heater suggestion and controller yet again

[saltwaternoobie]

Figuring out how to heat my tank ! I figure I should have 400 to 500 watts as my house is usually cool . My tank is 79 gallons 300 l or haven't decided if it's just a 75 gallon ! Lol

My question is I would like to go with a heater with jbj so I can dial in the heater , heater will be located in the sump .I have done lots of reading and found I should have two heaters and split it the total watts ! Would it be wise to have two jbj heaters ? Or would one be best to have one jbj digatal heater ? I am also looking at an apex Jr by that wouldn't be till much later !

Any input would be appreciated or advice on doing another route would be great

 

[3dees]

I know some people don't like them, but I have a Tru-Temp in my 120 gal. going on 5 years. large read out and I only replaced the probe last year.

 

[Brieninsac]

By having two I don't think they split the wattage. To my understanding when they come on they do so at the full wattage.

There's a good YouTube video by BRS on the different heaters.

 

[saltwaternoobie]

I know some people don't like them, but I have a Tru-Temp in my 120 gal. going on 5 years. large read out and I only replaced the probe last year.

Are you just using one heater ?

 

[Tarawa]

Heaters just come on at full power when what ever triggers them. Personally I am using two jager 300w heaters, one is rigged to a STC-1000 temp controller and then second is on an apex. the one on the apex is set to come on two degrees cooler than the STC one, tho either heater seldom turn on. I think having two heaters is a good idea in case one fails, if money is needed else where one is fine as well.

 

[firebirdude]

As has been said, heaters are full on or full off. The reason you would have two would be for redundancy. In case one heater fails, at least you still have something in there. Even if the remaining heater has to stay on 24/7, at least your tank isn't frozen before you notice the problem.

Heaters very well may be the number 1 equipment failure in this hobby. At the same time, they can also causes grave damage when they fail, either fail in the on position or the off position. For this reason, I really recommend an external controller. The Apex or ReefKeeper would work obviously, but if you don't want to go that deep, the Cobalt Neo-Stat or the JBJ will work. Though for the entry level price of the ReefKeeper and the near $100 price of the Cobalt...it seems silly to just not get a real controller.

This hobby ain't cheap. And you can either learn from us or the hard way. That heater WILL fail at some point.

 

[saltwaternoobie]

Thanks for the advice and agree it is not cheap slowly building a system might look at reef keeper or another controller my plan is to buy a heater and add a controller down the road but that might just be asking for trouble !

 

[firebirdude]

Coming from a ReefKeeper owner of 3-4 years.... get the Apex. lol

The RK isn't garbage or anything. But it's got more than its share of flaws and Digital Aquatics doesn't exactly have stellar customer service.

 

[gone fishin]

I have used a Ranco temperature controller for a number of years.

 

[saltwaternoobie]

Coming from a ReefKeeper owner of 3-4 years.... get the Apex. lol

The RK isn't garbage or anything. But it's got more than its share of flaws and Digital Aquatics doesn't exactly have stellar customer service.

The apex is just a tempeture monitor and shuts the power off if it gets too hot ?is that correct ?

 

[saltwaternoobie]

I have used a Ranco temperature controller for a number of years.

I will check out ranco thanks

 

[firebirdude]

The apex is just a tempeture monitor and shuts the power off if it gets too hot ?is that correct ?

No sir. The Apex and ReefKeeper are full aquarium controllers with limitless possibility. You connect everything in your tank to them. The others that have been mentioned are strictly heater controllers. Just a temp probe and a socket to plug in your heater of choice.

If you're asking how the Apex works, then yes. That's how all the controllers work. They have their own temp probe and will kill power if it detects the water is getting too hot. The ReefKeeper or Apex could then be configured to do a number of other things. Like send you a text message that the water is hot. Turn on some fans. etc etc etc.

 

[BillNye]

^ well said.

You mentioned initially that you wanted an apex jr. I get that people want them because they're much cheaper but you're much more limited in what you're able to do down the road with a jr.

