Pepere Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 I loved the 50 watt co op heater and hated to see it discontinued. I bought a 50 watt AQQA look alike heater off of Amazon and got it today.. I thought I would share my findings on it. Other than the logo it looks identical. The manual is written with rather poor English Grammar and parts are hard to understand what they are trying to say. The Error codes are the same. This model reverts to the flashing EL when the internal clock reaches its limit. I run my on Inkbirds, letting the Inkbird control it and using the internal temp control as a failsafe temp limiter. As such it will take longer for the clock to accumulate run hours as it only runs when power is supplied to it. And, once the clock time has accumulated, the flashing EL will only appear when it is actively heating. The AQQA unit is less money than the co op heater sold for, but I would pay 50% more to be able to buy from the co op instead. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 What's the draw of using a heater like that when you already have an InkBird? The appearance or footprint? Something else? Just curious. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOtrees Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 My issue with the temp controllers is the replication factor. I don't just keep 1 or 2 or 3 tanks, I have 1.5 racks of them. It's bad enough I have to buy heaters, but controllers too? Can't bring myself to it. [Before you say "why not just heat the space?", I do hope to get there, but currently the racks share a room with our gas furnace, which draws from the room not from outside. Therefore the door to the room has to remain open or at least cracked, which wouldn't work with heating the room. But that's off topic sorry] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 The other thing to think about, if it looks exactly the same, it is going to be made by the same manufacturer. And inheritably, carry the exact same flaws that caused Cory to drop them in the first place. But if you like them, go for it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 On 2/5/2024 at 8:18 AM, jwcarlson said: What's the draw of using a heater like that when you already have an InkBird? The appearance or footprint? Something else? Just curious. It is easily tucked low behind a plant making it invisible when not running. Being low in the tank, I can do a 50% water change without uncovering it too, so no fear of running dry. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwcarlson Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 On 2/5/2024 at 7:53 AM, Pepere said: It is easily tucked low behind a plant making it invisible when not running. Being low in the tank, I can do a 50% water change without uncovering it too, so no fear of running dry. That's the way I run all my regular heaters, too. But occasionally, I do run them dry because I do a lot of 90-100% changes. Whoops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 On 2/5/2024 at 8:51 AM, Tony s said: The other thing to think about, if it looks exactly the same, it is going to be made by the same manufacturer. And inheritably, carry the exact same flaws that caused Cory to drop them in the first place. Yes, but reportedly failure rate was no better and no worse than any other heater the co op has sold… If it is as good as any other heater out there, the ability to remain submerged when doing a 50% water change, be hidden from view and have an external temp controller still makes it a win to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Right. Cory just had to back up the failed units. Whole different situation 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 On 2/5/2024 at 9:10 AM, Tony s said: Right. Cory just had to back up the failed units. Whole different situation I am willing to absorb the cost of a 5% failure rate. Esp since other heaters seem to perform about the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 And you have a 95% chance of having no issues at all 😉 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snackbacon Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 I was a little unlucky with my co op heaters, but I really liked them. I haven't decided what direction I want to go with my heaters moving forward, but I'm considering this one as well, even knowing the failure rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted February 5 Administrators Share Posted February 5 I'd caution people to assume they are the same. Easily could be different factories. They are at least using the old software on the chip. We made several updates to it since the first one that displayed EL. There's actually a lot of options when it comes to having a product made. Like used parts. You can save money if you used parts from recycled electronics. We would never do that, but you can see this a lot in the random Chinese brands. It's not meant to scare you, but also just keep in mind, just because it looks similar doesn't mean it is. You can see in the car industry, the same exact car using the same parts, put together in a different country has different issues. My advice is approach any brand, whether it's eheim, tetra, chinese brand, Aquarium Co-Op Etc. How do the heaters do over 1-3 years, with 10 units. That's a baseline to start from. However, I'd say there is just as much chance of the AQQA heater doing well as a sicce, eheim, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 (edited) On 2/5/2024 at 2:05 PM, Cory said: I'd caution people to assume they are the same. Easily could be different factories. They are at least using the old software on the chip. We made several updates to it since the first one that displayed EL. There's actually a lot of options when it comes to having a product made. Like used parts. You can save money if you used parts from recycled electronics. We would never do that, but you can see this a lot in the random Chinese brands. It's not meant