Best Aquarium Heater Tested For Safety, Accuracy & Compared (2022 Review)

Most aquarists lack the time, money, or motivation to purchase various heaters and determine which one works best. They just need to purchase one and hope for the best.

So we performed the legwork for you so you may make the best decision possible before spending your money.

Aquarium heaters are one of the most important, yet prone to failure, pieces of equipment you may include in your home aquariums. The great majority of aquarium keepers raise tropical species that demand higher water temperatures, therefore a fish tank heater is essential.

There are many different kinds of aquarium heaters on the market, and it is quite simple to buy a cheap aquarium heater and believe you are good to go. The finest aquarium heaters are not prone to failure, are well-built, and will safely heat your home aquariums.

I’ll explain what a completely submersible heater is, as well as the difference between a glass heater and a titanium heater. I’ll also discuss fail-safes and how to avoid a tank tragedy if a fish tank heater fails (and also what usually fails). Let’s get this party started!

Best Aquarium Heaters Compared & Reviewed

1- Tetra HT Submersible Aquarium Heater with Electronic Thermostat.

Fish are cold-blooded animals, so they can’t regulate their body heat like other mammals in the sea.

In order to survive. Fish rely on the temperature of the water around them to keep their body and. Organs at the right core temperature. As your fish’s owner, it’s your responsibility make sure the water temperature is just right. And a submersible aquarium heater is the best way to do that.

What to look for in a heater for betta tanks

As you’re shopping around for the best submersible aquarium heater, here

Are a few things to look for:

78-degrees Fahrenheit – like most tropical fish, bettas thrive in water that’s heated to 78-degrees Fahrenheit. The heater you choose should include that temperature in its range.

Electronic thermostat – modern heaters contain an electronic thermostat to keep tabs on the water temperature. It’s important to get a heater with an accurate thermostat. As even the smallest temperature drops can have an immediate negative effect on your fish’s health.

Indicator lights – these aren’t necessary, but they’re helpful.

Most indicator lights simply light up when the device is actively heating. Some heaters include a standby indicator light to let you know the device is still alert and monitoring temperature. Even when the heater isn’t active.

Wattage:

The #1 mistake most people make when purchasing a submersible aquarium heater is getting the wrong size. Bigger aquariums need heaters with a higher wattage. So you need to know how many gallons of water your tank holds before you make your purchase.

Generally speaking, you’ll need 8 watts for 1.5 gallons or less. 25 watts for 1.5 – 5 gallons, 50 watts for 5 – 10 gallons. 75 watts for, 100 watts for 10 – 30 gallons, 200 watts for 40 – 55 gallons. And 300 watts for 55 – 80 gallons.

The Tetra HT10 Heater uses a low-voltage electronic thermostat to maintain a consistent water temperature of 78-degrees. Which is the ideal temperature for most tropical fish. 

It doesn’t require any adjustment or monitoring. When the indicator light is red, it’s actively heating the water. And when it’s green the heater is on standby (indicating that the water is at the proper temperature).

The heater is fully submersible

Can be installed vertically or horizontally. And is ideal for up to 10-gallon fish tanks with a glass canopy or hood.

Its compact size makes it easy to conceal behind decorations and plant life. So it won’t be an eye-sore in the tank.

If your fish tank is larger than 10-gallons, you can upgrade to the HT20 or the HT55. The 100-watt HT20 is ideal for fish tanks with 10 – 30 gallons of water. And the 200-watt HT55 is intended for fish tanks with 40 – 55 gallons of water.

View on Amazon

2- Fluval Marina Submersible Heater for Aquarium

The Fluval Marina Submersible Heater comes in two sizes—a mini 25-watt heater for up to 5.5-gallon tanks. And a small 50-watt heater for up to 10-gallon tanks. Whichever size you go with, both heaters provide reliable heating for freshwater and saltwater aquariums.

They’re easy to use, safe, and convenient, with an easy-to-access temperature dial, an on/off indicator light. And a bumper guard to keep your fish away from the heater. Fluval Marina Submersible Heaters are made with durable impact-resistant glass and are 100% waterproof. The package includes a bracket with suction cups for easy installation and secure placement.

