Cold!

[preef]

Wow thanks for all the replies. I wanted a Jager heater but Petsmart did not have them in the stores. I went with a Stealth heater and it as been working fine now for 24 hours. Temp is at 76-78 now. I did loose my ORA Bottle Brush sadly and my FHI Granulosa is not happy and is STNing a bit. I would like a controller but they are to expensive for me right now. I have been in this for 5 years and never had or needed a controller.

Nooooooo! Take the Stealth back. There have been so many threads here about Stealth heaters exploding and causing tank crashes. The seams in the plastic will eventually split. Perhaps in Arizona it will run so infrequently you will never have a problem but I wouldn't risk it.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1942124&highlight=stealth
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1938081&highlight=stealth
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1937004&highlight=stealth
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1933572&highlight=stealth
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1935047&highlight=stealth

Petsmart carries Hydor Theo heaters. I started using them after my Stealth split and started leaking current into the tank and was causing me to get shocked. My Hydors have never failed me. Even without a controller my Hydors held the temperature very precisely. If you want to be extra careful by two smaller ones. If one sticks on it won't have enough wattage to overheat your tank.

 

[Fig]

Reefkeeper Lite is $99

 

[EllieSuz]

I agree that you are an ideal candidate for a controller. The ReefKeeper Lite at $99 will turn any heater off if it overheats. I also keep a back up heater to come on if the primary heater fails.

 

[preef]

A controller will not protect you from a common failure mode of the Stealths. These heaters are failing because the seam in the plastic covering is opening which allows saltwater to get to the heating element. In extreme cases water infiltrates the case, turns to steam and causes the case to explode. In other cases the metals in the heating element corrode and enter your system. A controller will protect your tank only from a heater that the thermostat is stuck on.

 

[EnderG60]

titanium heater with a controller.

I will never use a glass heater again(even the jagers) due to possible breakage, and I will never use a heater period again without a controller...EVER.

that said Im currently running a 1000w, 800w and 300w Ti heaters on my system all controlled by my AC3(through a heavy duty relay though)

You can pickup a used ACJR with a DC8 and temp probe for under$150 now. Well worth it simply for the ability to control heaters, fans and lights based on time and temp.

 

[JasonD]

+1 Jager + Controller, best of both worlds. I'm using a Reefkeeper Lite wonder how I got along without it. Its only $99, I almost feel guilty everytime I look at it, like I stold it or something. Fantastic deal!

Jason

 

[d0ughb0y]

The main difference in using a controller is you can give your tank a wider temp range. This can save you some power as heater will not be on as often.

if you just use a heater and set it to 78, then as soon as water temp goes below 78, it will turn on the heater. basically it will keep the water temp within 78 and not too much lower.

if you use a controller, you can let the water temp go down to say 76 before the heater kicks in, and then turn off when temp is say 79. so you will end up with a 3 degree range. this way, you will see your heater will be on no more than twice a day, in my case, if it is not that cold outside, the water temp does not go down to 76, then the heater does not even come on at all.

the op already allows for a wider temp swing running without a heater.

 

[allsps40]

^ I would not want my temp to swing like that every few hours. Stability is the best thing for SPS.
Yeah the Reefkeeper Lite is cheap but add on all the probes and it gets pricey quick. I will look into returning the Stealth heater. It was the only half way decent one Petsmart had. The other choices are, Aquatic Gardens and Ehime which was not fully submersible. My house heater is working again so the tank heater should not come on much now and I have always removed them in the summer.

 

[Bax]

I have, well had, at least 8 Stealths running well for years. I've allways been big on many slightly undersized heaters run throughout the system as it gets cold here and part of my system is in a barely heated shop. This year two have started producing stray current and were pulled. And just last week while I was standing next to my rock tub one exploded.

I changed my pants and now I'm shopping for all new heaters too.

But as mentioned ,an RKL will be the best $99 you've invested to date, hands down! It comes with the temp probe to monitor your heaters and lights, that is all you really need.

 

[sslak]

Ebo Jager is the only one I will trust.

For extra peace of mind, run it on a controller, a Ranco is pretty inexpensive and extremely accurate, if you can afford to spend a little more, get a ReefKeeper controller, best money I ever spent on the tank. No more worrying about a thermostat.

 

[allsps40]

I have been looking into a RKL. I would want to add a PH, alk, and Ca monitors. Can the RKL run these as well? I will take the Stealth heater out right now and see what the temp does over 24 hours. I should not need it now that my house heater is working and it is not as cold as it was for the last few days.