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Aquarium Co-Op 100 Watt Heater


Cory
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I thought I'd make a thread announcing we have launched the new Aquarium Co-Op heater.

Dean and I along with a few others have been testing this heater for quite a while now. We fell in love with it then modified it to have a longer cord, selected which type of heater guard etc. It comes with a 1 year warranty.

Unfortunately a feature got snuck into manufacturing we weren't expecting. This would be the End of Life counter. Which at 10,000 hours it displays "EL" on the digital display, while flashing the temperature. It takes 14 months of continuous use to hit 10,000 hours. After that the heater will still work as normal, but it will flash to remind you that it's reached it's end of life and you should think about replacing it.  All heaters have a life expectancy, but as hobbyists we just use them until they break normally.

I figured this thread could collect feedback by those who choose to try out this heater, so that we can ensure the next run of manufacturing is the best it can be. As always if you have any problems with our products, contact customer service and we'll take care of you. This first run of heaters are also discounted $5. Some will see the EL feature as a good thing, like Dean who has had 2 groups of Zebra plecos die due to heaters. Others will find the reminder annoying if you're used to using heaters until the day they die.

 

Here is the link for those who are interested in reading more about em. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/equipment/products/aquarium-co-op-heater

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This is so exciting!  First time I’m ever looking forward to needing a new heater 🤣

EDIT…I still have 4 heaters from a line I tried that many have failed very quickly.  I just put in my order to replace them now instead of later plus these are squareish😍😁 if the blinky light bugs me I’ll buy another plant to hide it! 🤣

Edited by Guppysnail
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Glad to see a product on the market that is finally tested by hobbyists!

@Cory so are you telling me heaters are only supposed to last a year?! This is concerning as I remember older heaters lasted (before failure) a long time, such as over a decade. With that said, I'm not saying heaters with continuous use should last that long, but more so a few years at least. As heaters got more 'fancy' it seems as if there are digital circuits in them now that made it as if they hit a certain period of time determined by a manufacturer before the digital fuse was triggered to give up the ghost. Are modern heaters, now including you own, only designed to last slightly over a year? 

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On 4/29/2022 at 9:35 AM, Anon said:

After a year of continuous use (10k hours), it gets the little warning light. It should take you a lot longer than a year to get the warning light, because you won't be running the heater 24/7. I think he said in a livestream that the 10,000 hours is kind of an arbitrary figure created by the manufacturers and the light is more of a reminder you've been using the heater for a long time.

Great catch! Key words make a big difference. 

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I'm transitioning to shallow tanks in relatively tight spaces, so the compact shape and easily accessible controller are really exciting. I bought one last night to test out before splurging on more. Flashing lights should be easy to hide if needed. 

Still waiting for the Aquarium Co-op lights and mulm sweatpants! 

 

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On 4/29/2022 at 8:35 AM, Anon said:

After a year of continuous use (10k hours), it gets the little warning light. It should take you a lot longer than a year to get the warning light, because you won't be running the heater 24/7.

It sounded to me from the livestream like it would be that many hours plugged in, not just actively heating. Since it still has to be monitoring the temperature. Maybe @Cory can clarify for us?

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On 4/29/2022 at 4:03 AM, Guppysnail said:

This is so exciting!  First time I’m ever looking forward to needing a new heater 🤣

EDIT…I still have 4 heaters from a line I tried that many have failed very quickly.  I just put in my order to replace them now instead of later plus these are squareish😍😁 if the blinky light bugs me I’ll buy another plant to hide it! 🤣

Yes, my idea as well. TBH, my ADHD autistic brain probably won't *like* the blinky blinky, *AND* I have already learned from my Pur filter, the blinky blinky is an excellent addition!

I have not run out of Pur filters, even with our low income issues, ever since the company added blinking yellow lights. I *always* buy a replacement within 2 weeks of the yellow lights blinking at me. With the pymeter external control, it will be interesting to see how many additional hours of use we get from the heaters. @Cory, I said "perfect timing" above because I am making another order on the 3rd, when the disability check comes in. I look forward to testing out the lifespan😍

(Honestly, *never* thought I would be saying that I was looking forward to testing a heater! I dislike them so much, I have removed them from all my tanks, and have delayed my new set-up because my room temps don't support the fish I really wanted, and I've spent months researching NANF alternatives. Now, the NANF will be going in Patient Spouse's™ 4' tank😉)

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On 4/29/2022 at 9:33 AM, ndfi78 said:

I probably just missed it, but is there a tank size chart? I.E. one heater will run up to a 29 gallon, etc.

There's a fair amount of math, as it's not so simple as the 2 watts/gallon that was recommended in the 70's.

1. Degrees the heater is expected to raise the temp of the tank (big difference between a 68 F room needing a heater to keep the water comfortable for 72 F fish, and a 68 F room needing to keep discus happy at 85 F)

2. Temp changes in the home (we had no central anything in Washington state, so daytime house temps were on average 10 F to 20 F warmer than night time temps.)

3. *Then* the size of the tank comes into play.

I remember Cory has discussed in multiple livestreams  the various components, and why 2 heaters were better than 1 heater.... but I can't remember how many years ago he included the link with the chart.

Anyone else remember? Or did Irene do a video with a chart for determining how many watts were needed? 

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On 4/29/2022 at 9:42 AM, Katherine said:

It sounded to me from the livestream like it would be that many hours plugged in, not just actively heating.

You're right. In the new video he explains it times the amount of time plugged in, not actively running. This is kind of counterintuitive in my opinion and makes the end of life light useless information. It's not a BAD feature... but I don't care how long something has been plugged in. 

 

If the thermostat isn't engaging, the parts aren't being worn. My 10 gallon goodeid tank heater runs less than 3 hours a week. My 55 gallon community tank heater runs at least 3 hours a day. The EL light means nothing to me. I'll still try the heater next time I need the one, though.

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