Best Aquarium Heaters of 2019

Eheim Jager TruTemp

Most popular and economical

A long-time hobby favorite because it has a built-in bimetal thermostat that can be calibrated using the dual dials on top. One dial will control the temperature setpoint at which the heater turns on/off and the second dial is used to adjust for any variances between the heater and other thermometer readings in your tank. Although the large profile body is made of glass, it is made of Pyrex glass which is comparably more sturdy and resistant to cracking because of temperature variances. They are very competitively priced and in fact, the most popular 300-watt size is our best priced heater within that range.

Finnex Brand

Most popular heater brand

In terms of brand wide popularity, Finnex takes the cake. They offer a wide range of aquarium heaters including both analog and digital control options with hard wired thermostat. They also manufacture titanium heating elements for use with external temperature controllers and aquarium controllers like the Neptune Systems Apex for redundancy.

Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm

Best precision

Cobalt heaters have the tightest on/off range and will maintain temperatures with 0.05% accuracy. The single push button control is extremely easy to use with LED light indicators to help you quickly get water temperature at a glance and will flash when out of range. Neo-Therm heaters are constructed of durable hard plastic to withstand wear and tear around aquariums and their thin, flat profile makes it convenient to install in the back of nano tanks or small sump compartments.

Bulk Reef Supply Heaters

Best in show

We are excited to announce our very own aquarium heater that was designed with the intent of solving some of the major problems hobbyists face with aquarium heaters. It is a sad truth that the #1 reason reef tanks unexpectedly fail is because of a heater malfunction and with the new BRS heaters, we hope to change that!

The heavy duty heating element comes in 4 sizes, 100, 200, 300 and 600 watts. It is German made out of titanium and features welded seams with an epoxy sealed cap to securely keep moisture away from the internal electronics. It is backed with an industry leading 3 year warranty against defects in which we will replace the heating element in the event it malfunctions during that time.

You can purchase the elements alone or pick up a bundle that includes our BRS brand temperature controllers that have some amazing features of their own. First, the controller, temperature probe and element are not hard wired together which means you can easily replace these components individually. The controller has two outlets for heater attachment and can handle up to a total of 1200 watts with independent control.

One more unique and highly valuable feature set is the ability to calibrate the controller and adjust the hysteresis or the range between the on and off points which allows you, the user, to control both accuracy and the frequency at which the heaters turns on and off. Finally, an audible alarm is programmed automatically to sound and cut power to the heater in the event of a malfunction.