20 replies to this topic

[h0h0]

hiya, was just wondering, did inline heaters use more power than the standard heater? you would think they would always be on,,, but yeah, keen to hear what you guys think/say....

 

debating a 300w jager vs 300w hydor inline heater for a 6x2x2 btw.... thoughts?

 

cheers

[Bombshocked]

Id Imagine They Both Worked Off A Thermo Stat And Once The Desired Temp Is Reached They Would Stop Heating For A While Then Switch Back On?

 

But The Jager Are A Top Quality Heater I Run A 100w In My Outside Tank And Its Sweet Even The Power Cord Insert Is Super Reinforced. The Physical Size Of The Jager Heater Is Large Tho.

Edited by Sir_Anubias, 31 July 2013 - 11:04 PM.

[Bowdy]

For a display tank if you have the money always use an inline heater. Internals are ugly. Even more so if there put is silly places like along the back wall. There both 300W so usage should be there same.

[h0h0]

well yeah, i hear a jager 300w comfortably maintains a stable temperature within a 600 litre tank(6x2) and therefore isnt running 24/7. saving some $$..

whereas with the hydor inline, i hear, its always on. and struggles with a tank of such capacity therefore being alot more costly in the long run...

if someone can hide a cannister's connections, im sure they can hide a heater... therefore,, whats your thoughts about the "Always on" status and comparisons... other than price...

[Bowdy]

I think the always on status is bolocks. There both designed to operate in the same manner. But for argument sake if the inline does cost a bit more to run I'm ok with that if it means no ugly heater in the tank.

[Westie]

apparently the eheim jager heater are more efficient, therefore I'm "guessing" they would cost less to run than the inline heater

[scotty81]

Do some research on the Hydor heaters befor getting one, id highly recomend a seperate thermal overload switch if you do use one. But I do agree the tank looks much nicer without the heater in it.

Edited by scotty81, 01 August 2013 - 11:05 AM.

[peppy_2011]

I use inlines in all my setups at home, and I have never had one break, overheat, leak etc. I would highly recommend them to anyone. convenient and way prettier  

[Rovik]

The benefit for the hydro heaters (inline) is it is better for aesthetics, it doesn't sit inside the aquarium.
For a center piece/ display aquarium these heaters are ideal.

After owning several, I can say that hydors thermostat in my experience are one of the best, sensitive and accurate due to the fact water is passing through the heating chamber continuously, leading to a more accurate reading and stable temperate given the tank is a suitable size for the heater. In terms of heating, they are better than most.

In certain situations (slow water flow) your standard heater design may radiate heat over its own thermostat giving an incorrect reading, hence why it's a good idea to tilt heaters 45'd and not have them straight up (vertical) and also explains why you should have good water flow over your heater.

Although the jager and the hydor are the same wattage: Theortically the hydor inline will not be as effective in terms of efficiency and heat transfer as a 300w jäger due to the fact it's effective heating surface area is slightly lower.

You will notice the Jäger 300w heaters has one of the longest and finest heating coils available on the market, making them very effective to transfer heat to the water, the downside of this long coil is the size. Not really something you want in a quality display.

If you have large volumes of water to heat and its not a display: Jäger
If it's a nice and neat display: Hydor

As a rule of thumb, you would want 1w of heating per litre given its standard size tank, no covers and in a area temperate area.
Mind you this rule is highly variable and doesn't really take into account glass thickness, whether the tank has cover, the ambient temperate and many others.

The 1W per litre rule will give you well over what you need for most situations, really a worst case.
Trail a 300w heater (which everyone suits your budget and needs) if one is not enough, add more.

You will find that during our hot Australia summers, the heater is hardly on.



Ps: I have a single Hydor 300w inline operating on my 800L tank with no covers in a room with no insulation (long story) and maintains a temperate of 23.5 which serves as a testament of how good they are. (It's on just about all the time in winter of course)

[Cawdor]

I have a 300W Hydor sitting on my 1500L tank. The temp is very stable and it doesn't take long to heat after a water change. It is definitely NOT always on.

 

Both are 300W, both have a sensor, so both should use the same amount of power.

[Westie]

What is the fail rate for the hydor compared to the rena? I remember the rena having a high fail rate on a thread here somewhere.

[waxy]

I had a hydor 300watt that recently failed and cooked quite few fish. The water got to around 36degrees. The heater was just shy of its 2 yr warranty.
One thing I learnt- rummy nose can cope with hi temps compared to cardinal tetras.

[bigjohnnofish]

solve the problem and run a sump filter and put the jager heater in the sump

[SamJohns]

At the end of the day its only 300W. Heating a 6x2x2 should be nothing indoors, inline or internal.

 

As stated the inline are aesthetically pleasing "un-seen" and also have benefits as far as keeping larger fish are concerned. Eliminates them breaking the heater.

 

Heating tanks, if done correctly and inside a house or an insulated room should be very cost effective. 

 

If you just have the one 6x2 you could also look at a drip water change system if your worried about power usage.  

[Bombshocked]

 Even more so if there put is silly places like along the back wall.

 

Lol *Looks At Tank*

Edited by Sir_Anubias, 02 August 2013 - 01:29 AM.

[Morley Aquariums]

both are quality units & you will not go wrong with either.

 

  The main difference is the efficiency (this was metioned earlier). The longer tube & thicker glass, along with the finer coils means that the jager is capable of heating 600 - 1000 litres on its own as the coils supply more heat & the thicker glass maintains it for longer. The hydor & almost every other brand is really based on the watt per litre so only 300 litres. So according to the info you would need 900w of hydor to match 300w of jager (the 300w refers to power consumption, not output). Before anyone critisizes these figures, this is according to the manufacturers specs.

 

   Ultimately this is greatly affected by the individual situation, efficiency & size choice will vary according to the ambient temperature of the room the tank is in & the level of insulation in the tanks itself. For this reason you will find people may heat considerably more water than a unit recommends, or possibly may need a larger unit as the tank is in a cold situation such as on a verandah.

[scotty81]

I looked into a hydor and read a lot of articles where people have said it cooked there fish, hence my original suggestion of a separate thermal cut out switch.

 

Oh and the logic that they both will use the same amount of power is flawed also. I highly agree with the Morley Aquariums post on that

Edited by scotty81, 02 August 2013 - 07:46 PM.

[h0h0]

Thanks guys, yeah interesting discussion.. seems u cant go wrong with a jager.. but its a bloody big thing to hide ;p

[SamJohns]

Get a bigger tank....... More room to hide it?

[Westie]

I have a rock pile in front of my heater. I stacked the limestone with holey rock on top. Heater isn't as noticeable