Best Mini-Heater?

**tori.lock** · 03-11-2011, 02:25 AM

I'm getting ready to set up my 3g and realized the heater I had was both a. one I had been wanting to replace and b. broken. So I'm looking for another small heater that will heat a 3g. I had the Hydor mini-heater, and it worked, but would rather get a more traditional aquarium heater.

**AbbeyRanda** · 03-11-2011, 05:16 PM

I was researching the same thing the other day. I need heating for a 4 gal betta tank I ended up with a finnex HMA 50watt b/c I had seen it on amazon rated for 5-10 gallon tanks. On their site however, they rate it for 10-20 gal... I figured since it has a reputably accurate thermostat it might work for a smaller tank. If not, worse case scenario: I'll have a much better heater for my 16 gallon and I can get a Hydor for my 4 gal.

I'm getting it today, so I'll try it out and let you know how it works!

**mikeDUDS** · 03-11-2011, 05:55 PM

I've been using one of these in my 4 gallon betta tank and its been holding out at 78 degrees pretty darn well. 50w and rated for 2-10 gallons. Hope this helps :D

Cheers!

Duds

**dragoonwoman** · 03-11-2011, 06:16 PM

+1 on mikeDUDS.

I have one in each of my smaller tanks, and they do a great job of keeping the temp constant. I particularly like the red/green lights they have - red means the heater is on, green means it's off. Lets you know at a glance what's going on.

I have the Hydor paddle heaters also, but I don't think they do as good a job as the Tetras, mainly because they only go up to 15 watts.

**tori.lock** · 03-11-2011, 08:05 PM

That looks like a good bet. I'll see if they have it at my lfs or the petco and petsmart next door to it. If not I guess I'll order it online. I'm very excited, I love this little tank. Fortunately the petco right there has an amazing fish section and the most beautiful bettas I've ever seen at a store.

**korith** · 03-12-2011, 01:36 AM

Those hydor mini heaters are ok, but will only take the tank a few degrees over the ambient temperature of the room. For a small tank I would pick up a tetra heater too, from walmart. They are fairly small, and never had an issue with them. I use them sometimes in my smaller shrimp tanks.

**cideon** · 03-15-2011, 09:11 PM

I have only used two types of heaters for my small 2.5 tanks, and the one I prefer is the Elite mini submersible 25W. Temps swing maybe 2-3+/- but I like that you have a turn knob to adjust. This is good for me as I live in a desert, so I worry that when the 100+ degree temperature hits, a heater that just "adds" 5 degrees to ambient temp might cook my fish, ya know?

Edit: My tanks are all in my room which has a space heater for winter, but the ceiling fan doesn't work, and I'm the farthest from the A/C unit, so that's why I can't be sure that the room temp won't be generally OK.