I pulled the trigger on this combo last night. After reading through so many conflicting posts, this made the most sense to me with regards to redundancy.
Long term reviews for hygger heaters
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I pulled the trigger on this combo last night. After reading through so many conflicting posts, this made the most sense to me with regards to redundancy.
GlassMunky
2500 Club Member
We run these at the pond store I work at to heat the koi pools during the early spring and winter time. They work well.
I tried those from Amazon, the first one put current into my water, shocked me when I plugged it in. Warranty and second one I got lasted about 5 weeks and it started putting current into my water.
I bought an Inkbird double and 2x 600watt titanium heaters from BRS.
Not to say this started much better, one of the elements was bad out of the box, it put current into the water, but one element did not, so I plugged it in and contacted BRS for replacement. They sent me 2 more heaters and told me to just throw the bad one away. They both worked so I ended up with an Extra Element that I keep Just in Case, but 8 months in and no problems and I still have that spare.
Malum Argenteum
Active Member
No, that bolded part is not how this works. If the heater (electronic thermostat and a separate heating element, like the Finnex noted above) fails 'ON', this will not be a fault in the element itself. The heating element cannot fail on, since the heating element is always on; that's why it is switched by a thermostat. If there is a failure in the 'ON' state, this will be because of a fault in the thermostat. Replacing the element after this sort of failure would not help, since it will not have been the element that failed. The thermostat will need replacing.
That is a good feature that the Finnex has, to have a second circuit to keep checks on the primary thermostatic control, but it does not help in certain sorts of 'ON' type failures such as failure of the temp probe.
I've owned two of these Finnex units and had no better results with them than any other comparable units (one failed -- I forget in what state; I run these on makeup water holding vats and so don't really care about failures -- and the other lost a couple pixels on the screen and was unreadable). I'm currently running a few of the non-wifi Inkbirds, and they've been good but it has only been a couple years.
On how to work in more failsafes: run two smaller titanium elements (or two glass tube heaters turned at least a few degrees above desired temp) each with their own digital thermostat. Two elements on only one controller guards against only failure of an element, which is a failure 'OFF'.
A thermostat can fail 'OFF' (in which case no heat will be provided), or 'ON' (in which case the tank may overheat), so having two elements on one thermostat doesn't guard against many types of failure. Having two separate heating systems guards against 'ON' or 'OFF' failures at the heating hardware level (but not, of course, against house power losses or bad power strips or human error or...etc).
You are correct, I made a mistake. Thinking of all possible scenarios, I accidentally added a scenario that is exclusive for heaters with built in controllers. The stand alone element can not fail in ON.
Yes two controllers with two elements is an extra step for fail safe, I was trying to remain on budget for the OP
The gray box finnex controller units I feel are solid and have used for many years. Is this what you used or did you have the black box finnex controller? The black one does have some failures reported, and even though it’s slightly newer I avoid it
Yes two controllers with two elements is an extra step for fail safe, I was trying to remain on budget for the OP
The gray box finnex controller units I feel are solid and have used for many years. Is this what you used or did you have the black box finnex controller? The black one does have some failures reported, and even though it’s slightly newer I avoid it
I pulled the trigger on this combo last night. After reading through so many conflicting posts, this made the most sense to me with regards to redundancy.
It is a good setup but in regards the the quote you mentioned, the Jagers are glass heaters and not titanium.
Jagers have a good reputation but I had one crack in a 40g tank I ran a few years ago. I only use titanium now to eliminate the chance of glass cracking.
I didn't see any titanium heaters that had the built in temp control. My concern was if the inkbird failed on, there would be no backup to keep the element from continuously heating.
My last setup was a titanium element with a controller and temp probe, it seems like I got lucky and the element was what failed, since the controller was showing it was in heat mode. Granted, it was a Aquatop brand so idk about it's quality.
I feel like I have some options with this setup, and I can add or switch back to titanium elements in the future. It was pretty confusing for me to try and go through opinions and experience with each one of the controllers. But Ranco/Aqualogic was a nonstarter due to how hard it was to even find what I was looking for, plus the cost, plus the additional work with sealing the probe etc. And to me inkbird seemed like a solid choice over the finnex. But who knows, at this point I'm just hoping it's stable and doesn't fail on and cook my tank.
