My betta lives in a 1.5-gallon tank, which is a difficult size for which to find a reliable heater. I've been trying for the past eight months or so to find one that (a) would keep the water warm enough for the fish but (b) wouldn't boil the fish alive.
In my quest, I've tried two Marineland heaters. Neither one worked the way it was supposed to, and yes -I DID follow the instructions, to the letter. These are the ones I tried:
1. The Marineland Shatterproof 10-Watt Mini Heater (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00176DUEY/ref=oss_product) for tanks up to 3 gallons. This one barely kept the water at 74 degrees (even though it's supposedly factory preset for 78) and it only worked for a couple weeks. It quit, and I was back to wrapping a human's heating pad around the tank while I searched for a replacement.
2. The Shatterproof Mini Heater 10watt (http://www.amazon.com/MarineLand-SHATTERPROOF-MINI-HEATER-10WATT/dp/B0037PJMMC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1286290350&sr=8-4), also for tanks up to 3 gallons. This one heated the water into the high 80s, even though it, too, was supposedly factory preset for 78. I don't know how much higher it would have gone, and I didn't dare leave it on overnight for fear I'd be facing a boiled fish in the morning. I yanked it out of the tank and went back to the heating pad.
Finally, I found the Elite Submersible Preset Mini Heater 25W Elite A748. It's compact, it's unobtrusive, and it actually works as advertised. After a little fiddling with the adjustable control, my betta is now comfy and cozy at about 76 degrees. I don't have to worry about it boiling him overnight, and the tank stays warm even now that the nights are starting to get chilly and our house hovers at 69 degrees. I've only had it for a couple of weeks, but so far I'm very happy with it.
I'll try to remember to update this review after a few months, but for right now, my recommendation is to avoid Marineland products -or at least, the ones with "factory presets." Maybe their adjustable ones are better, but my Marineland experience has left a bad taste in my mouth.
UPDATE: It is now Feb. 9, 2011, and the heater is still going strong, despite several power blinks and outages during a recent Midwest blizzard. My fish is happy. I am happy. Life is good.
UPDATE #2: It is now June 18, 2012. I just realized I hadn't given an update on this item and figured it would be worthwhile. Sadly, "Sushi" has left us due to natural causes, but this little gem worked like a champ right up until we didn't need it anymore, sometime during the 2011 holidays. Now it's in storage, waiting for another fish to warm, should we choose to get one.
This little guy heats my 1 gallon tank to a toasty 80 degree's for my tropical female betta and shes THRIVING!!!! Lol. I'm planning to get a 2.5 gallon soon (piggy bank is slowly getting heavier), and i'm sure this little heater will do the job.
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It was hard to find a heater small enough for my daughter's little 1 1/2 gallon tank that had an adjustable thermostat. We've had this one for a few weeks now and it seems to work perfectly.
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I heard a bubbly noise coming from the fish tank. I walked over and looked to see what it was and the heater had water in it. It then proceeded to explode in the fish tank. Thank You Hagen for trying to assassinate my turtles... They evaded your execution attempts once again..
I Unplugged it right as it was bursting so i dont know what kind of damage it would have caused. But the 2 hours seperating glass was a blast.
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Bought this to heat a 2.5 gallon aquarium. Heater easily attaches to the side of the aquarium and is fully submersible. There are no temperature markings on the heater as it is small and there is no room for a temperature display like the 50 watt and higher Elite non-mini heaters.
To properly adjust the heater, first submerge the heater in the aquarium and allow the heater to adjust to the aquarium temperature before plugging it. Allowing the heater to adjust to the temperature of the water will also give time to find out if there is a leak in the heater. Alternatively to check for leaks is to place the heater in a bucket of water for a few hours to see if it takes on water. Do not use a heater that leaks or is cracked or damaged, it will kill your fish and possibly you.
Adjust the heater to the lowest setting. Once the heater has adjusted to the aquarium temperature (and there are no leaks), plug it in and turn the knob to slowly increase the thermostat setting in the heater until the light comes on.
Allow the heater to heat until the light goes out, check the temperature with your aquarium thermometer and allow the heater to cycle on and off for a few hours. If the temperature is not high enough, turn the dial again until the heater turns back on (light will illuminate). Allow the heater to cycle on and off again for a few hours and check the temperature again. Repeat this until the desired temperature is reached.
This is a nice heater for smaller aquariums and I recommend it to others.
I've had this tank, branded differently as Top Fin, since April 2012. Originally I was using it for a very small fancy goldfish but obviously upgraded to a larger tank. It is now the home of my Betta. Around August the LEDs started acting strangely, and then eventually they all went out about two weeks after the first time they started going out randomly.