Key Features:

• Length: 15 cm (6”)
• Impact-resistant glass design
• Water proof sealing
• Includes bracket with suction cups for easy, secure installation
• 1.8 metre electrical cord

View on Amazon

3- Marina Betta Submersible Heater for Aquarium

The Marina Betta Submersible Heater is the perfect heater for small fish. Bowls and mini-aquariums with 1.5-gallons of water or less.

The simple 8 watt heater is made of a durable polymer that is tougher than glass so it is built to last.

It’ll automatically maintain a water temperature of 78-degrees—no need for any manual adjustments or monitoring.

The heater comes with a suction cup for easy installation. And it has a red indicator light that let you know when the heater is active.

The Marina Betta Warmer is an autonomous, submersible water heater that provides perfect water conditions for bettas. The outside is comprised of a more robust polymer than standard glass sleeve heaters. The fish aquarium heater is intended to attain and maintain a preset temperature in your aquarium water, with no need for human changes. When the heater is turned on, a red indication light appears. It has a suction cup for easy installation to the aquarium glass.

Check out the other Marina products such as aquarium filters, filter media, aquarium heaters, aquarium air pumps, aquarium lights, aquarium thermometer, aquarium gravel, aquarium decorations, betta fish accessories, betta fish food, aquatic fake plants, betta tanks, and aquarium stands for more fish tank accessories. Marina offers a broad range of items suitable for your pet fish or betta fish in any big fish tank, small fish tank, freshwater tank, or saltwater tank.

Key Features:

• Automatic, submersible aquarium heater
• Creates ideal conditions for bettas to thrive in
• Made of durable polymer, tougher than glass
• Automatically reaches set temperature
• Easy to install using suction cups
• For aquariums up to 1.5 US Gallons
• 8 Watts

View on Amazon

4- Hygger Submersible Aquarium Heater Fish Tank Water Heater Thermostat

This Hygger fully submersible heater uses two suction cups for simple mounting, and it can be placed vertically or horizontally. It’s made of high-quality, shatter-resistant quartz glass with a waterproof double seal.

And a black protective sleeve to keep your fish away from the warm glass.

The electronic thermostat can read and regulate temperatures ranging from 61-degrees to 90-degrees, so it has an incredibly wide range.

It also has a “running-dry” protection system that shuts off the heater.

When the device is remove from water and turns it back on. When it’s back in the water.

It’s suitable for freshwater and saltwater aquariums.

This product comes in a variety of sizes to suit your needs. The smallest is a 50-watt heater that’s ideal for 5- to 15-gallon tanks. There’s a 100-watt version for 15- to 26-gallon tanks, a 200-watt model for 26- to 53-gallon tanks. And a 300-watt version for 53- to 80-gallon tanks.

Hygger Betta Heater Features

• Compact and small shape, with plastic guard.
• It has memory function if power failure happens.
• With 2 strong suction cups, can be replaced.
• External temp controller, easy to set the temp.
• Built-in thermometer, is sensitive in water.
• Led digital display, show water temp.
• Auto shut off when out of water, safe to use.
• Auto stop heating when water temp is higher than 95℉.

This adjustable aquarium heater can be used for almost all kinds of small fish tanks, such as square, cylinder shaped or bowl tank, tank made of glass, acrylic or plastic.

Specification:

• Voltage: 110-120V/60HZ
• Heater tube material: quartz glass
• Plug: two-pin US plug
• Power cord length: heater to plug is 5ft, controller to plug is 12 inch
• Heater dimension: 2.7×1.4x 4.5 inch

View on Amazon

5- Freesea FS-28 Small Aquarium Heater with LED display

If you’re looking for a heater with a heads-up temperature display, this is the one for you. The Freesea FS-28 Small Aquarium Heater has an LED display that’s easy to read and monitor.

So it’ll take care of all the work. 

It’s ultra-compact, and it has a plastic protector guard around the heating glass to keep your fish safe. Based on the size of your tank, you can choose between three models that offer 50-, 75-, or 100-watts.

Takeaways:

All of the heaters that we’ve discussed offer top-quality. Durability, accuracy, and safety. So you can’t go wrong with any of them. At the end of the day, the differentiator will be the size of your tank.

You have a 1.5-gallon fishbowl then the Marina Betta Submersible Heater is the simplest solution.

