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A note on temp controllers
- Thread starter Mark_C
- Start date
I've kept a tank at room temperature for almost a year . Its mostly easier and lower light corals. Any experience with just no heater on a full mixed reef or sps dominate. I've been thinking about removing my heater all together this summer and just seeing how it does because of this
The Gooch
NJRC Member
I use an inbird controller on my nano tank and it failed last month, luckily on the low temp end instead on stuck on high temp. I still use the same temp controller as I used 25 years ago on my larger system, Ranco. I never have one fail and I have not found anyone online saying that it failed on them either.
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Heater controllers are a must and a required piece of equipment.
Years ago I bred freshwater fish. I had a 75 gallon tank with around 300 tiger barbs and, while on vacation, we got a call from our tank sitter, crying, that the fish were dying. She didn’t know what to do. When we got home, as soon as we cracked the door, you could smell that smell. The tank was hot (can’t remember the temperature) and every fish was dead with what appeared to be a halo of bacteria/fungus encapsulating each one. A real mess. The heater got “stuck” ON.
Not only do I now run a controller, but also two undersized heaters. If one fails, the other will attempt to maintain temperature. If either gets stuck ON, the controller will still maintain proper temperature.
That’s interesting about the Inkbird. I wonder if it was the sensor that failed. I don’t have any history with the “newer” Inkbirds that are made specifically for the aquarium trade, but the old school Inkbirds that were more commercial/industrial looking and required you to wire it yourself were always rock solid. I think their primary use was refrigeration or beer making or wine making or something like that.
Years ago I bred freshwater fish. I had a 75 gallon tank with around 300 tiger barbs and, while on vacation, we got a call from our tank sitter, crying, that the fish were dying. She didn’t know what to do. When we got home, as soon as we cracked the door, you could smell that smell. The tank was hot (can’t remember the temperature) and every fish was dead with what appeared to be a halo of bacteria/fungus encapsulating each one. A real mess. The heater got “stuck” ON.
Not only do I now run a controller, but also two undersized heaters. If one fails, the other will attempt to maintain temperature. If either gets stuck ON, the controller will still maintain proper temperature.
That’s interesting about the Inkbird. I wonder if it was the sensor that failed. I don’t have any history with the “newer” Inkbirds that are made specifically for the aquarium trade, but the old school Inkbirds that were more commercial/industrial looking and required you to wire it yourself were always rock solid. I think their primary use was refrigeration or beer making or wine making or something like that.
The only issue I personally had with an inkbird on one of the older ones, reading was far off from real temp, like 20 degrees off, past manual adjustment. And the older ones you can’t change the probe on. I am using it on water change system.
The Gooch
NJRC Member
It was the probe that failed. I ended up getting a new unit for $30 from Amazon. This particular tank is more of a quarantine tank for me so I wanted to keep cost low.
Yea Ranco is for refrigeration and all kinds of food industrial uses. Some places sell them aquarium ready, pre-wired with heat shrink probes etc. a little more expensive but a good option for conveniences. I backup the ranco with a hydros controller, but ranco is primary since I trust it more.
Can you change the probe on it? Or it’s like the one I have that’s older and you would have to solder the probe?
reefsandrotts
NJRC Member
I dont run heaters in the warm months
The Gooch
NJRC Member
You know, I can’t remember. I wired them back in the day but honestly don’t remember what i did. Was back in like 2002-2005. I kept reusing them. The one that I have now is one that i ordered pre wired. I need to order another for a new system that I’m setting up. I’ll post a link when I find it.
Take a look at it. When folks first started using them in reef, they were all wired into the main controller. A few years later they released a model with replaceable probes, it’s a mic connector you just plug in a replacement probes are like $6.
another good routine, especially when it comes to glass heaters as well is to inspect them every 3-6 months for cracks or condensation inside the element. heaters are a common point of failure and shouldn't be a set and forget item. For titanium heaters, my past experience if they are failing, they can start to throw stray voltage in the tank, so test for that as well.