Hydor 25w Hydrokable Substrate Heater, 14' - for Aquariums 10-17 gal

I purchased this for a planted aquarium. It heats so evenly. It sounded like a great idea to use as an under the sand heating cable so the entire tank is evenly heated. It works so well. The plants took off growing like crazy. I am so glad I tried it. It has been a year. At first like any heater, I had to adjust it until the correct temp was being delivered and I have not had to touch it since. I am totally thrilled with this product. Any hydor product has been fine for me. I used the dial thermoset with this not the digital version.

Update: it is now 3-09-2013 and I have been using this heater cable for two years in a heavily planted aquarium with assorted tetras, crystal red shrimp and guppies. The plants and fish are all in great shape. I attribute some of the stability of the tank to the heater cable since it is even heat distribution with no fluctuations. I have experienced no issues so I am not sure what to think of the other reviews I am reading. Perhaps they did not also purchase the required heat regulator? It controls the cable with a dial to select the desired temp. You would need to let these components acclimate to room temperature before using, install them properly (not touching another length of cable on the bottom of the tank and not extending the heating part outside of the tank the first black band is the line separation of non heated and the heated part of the cable which should be in the water). I could not be happier with this style of heating and have set up tank number two (saltwater) with it as well. It also is working well, one month out. I learned many years ago how detrimental heaters can be with the submersable type if not laced within a great flow of water to avoid uneven heat. With the cable heater, I have no worries and no complaints at all. If there was another rating 5 star plus, I would choose it.

I am using it on a 15 gallon aquarium freshwater and a 8 gallon aquarium saltwater

I ordered this heater for a 12 gallon aquarium in my office, which is located in our walkout basement. In the winter, this is a colder room, low to mid 60s. The 25W heater simply could not get my 12 gallon tank to 80 degF; the best it could manage was 74 degF, and this was only when I had warmed my office with a space heater. I ended up having to take the whole aquarium apart again to replace it with the 50W substrate heater, which now keeps my aquarium at the desired 80 degF. So I would recommend to use the next largest power rating up from what Hydor recommends, especially if your aquarium is located in a colder room. You don't want to have to take your aquarium apart again to replace the heater.

Note the low rating is for the bad recommendation on tank size from Hydor. Once installed so that they have enough power to heat, these are great.

Buy Hydor 25w Hydrokable Substrate Heater, 14' - for Aquariums 10-17 gal Now