Heater problems

[Abiwicoral]

Hey guys!

I re-started my 10g tank a few weeks ago after having torn it down last year. 

I have tried three different heaters that I had (2 aquatops and 1 tetra), but the water temp isn’t remaining constant with any of them. The water is up to 78 even though the thermostat is set at 72. The room where it is in is usually about 66-72 degrees. Often I have 2-5 degree temp swings. When I had my 65g reef tank, this kind of temp swing would’ve freaked me out, but now that I have a nano tank I am wondering...are these kind of temp swings normal? will they harm fish corals or inverts? Or should I just buy a different heater (what would recommend)?

Thanks!!

[Clown79]

Buy a better heater and a controller.

 

Cobalt neotherm, eheim jagger, aqueon peo are all good.

 

The inkbird it- 308 is a great controller

[Firefish15]

8 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Buy a better heater and a controller.

 

Cobalt neotherm, eheim jagger, aqueon peo are all good.

 

The inkbird it- 308 is a great controller

+1 on the Cobalt Neotherm. I've got a 75w on my 10g, and my temp has never varied by more than a degree from the set point. I check it often with a bubble thermometer and a digital one. A 50-watt would suffice as well. Nice slim profile too.

[Clown79]

33 minutes ago, Firefish15 said:

+1 on the Cobalt Neotherm. I've got a 75w on my 10g, and my temp has never varied by more than a degree from the set point. I check it often with a bubble thermometer and a digital one. A 50-watt would suffice as well. Nice slim profile too.

Out of the 3 heaters the aqueon pro has been spot on. My 5.5 is always 78 and with no controller.

 

All 3 heaters are good.

Eheim is just too big. They need to make them smaller.

 

I use a 75w cobalt in my 25g. It works well. Temp is always 77.8 - 78.4

[Abiwicoral]

Thanks for the advice!! I will be upgrading heaters soon 😁

[Firefish15]

6 minutes ago, Abiwicoral said:

Thanks for the advice!! I will be upgrading heaters soon 😁

Good quality heaters make a big difference in terms of stability. It's not as common anymore, but I've heard of cheap heaters malfunctioning and cooking aquariums.

[jedimasterben]

6 minutes ago, Firefish15 said:

Good quality heaters make a big difference in terms of stability. It's not as common anymore, but I've heard of cheap heaters malfunctioning and cooking aquariums.

Quality heaters will all eventually do the same, as well. It's just a point of failure that you have to be prepared for, just like a pump or light failure.

[Abiwicoral]

9 minutes ago, jedimasterben said:

Quality heaters will all eventually do the same, as well. It's just a point of failure that you have to be prepared for, just like a pump or light failure.

How often would you recommend replacing heaters (I know there are variables, but generally speaking)?

[jedimasterben]

26 minutes ago, Abiwicoral said:

How often would you recommend replacing heaters (I know there are variables, but generally speaking)?

There really isn't a good rule of thumb for it, unfortunately. They can fail after six months or can last a decade. Best to use a heater controller like from Inkbird as a failsafe.