My new favorite (low cost) heater

**rastoma** · 10-28-2012, 6:49 AM

Basically all my heaters I buy are low cost, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily the cheapest. I try read all the reviews I can and balance cheap with good quality.

I recently got in some heaters from Ken's for less than $10, and so far am very impressed.

Since it's getting colder outside (we like it pretty cool in the house), when I set up a few more 5 and 10 gallons, I needed some heaters and needed to save as much money as I could (again with reason compared to quality).

I have tried many of the $9-$15 heaters at Ken's and haven't had a problem with one yet. I like trying different products so just about every aquarium I have has a different brand heater. So this last order I tried the Via Aqua brand which I haven't tried before. And as long as nothing catastrophic happens over the next few weeks/months, I think this will be THE heater I buy from now on.

As soon as I opened one I could tell the build quality was very good.

The cord is longer than some of my other heaters... approximately 69" (did a quick and dirty check with a tape measure on the cord so give or take an inch or two).

The control knob to adjust the temp is easy to grasp and adjust even when wet (heater is fully submersible). The mechanism in the knob feels good too. It's very precise and solid in it's movement when you turn the knob.

The heater just 'looks' good too. As you can see in the pic below, the temp gauge shows C and F increments that change from white to red when you turn the knob to indicate the temp you want it at. It's a mechanical gauge though it looks like it's sort of digital. And it's pretty accurate in my experience thus far. Using a digital thermometer, the actual temp is within 2-3 degrees from what the gauge shows.

The 50w is $9.50 and 100w is $9.95.

So if you're looking for a heater on a budget, I feel this is a VERY good heater for the money.

**allaboutfish** · 10-28-2012, 9:02 AM

I love these heaters! I have 2.

Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

**felix453** · 10-28-2012, 10:27 AM

They look nice, next time Im in the market for a heater I'll have to try one out

**rastoma** · 10-28-2012, 10:46 AM

I think you'll like them as much as allaboutfish and myself do

**Slappy*McFish** · 10-28-2012, 12:44 PM

I agree and have been praising these heaters for awhile now.

**Star_Rider** · 10-29-2012, 12:47 PM

I had a 100 watt that just stopped working.. I had in the tanks for about 1 year..lights were on but no heat.

that said the other is still working.

my choice for dependable bang for the buck...jager.. I have several of these that have worked with no issues

**jpierce3** · 10-29-2012, 2:49 PM

Ebo-jager is still the best buy for heaters if you absolutely need one. Have some over 10 years old and still dead on temperature. The cheaper ones just don't seem to last like the ones you spend just a little more on.

Cheapest, safest (for the fish), easiest way is to heat the room. Use the standing thermostat controlled space heaters if you need to heat just one room where the fish are. Even so, most freshwater fish should be fine down to 68F.

My wife doesn't let me turn down the house under 70F (she gets cold feet

). Tanks stay ~72F without any heaters.

**rastoma** · 10-29-2012, 6:25 PM

Well, the whole family likes it on the cool side so I have to have heaters.

I'm not saying this ViaAqua heater is BETTER than most, just I feel it is very good in it's price range. The Eheim Jager heater is a fine heater for sure. I have one. But double the cost adds up if you're buying several heaters at once. Plus I don't like the dial adjustment. Unless I have a bad one, the dial is very hard to turn. I have to hold the heater with one hand to keep it from turning while adjust the temp dial.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a quick review of the ViaAqua heater. Not trying to put it above all others.

**MickRC** · 11-11-2012, 12:07 PM

Bought 5 of the 300w ViaAqua a few months ago. Work great so far.

Tried to go on the cheap side last year so I bought some Chinese made ones on Ebay last year and 7 of 9 of them have failed.

**dbosman** · 11-12-2012, 5:14 PM

Please read the directions that ship with them.
Things change occasionally.
I was surprised to learn that one cheap heater brand senses the fast change from water changes and shuts down until the temperature is stable for some X time. That is a really good feature.