heater problems

[johnson19]

I have a 120 DT and 30g sump. I keep two 200 watt heaters in it. I have them set on 78 and they keep it there but only for so long. Have to buy new ones every few months thinking about a chiller but don't know what brand or size I need

 

[James77]

Is your tank getting too hot? There are many ways to cool a tank without using a chiller. As for the heaters, the thermostats in them are horrible. I would buy a temperature controller from Ranco. Th single stage are about $60 and $100 for the dual stage. I would get the dual stage so you can control fans or a chiller if you get one. They are FAR more reliable than any hobby heater and even reef controllers

 

[johnson19]

Its not getting to hot Im having a hard time keeping it at the right temperature where would I find a ranco thing? Would that thing keep it warm?

 

[jerpa]

A Ranco controller doesn't do the heating or cooling, it simply controls the devices attached to it. The heater or chiller plugs into the Ranco. You set the temperature you want the tank set at and it will switch the heater or chiller on and off to keep that temperature. Some people use the thermostat on the heater and set the Rance to shut them off if the temperature gets too high. This can prevent a stuck heater from cooking your tank.

If these were all the same heater I'd look into a different brand of heaters. The Eheim Jager seem to get the best reviews.

 

[dave2184]

A Ranco controller and 2 titanium heaters without built in controllers(the controllers are usually the failure point), may also want to get higher output heaters if your current heaters cant keep up when your lights are off or when its cooler at night/winter.

I run a 200watt Coralvue titanium heater with out built in controller and control it with my Reef Keeper. If I didn't have the Reef Keeper I'd have a Ranco