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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 55 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 found the following review helpful:
 Does the Job Sep 29, 2007
By MacGuffin
"MacGuffin"
This is a nice choice for a tank that holds up to 7 gallons. It's totally submersible, ACCURATE, has a very effective thermostat, and is fairly unobtrusive. One feature I like is that its light glows while the water is heating and shuts off once the correct temperature has been reached. It's a good fit for a tank such as the Eclipse 3, especially if you want to house a betta (it also works well in an Eclipse 6); the Theo allows me to acclimate new fish at 86º for a week or so to rid them of any ich they might be harboring, after which it's easy to gradually reduce the temperature to my (and their) preferred 82º.
I also use Marineland Stealths, which I like because they're plastic but frankly, it bears mentioning that Marineland's "lifetime guarantee" carries an Orwellian caveat, i.e., some Stealths are more guaranteed than others. Rather than providing mail-in product registration to activate the warranty, you're expected to hang on to your receipt...well...for a lifetime (yeah, right). In addition, if they don't like the vendor, e.g., you bought it brand new and sealed but from an eBay or Amazon seller, you can kiss your hopes of replacement for a defective unit goodbye (they claim this is due to widespread fraud and people trying to obtain replacements for units found in the trash, but why were so many units trashed if they work forever, and who are these dementos who make a career of scavenging for them? Liver-lipped Finnish Ugly Boy trolls?). Marineland (actually, Aquarium Systems; they manufacture the item in Italy), after much coaxing, replaced a brand-new dead unit for me, but it's only carrying a 90-day warranty; this is because I bought it on eBay and I received an e-slap to the effect that NONE of my other Internet purchases would be covered. On this basis, my suggestion is to boycott Stealths (unless you want to pay list at a pet store) and go with a Theo. They're also manufactured in Italy, they do a great job, and I suspect they're nicer about warranty issues.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Not too hot, not too cold Jun 09, 2010
By Adrienne D. Fargas
I bought a Marineland 10W heaters for my 2.5 gallon tank, but found that it overheated the water way too much. That heater may have a sensor that tells it when the water temp is too cold, but it does not shut off when the water temp skyrockets above 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
This heater, on the other hand, while larger and more obtrusive, does a much better job in regulating water temperature. I never have to worry about finding my tank temps in the high 80s the way I did with the other heater. Also, the fact that it has a regulator dial is a huge plus. While the dial calibration may be off by a degree or two, it does work. You turn it up, the water temp goes up (but not too high). Also, the little indicator light is a nice way of checking that the heater is on and working.
Even for small tanks, I would skip the unregulated 7.5W and 10W heaters and go with this one.
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Right Choice, Right Price Nov 01, 2008
By C. Huskey
I was only hesitant to purchase this because I needed to use it for a ten gallon tank (It's designed for a 7gal) and this was the most affordable option. I urge you to not be anxious yourself, however, as this heater is splendid. It looks reasonably nice and will heat your water (even in a ten-gallon tank); what more can I say? If you need an aquarium heater and have a 10gal, don't sweat it. Just buy it.
Also, it's worth mentioning that the heater doesn't look exactly like the one in the main picture. It's shorter and fatter (proportionately at least...) than pictured. This isn't a bad thing. Just don't freak out, because you ARE getting what you ordered.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Consistently inconsistent Dec 27, 2010
By L. Brown
I have used this heater to heat my top-off water (3-5 gallons at a time) and for a 7 gallon quarantine tank.
For the top-off, this thing is all over the map regardless of temperature setting. The only way to get the water consistently above 72F is to turn it up all the way. Yes, this is WITH circulation.
For the QT, I have to turn it all the way up and cover the tank to limit evaporation. Even in total blackout the temp ranges from 74-75.5F.
I'll keep it for my top-off bucket since exact temp isn't vital, but I won't buy another of these.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
works great in my 3 gallon Betta tank Dec 03, 2011
By Bleh
This heater has worked great so far. I've had it heating my 3 gallon tank for about 3 months now and I am very pleased with it's performance. It has done a fantastic job keeping the tank at a constant temperature. When the air temperature around the tank changes, tweaking the heater's adjustable temperature setting is quick and painless (just turn the dial a bit!).
I bought this product because I was going into an apartment with roommates who I knew wouldn't want to pay to keep the air temperature at Betta-friendly levels. So I spent months looking at the different options on Amazon and trying to make heads or tails of which tank heater I should get and being very indecisive. In the end I decided to give this heater a try for it's cost, adjustable heat setting, and the overall positive things I was reading in people's review.
Although the temperature on the heater control does not usually match the temperature on my tank's thermometer, this hasn't proven a problem at all as it just requires me to tweak the heater's control until the tank thermometer shows the water is at the temperature I want. Therefore the fact that heater and thermometer are at different temperatures is inconsequential. The heater is doing it's job and keeping my tank at Betta-friendly temperature
So this is a solid choice for consideration in your search for a tank heater.
The positives and negatives so far
Positives: submersible, temperature control, keeps tank at a constant temperature
Negative: if the air temperature outside the tank changes you may have to tweak the heater's temperature setting, temperature set on the heater may not match the temperature in the tank
See all 55 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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