112Gallon in Brisbane - 2x150W or 1x300w stainless?

[stardotstar]

I know this must have been asked many times and I have been reading the articles on heating wherever I can get search results.

There seems to be some really divided opinion but I am considering one 300w (will prob try to get Jager) or 2 150w heaters (AquaOne stainless) - since i am in Brisbane Australia it never really gets really cold and our house is well insulated and tank situation is almost ideal (WRT no sun, not on an external wall) (only near a shaded outdoor area glass door).

so I am thinking the stainless Aqua One with the external thermostat but:

two vs one (if you have say 2 150w if one fails "on" it won't cook the fish. and heating is more even??)

This is to be a 112Gallon (~400L) cichlid tank unplanted with sand substrate eventually to house 2 mature Os but in mean time a small number of various American Cichlids.

Cheers, Will

[revkev]

You get what you pay for I tried s/s heaters 2 out off 3 failed so I went for jager cost more but not one to fail yet (how much are your fish worth?)

[stardotstar]

The fish are not expensive (yet :) ) but I like your thinking.

[DIY]

I'm a big fan of the aquaone style s/s heaters since you can get them very cheap ($20 for up to 200w at AOA currently), and I run them in all my tanks BUT they do fail

The good news is when they fail they stop heating as opposed to stuck on, and a with a couple of dollars at jaycar, a soldering iron and about 15 minutes can be fixed fairly easily. It's just the thermistor (remote temp sensor at the end of the cable) that fails

Each one I've repaired hasn't failed again but if you're not into fixing things avoid them and go something like the jager!

[DIY]

Forgot to mention, I like the S/S heaters since the electronic controller holds the water temp very stable and you don't have to reach into the water to adjust it.

I've also had a glass heater crack in my tank and it scared the %$#& outta me, thats why I went down the S/S path.

[*Chris*]

jager comes with a 3 yr warranty as well mate and there made by eheim
EXAI

[Mulisha]

jager comes with a 3 yr warranty as well mate and there made by eheim
EXAI

If i'm buying a new heater it's going to be one of these!!

There is nothing like them very big but they work.. 8-) 8-)

[Stingray]

at $45 for a 300 watt Jaeger, I would not even put the aqua one s/s heaters into the equation. You will also save on your heating bills with Jaeger as they are substantially more energy efficient than the rest.

[kswong34]

i have a 250w aqua one s/s and it work very well for the whole winter in a 6x2x2 with a temperature of 28 (both the temperature dial and 2 thermometer)

Cheers

[DIY]

You will also save on your heating bills with Jaeger as they are substantially more energy efficient than the rest.
I didn't know that, does that mean it's best to use a smaller size in a jager to the rest? i.e. maybe 2x100w instead of 2x150w ?

[stardotstar]

I got a 300W jaeger today.

Thanks for all the advice and opinions guys, most elucidating.

[*Chris*]

why not just use a 200 watter instead of buying 2
???????
EXAI

[stardotstar]

I was considering two 150s for redundancy, but the 300w jaeger now makes the question moot :)

[mcloughlin2]

I would have went for two 150's ... at least then you have a heater as a back up if one fails 8-)

I use the cheap aqua one heaters and i still continue to use one i purchased 5-6years with no problems ... :!:

[stardotstar]

Might get a backup cheapie incase the jaeger fails and I need to claim on the warranty (or maybe two cheapie 150s for that case) As we are heading toward summer and people say they even turn their heaters off in summer I think I should be right but I will be keeping a very close eye on the temp.

I grew up in Sydney and although I always had smaller tanks I knew that I always had to have the heater on year round - but Brissie is a different kettle according to the locals I have been speaking to :)

Thanks for your input all :-)

[Stingray]

Stingray wrote:
You will also save on your heating bills with Jaeger as they are substantially more energy efficient than the rest.

I didn't know that, does that mean it's best to use a smaller size in a jager to the rest? i.e. maybe 2x100w instead of 2x150w ?

DIY Junkie, yes that is correct. For a 400 litre tank you will need a 200w Jaeger or 2 x 100w Jeager's, with the other brands you will need 300w of heating. Even if you used a 300w Jaeger on a 400 litre tank, you will still save quite a bit on your heating bill with the Jaeger 300w compared to any other brand 300w.
I am not sure I agree with all those people who use 2 x heaters to compensate if one fails. I always try to use just one heater per tank and always have a backup (cheapie) heater in storage in case I need it. When a heater fails, your fish are not about to die ! You usually have several days in which to rectify the problem. I am not a discus fan, so I wonder if discus are also ok without a heater for a few days ?