Heater Recommendation

[quagmire]

Looking to retire my antique heater and step up to something modern. Looking for recommendations for a reliable heater and possibly a simple dedicated controller for it. Is a controller necessary, never used one before? Heaters/controllers to avoid? Two small heaters or 1 big one? My total water volume is approximately 100 gallons.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Ranco is a reliable controller for a heater.
Heaters - titanium or EboJager, now made by Eheim would be my choices.

 

[quagmire]

Is titanium a brand or type of heater?
Is the ranco plug and play or does it require hard wiring?

 

[rtecanoe]

titanium is a type - metal encased as opposed to glass so the glass wont break. I've always heard two smaller heaters is better than one big one so that if one should fail - either not go one or go off - it limits the damage to your tank, less likely to cook everything.

 

[Editour2]

I like the finnex heaters.....+1 on hooking up a controller. Heaters are notorious for failure issues....cracking, breaking ON, sending electricity through the tank etc.

 

[quagmire]

Is this one appropriate? No info on total wattage it can handle or if it's plug and play. Also does it have a fail safe built in? Whats the sense of using it if it doesn't have a fail safe shut off?
http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/ranco-dual-stage-temp-controller

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

John, You only need the single controller unless you have a chiller.
Finnex heaters are available with a controller also,
but I think the smallest I saw was 300W