The jr has fewer probes, fewer outlets, and fewer aqua bus connections, or their version of a USB. I would strongly recommend getting the full or the gold.

 

[ScienceRulez]

For my freshwater tanks at home, I am using a basic digital temperature controller wired to an outlet in an electrical box. Something like this: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=337318#post4196885

If you wanted to have both heating and cooling capabilities you would need to get a STC-1000 and possibly wire it to two outlets, one for heating and one for cooling. The cheapest units are under $20 (mine cost $15), but one thing to be aware of is that if you go for the cheapest ones, the unit can only handle 5 amps. You can get stronger ones but of course they cost more.

The ones I am currently using had a total cost of ~$40, which includes wire, electrical box, outlet, and cover. If you opt for a GFCI outlet (I did), the cost will be a little higher.

 

[firebirdude]

^ well said.

You mentioned initially that you wanted an apex jr. I get that people want them because they're much cheaper but you're much more limited in what you're able to do down the road with a jr.

The jr has fewer probes, fewer outlets, and fewer aqua bus connections, or their version of a USB. I would strongly recommend getting the full or the gold.

I gotta agree. The Apex Jr and RK Lite are attractive price points and they're certainly nice for a small tank setup or just as a heater control with some bonus features. But if you truly want a tank controller, yeah, you gotta step up to the plate and get the full version. Yep. They aren't cheap. If you're really really strapped for cash, look into buying a full version used vs the lite versions new.

 

[firebirdude]

For my freshwater tanks at home, I am using a basic digital temperature controller wired to an outlet in an electrical box. Something like this: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=337318#post4196885

If you wanted to have both heating and cooling capabilities you would need to get a STC-1000 and possibly wire it to two outlets, one for heating and one for cooling. The cheapest units are under $20 (mine cost $15), but one thing to be aware of is that if you go for the cheapest ones, the unit can only handle 5 amps. You can get stronger ones but of course they cost more.

The ones I am currently using had a total cost of ~$40, which includes wire, electrical box, outlet, and cover. If you opt for a GFCI outlet (I did), the cost will be a little higher.

Huh. Interesting idea. BTW, 5 amps equates to 600W.

 

[saltwaternoobie]

I gotta agree. The Apex Jr and RK Lite are attractive price points and they're certainly nice for a small tank setup or just as a heater control with some bonus features. But if you truly want a tank controller, yeah, you gotta step up to the plate and get the full version. Yep. They aren't cheap. If you're really really strapped for cash, look into buying a full version used vs the lite versions new.

Thanks for all the advice from everyone so far ! it is appreciated . My main reason the apex jr is price but mainly i thought it was a contoller for a failsafe to protect your tank from overheating wasnt aware the apex could be used to control heater temp ! i just thought it was if your tank got too hot it would shut it off ! will look and budget some more for the proper controller !

 

[saltwaternoobie]

For my freshwater tanks at home, I am using a basic digital temperature controller wired to an outlet in an electrical box. Something like this: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=337318#post4196885

If you wanted to have both heating and cooling capabilities you would need to get a STC-1000 and possibly wire it to two outlets, one for heating and one for cooling. The cheapest units are under $20 (mine cost $15), but one thing to be aware of is that if you go for the cheapest ones, the unit can only handle 5 amps. You can get stronger ones but of course they cost more.

The ones I am currently using had a total cost of ~$40, which includes wire, electrical box, outlet, and cover. If you opt for a GFCI outlet (I did), the cost will be a little higher.

interesting diy project for a controller

 

[firebirdude]

The Apex cannot control heater temp. Like the cheaper heater only models mentioned (Ranco, JBJ, etc) if just shuts on/off the heater plug. So it doesn't control actually how much heat the heater outputs. It's either on or off.

Do a little reading up on the Apex.
https://www.neptunesystems.com/products/apex-controllers/

 

[DavidGraves]

I am in the early stages of a build plan as well. I plan on using a RANCO controller until I can save up for / justify the APEX. I read good things in my research.