wow this is really good food for thought!! My knowledge set is mostly about the biological aspects of fish keeping and Iâve read up a lot about filtration too but my electrical knowledge is pretty lacking. I think electrical is a pretty important aspect of fish keeping that often goes unmentioned. My brotherâs roommate knows a ton about mechanical and electrical stuff and heâs been schooling me on the dumb stuff Iâve been doing with extensions cords and outlet expanders for my aquarium set-ups lol. So great category of videos to touch on! Thanks
You should forward the information or have him get with cory and teach him this stuff so he an teach us
Great video, I learned so much about heaters that I'd never really considered before
The most honest fish keeper in the game. Thank you for sharing your knowledge With us.
I personally like to put my aqarium headers on the out flow of my canister filter
I put my footers there
I put my headers in the back of the net
When will they make a heater that can survive my *KARATE KICKS* ?!
I'd buy 3
Get a titanium heater and it will break your foot!
@@paulsabucchi lol
Are your sumps that large that you practice your karate in them?!? ;-))
Thank you for the info Corey very informative and I will be taking your advice
You make everything make sense. thank you!!
How many gallons is that tank behind you? Its gorgeous! would love to get one like that
800
And cost $15,000.00 Better start saving. . .
@@michaellindsey1543 đ
My Heater is tilted right underneath the intake of my Fluval HOB. That way it sucks the warm water up and spits it out through the tank.
Good, practical information. Thank you.
So amazing and interesting topic..I always search for this .. thanks for sharing the details
I use an Inkbird thermostat with my heater. Stops the fish getting cooked if the heater malfunctions and allows me to set a temperature range so the heater is not always turning on and off.
Great advice, Ink bird can save fish!
Bulk reef supply came out with a phenomenal one
Which one is that?
Very good info, learned a lot of new things from this video. Thanks!
Thanks Corey! Reasonable length in time too!
Been using aqueon heaters and never had any break on me or give me any problems.
Ohhhh cory! I woke up to a broken heater. It had foggy glass all up the backside. was only a month old. đ Good timing bro..
Thank you so much for this info!†Your knowledge is gold!!!đ
Great, valuable info-Thanks!
Mine breaks 9/10 times due to dropping them on my concrete floor :P
why are you taking it out of the tank so often? For cleaning?
You have made a good point there even if it was tong in cheek. I have a selection of heaters from some cheap ones to more expensive and I have not had any trouble. It is physical and thermal handling. Handle gently and give them chance to cool also any crud like Cory was referring to get it off with a scourer as this will cause a hot spot and weaken the stress the glass.
Aqueon pro heater is made of some kind of metal and they work well. Never dropped mine but I'm sure they'll survive a fall or two
@@urhma7419 I agree I have 2 of them and they are great. They use electronic thermostat. In the USA look got Cobolt which is calibrated in Fahrenheit.
@@SuperRoverboy not that often but since I've about 70ish tanks in my shop I handle alot of heaters and accidents happen đ I mostly use and sell aqua nova heaters since their selling price is pretty much what a jĂ€ger heater costs to stock..
I have an aquarium heater from 1973 and it works perfect ..it's coil wires are thick ..all the new ones are made delicate and fragile
I'd love to see a pic or video of that, sounds awesome.
Impressive. What brand is it?
such a helpful video. Thanks for this.
Very informative. Thanks
I've been considering a temperature controller to help with this. Any recommendations on one? I've never seen one in a local store. Anyone tried to recommended one on Amazon?
Validation! I have never felt so validated as a hobbyist. The reason my no-name garbage brand heaters have kept going for a decade and my buddies' expensive ones keep failing is because I always put my heaters right under the filter's outflow. My reasoning was aesthetic, to make them both easier to hide, but I'm so glad I was accidentally doing it right all along!! Both because of the heat coming off the filter making it easier on the heater, and because it's in the highest-flow part of my tank. Now I keep my aquarium room at about 75 and only run 1 heater (for a frog that needs about 80) and I can tell you that if most of your livestock need similar temps, heating the whole entire room is really the way to go.
I put the flat aqueon one directly into a hang on back filter. Works great
Thank you for the heater information. I learned some things.
Good advice I have been heating my tank wrong I understand now THANKYOU.
I donât know if this is good, but I have a air stone under all my heaters and they tend to last at least 5 to 6 years.
I've had mine 6 years and it hasn't broke and I got it used
The irony of talking about heaters with a cold water tank behind him
His first love is Rainbow fish and they are tropical. He just picked out a cheerful background for today. I love Cory.
Goldfish doesn't need a heater đđ
No they don't I actually raised my fantail goldfish named Orange Crush (no joke) and kept his tank water between 65-72*F He's still alive and lives w/a good friend I. the state of Oregon due to the fact I could take him to the East coast đđâïž
Couldn't not could
Cory, your common sense explanations are on point! I loved the light bulb analogy. Thanks for the video!
Teaching common sense! Love the Church Of Aquarium Co-Op!