to scare you, but also just keep in mind, just because it looks similar doesn't mean it is. I agree fully.. which is why I would be happy to purchase from the co op at a 50% premium over the price I am paying.. I love the function and utility of the design…. I do miss the confidence I had in a co op branded unit. One notable deviation from the Co Op version is that the cord only measures 7 feet. This is not a problem for me as a practical measure but it does indicate they were looking for corners to cut… personally with the state of heaters on the market I would never put any heater in a tank not controlled by an Inkbird controller. I am curious though @Cory, what is the lowest failure rate you would think it would be feasible to build an aquarium heater that would retail for say $50.00? Edited February 5 by Pepere 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted February 5 Administrators Share Posted February 5 On 2/5/2024 at 12:03 PM, Pepere said: I am curious though @Cory, what is the lowest failure rate you would think it would be feasible to build an aquarium heater that would retail for say $50.00? I don't know, seems no manufacturers are really working on that. Amazon has hundreds of cheap heaters. When you're a heater manufacturer you want to sell to everyone. We were prioneering getting closer to a better heater and it was a battle as all their other customers want cheaper, so they spend their R&D time making it cheaper, not looking for better parts or more expensive designs. Since I haven't seen it, i could only speculate, maybe the perfect heater can cost 3 dollars, or can't be done for $50. I don't really have the answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 At this point, it seems like there is really no way for a hobbyist to tell a good heater from a bad one (we simply don't have enough information). We can stick with the name brands, but even they may be focusing more on cost rather than longevity and reliability. I guess, without someone in our corner, the best we can do is make sure that we use a controller with each heater and replace those heaters fairly often. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snackbacon Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 On 2/5/2024 at 1:05 PM, Cory said: I'd caution people to assume they are the same. Easily could be different factories. They are at least using the old software on the chip. We made several updates to it since the first one that displayed EL. There's actually a lot of options when it comes to having a product made. Like used parts. You can save money if you used parts from recycled electronics. We would never do that, but you can see this a lot in the random Chinese brands. It's not meant to scare you, but also just keep in mind, just because it looks similar doesn't mean it is. You can see in the car industry, the same exact car using the same parts, put together in a different country has different issues. My advice is approach any brand, whether it's eheim, tetra, chinese brand, Aquarium Co-Op Etc. How do the heaters do over 1-3 years, with 10 units. That's a baseline to start from. However, I'd say there is just as much chance of the AQQA heater doing well as a sicce, eheim, etc. Thank you for your insight. Very good points that I didn't consider! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted March 6 Administrators Share Posted March 6 I wanted to follow up. Someone did a comparison on this AQQA heater vs the co-op heater. There is now some data that shows they are indeed different heaters using different parts even though they look similar. The Blue and orange lines are two Co-Op heaters, while the red and green lines are two of the knockoff heaters. Each is heating approximately a 20-gallon tank (though the green one may be more like 25-30 gallons, in the rubbermaid trash can). They're not the same heater! The Co-op heater has incredibly-stable temperature control, probably the best I've ever seen, and as good as much more expensive models like the Fluval E series. Notice that the fluctuations are no more than the resolution of the temperature probe itself! The AQQA knockoff is not nearly as good -- notice the .6 degree fluctuation -- more in line with most bi-metallic strip heaters like the Eheim Jager. The electronics are all sealed in black epoxy, so I have no idea if the brains are different between the two, or if it's just different programming. Maybe it's the more accurate programming that caused the failures prompting all the returns? I don't know. It's probably good enough for most folks. But it's not the same heater. RIP the Aquarium Co-Op heater. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 (edited) On 3/6/2024 at 12:40 PM, Cory said: But it's not the same heater. RIP the Aquarium Co-Op heater. 🙂 If you ever brought it back, I would be buying again… In the meantime I am using the AQQA and have it controlled by an Inkbird controller. As such my temps vary 2 degrees. Turn off power to heater when it hits 76, turns back on when it drops to 74. I figure this gives longer on time and fewer on off cycles. I love the low height that allows me to not have to unplug it when I do water changes. It hides so nicely behind plants. I like the controller being out of the water… Edited March 6 by Pepere 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creedmoor Aquatics Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Thanks for sharing, Cory! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schuyler Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 On 3/6/2024 at 9:40 AM, Cory said: Someone did a comparison on this AQQA heater vs the co-op heater. Yet another benefit of being part of a fish club. You get really nerdy and dedicated people like the gsas club president who just decides to go and do a deep dive into how two identical looking heaters are different 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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