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Are inline heaters good for 150g tank?

7K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  mattcham 
#1 ·
are the inline heaters good for up to 150g tanks?
 
#2 ·
The ability of any heater (inline or otherwise) to maintain a tank at the target temperature depends on the Wattage of the heater, the size of the tank and the ambient temperature (the difference between the ambient temp and your target temp).

I have a 90 gallon tank that I keep at 76F. My room temperature is around 67F. I have a 200W inline heater that does the job very well.
 
#3 ·
I have a 300w Hydor on my 75 gallon. You would probably need 2 of them for a 150.

I love not having all that junk hanging in the tank.
 
#5 ·
In my research Hydor is the only company I could find that makes inline heaters, 200w and 300w. The reviews on them are shady, some have wiped out their whole tank while others love them. I would highly recommend a digital thermometer with a low/high alarm. I have had the 200w Hydor running on a 12.5 gallon bowl with a AQ150 Digital Aquarium Thermometer (from Amazon), 3 months no problems, very accurate and no ugly heater.
 
#9 ·
Hydor is the only company that makes inline heaters, 200w and 300w. The reviews on them are shady, some have wiped out their whole tank while others love them.
The advantage of having a large tank is that it will not get cooked even if the heater gets stuck in the on position, if the heater is barely able to heat the large tank. I think the hydor 300 inline heater is rated for only 80 gallons which makes it perfect for the 125 or 150. Buy two of them and run them in tandem. If one breaks, your tank will not get cooked. You can also add an external controller as an added security measure.


In my research Hydor is the only company I could find that makes inline heaters, 200w and 300w. The reviews on them are shady, some have wiped out their whole tank while others love them. I would highly recommend a digital thermometer with a low/high alarm. I have had the 200w Hydor running on a 12.5 gallon bowl with a AQ150 Digital Aquarium Thermometer (from Amazon), 3 months no problems, very accurate and no ugly heater.
 
#6 ·
I'm using the 300W Hydor ETH inline heater on a 220G tank. Tank temp is 78°F, room temp during the winter is 70°F, tank has glass lids and 2 large Eheim canisters that may contribute to adding heat.

I also use the 200W model on a 75G tank and another 300W on a 125G tank. I've not had any issues with any of the heaters.
 
#13 ·
This company sells inline modification for eheim Jaeger heaters (one of the two most reliable heaters, the other being the aqueon pro). Check out the bottom of the web page:
http://www.jehmco.com/html/heaters.html
VERY interesting...but it looks like the water in/outs are both at the bottom which means it would be running past the bottom tip of the heater only....
 
#14 ·
I like any heater that you don't have to reach in the water to adjust. So for me having a separate thermostat is important. I have a 800 watt on about 250 gals in the sump. I love having the heater unseen. I have heard that inline heaters are less efficient and you will need more wattage for the same amount of heat. There is a lot to be said with having two heaters than one and there is a measure of safety but always have had one run and wear out before the other one. If you go that way I would recommend going with a separate thermostat and plugging both in to it so they both run the same.
 
#18 · (Edited)
If you're worried about a heater boiling your tank you can get a temp controller pretty cheap. It's worth it - don't want to boil hundreds of dollars worth of fish and plants. Any heater can malfunction. Inline vs internal does not mean that it is necessarily more reliable. (I have never had an external heater malfunction (hydors))

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23735
 
#19 ·
On Amazon.com reviews Hydor has much more negative verified owner reviews than Eheim Jaeger and Aqueon Pro combined. That says a lot about reliability. I only use the most reliable heaters in my tanks, except for my rarely used 10 gallon hospital tanks which get the $14 Walmart Tetra heaters.

External heater controllers are a good idea, but the price adds up fast if you have more than 10 aquariums.
 
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