Don’t get me wrong you have a solid setup that many use
And this choice isn’t easy, it’s a risky device and no company has a history with zero failures.
Malum Argenteum
Active Member
I don't recall the color. They were purchased new in 2015 and 2016, if that helps.
I believe I read that the Inkbird can't fail ON due to it's design, maybe I'm imaging that.
I believe the gray box finnex I use is like that with physical magnetic old school relays inside but I also may be imagining that
Found this
Also setting these controllers from Finnex competitors, have ease of mind as this controller features a dual relay inter-work, doubling the protection, disabling heating in case of overheating.
And relays are electromagnetic switches, so this controller uses dual relays for extra protection. I am not sure what inkbird uses, I never looked it up
www.finnex.net
Also setting these controllers from Finnex competitors, have ease of mind as this controller features a dual relay inter-work, doubling the protection, disabling heating in case of overheating.
And relays are electromagnetic switches, so this controller uses dual relays for extra protection. I am not sure what inkbird uses, I never looked it up
Finnex Premium Aquarium Titanium Heaters and Digital Controllers
Best selling titanium heaters and digital controllers on the market. The Finnex titanium heaters are engulfed in a protective heater guard. Controllers are available in digital or analog versions. Heaters range from 50 watts to 800 watts for larger applications.
www.finnex.net
Basically Finnex or Jaeger fit here
Exactly, for that matter I won’t even use one on a larger tank
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of ALL the components for a reef tank the last two things you want to skimp on is a heater or a return pump, don’t do it
Added. if I say so myself My credentials here are from direct experience and losses…I have a good sample size of fish losses, purchase and hardware experience here
OP
OP
ajremington68
Well-Known Member
How did you know it was putting electricity in your water? Just by touch? Never thought about how to know cuz you can’t see electricity obviously
OP
OP
ajremington68
Well-Known Member
Okay so this is looking like my best option and most favored. The 2 500watt should be perfect for 220gal give or take of water. Aswell as the controller. Also with them being titanium is favored.You would do this
50$
500 Watt Titanium (Heater Element Only) w/Guard (70-130 Gallon) - Finnex
Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.www.saltwateraquarium.com
And
90$
500 Watt Titanium Heater w/Digital Controller (70-130 Gallon) - Finnex
Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.
And
6$
Now question can you control the heater to be set at 75 degrees if so how?
How do you plug both 500watts into the 1 controller.
Does the controller work like you have the probe in one side of the sump and the heaters in the other and the controller powers on the heaters to heat the water until it reaches the 75 then powers them back off?
Then would I be able to buy the $90.00 controller and 500watt now and run it while I’m cycling and my tank is fishless and coralless, then once I get the other 500watt and splitter once I’m about to get fish I can just buy plug and play them?
Thanks for all the help btw so many options and opinions if I don’t ask I’ll never be able to choose.
stand barefoot on a concrete floor, or wet carpet floor for that matter you just have to be Grounded and reach into your tank, if your heaters are bleeding current, you will feel it. It is very uncomfortable sensation.
Yes the controller can be set to any realistic temp you want. 75 is no issue
The controller has a normal female power plug coming out for the heater to plug into. If you use two heaters you use the Y adapter. I checked and the one I posted is safe for 1300 or 1500 watts I forget which. But it was more than enough for 1000 watts so that’s why I linked it
Yes you ideally put the probe in the same compartment as the heater. second best spot is in a area of flow just before the heater. So it senses the temp of water coming from the display and has a more accurate idea of the display temp
Here is a better pic of the controller. You set the temperature you want the tank to be, and you set when you want the alarms to go off (high and low)
Green light means everything is ok. If the heater is on the red indicator light next to heater lights up
If the tank goes out of range the alarm goes off. If the temp is above the high set point the alarm goes off and the heater power is cut off
Green light means everything is ok. If the heater is on the red indicator light next to heater lights up
If the tank goes out of range the alarm goes off. If the temp is above the high set point the alarm goes off and the heater power is cut off
BubbleBuddy
Community Member
I’ve used the 1000W model for over a year now. Performance is great with no major issues. The temperature tracking is fairly accurate and reads about half a degree higher than my primary temperature probe.
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