If you’re just looking for a plug-and-play heater without any temperature toggling, the Tetra HT heater is a great pick. You’re looking for a wide temperature range with options ranging from 50-watts to 300-watts. I’d definitely recommend going with the Hygger Submersible Aquarium heater.

View on Amazon

Precautions

• Temperature control switch box should be higher than water surface.
• Heater should be completely submerged in the water to work properly.
• Please check whether this product uses a matching power grid voltage (110V-120V/60Hz).
• This product can not be repaired or modified by yourself, please ask supplier for suggestion.
• Turn off the power supply for 10 minutes before cleaning the tank or maintaining the heater.
• The power socket for heater must have a broken circuit switch.

Please don’t use wet hand to install and maintain this heater, avoid from electric shock Temperature control box is not water proof, please put it above water. If its accidentally fall into water, Please unplug the power immediately and dry it out with blow dryer before use.

LED display

• Multi-function LED digital display heater: Use advanced IC technology, Oval appearance, large LED display.
• Clearly and accurately displays the water temperature, highlights your aquarium.
• No need to buy another thermometer.

Instructions

How to adjust temperature:

There is a regulator connect with power cord, just press the button after heater has been installed, and you can will see the LED display shows °F，press the button until you see the display shows your expecting temperature (display 59~93℉ in cycle by),and then leave it for heating up.

For example:

Expecting temperature is : 80℉ Heater display shows: 70℉ Then, Press the regulator 10 times, then you will see the display shows from 70 to 80°F.

When you see the display shows 80°F，then leave it for heating.

How to Select the Best Aquarium Heater

I’ve given you a lot of options, and deciding which one is best may be difficult. But don’t worry, I’ll assist you.

Aquarium Heater Dimensions

All of the aquarium heaters discussed in this blog article are available in a variety of sizes. Some, such as the Eheim Jager Aquarium Thermostat, are rather large, whilst the Cobalt Neo Therm Heaters are quite small. If you do not have a sump or canister filter, the size of the heater will be an issue since it will stand out like a sore thumb. Smaller heaters are simpler to conceal, and having numerous heaters will aid with concealment in the fish tank (redundancy is another reason to acquire more than one heater, which I’ll describe in more detail).

Aquarium Varieties

The sort of aquarium you possess will influence which heater you need. For example, if you have a fish-only freshwater community fish tank with largely hardy species, you can probably get away with a single, low-cost heater.

If you have bigger predator fish in your aquarium, such as Cichlids or Arowanas, you’ll need a submersible heater that can withstand a pounding. Titanium heaters may be useful in this situation since they are nearly unbreakable.

Accurate and dependable temperature is crucial for those of us who have delicate invertebrates or exotic fish in our saltwater reef aquariums. With such installations, a temperature change might cost thousands of dollars in lost cattle. As a result, as reef tank owners, we must design our heating system with various redundancies and protections to preserve our animals.

Aquarium Heater Types

When it came to fish tank heater building, I did toss out a few terminology so I could be a bit more specific here. A submersible aquarium heater is often made of the following materials:

• Glass
• Quartz or Borosilicate glass of high quality
• Titanium

Glass heaters are often seen with value-based brands that are not included on this list. I’ve entirely disregarded them since they’re prone to bursting and breaking in a fish tank! Something you don’t want:

High-quality glass, such as that used in the Eheim and heaters, is more resistant to thermal stress and less prone to explode, as seen above. They can still break if dropped or struck by a rock, but they should be OK in typical use, particularly if put in a safe region like a sump.

Titanium heaters, such as the Finnex heaters, are practically unbreakable and ideal for bigger fish tanks. They are also the most costly of the bunch.

Your Aquarium Heater Price Range

In this article, I’ve included a variety of high-quality heaters in a variety of price ranges. One thing to keep in mind is that many aquariums will use many heaters, and I understand that not everyone will have the means to do so. The Eheim heater is, in my opinion, the best bang for your cash. Eheim provides a dependable heater with the finest combination of quality and affordability.

Where Should You Put Your Aquarium Heater?

It is preferable to position your fish tank heater in an area with plenty of flow. This is often a location near a power head, power filter, or air stone. You should also consider aesthetics, so if you are putting the heater right into your display, you should position it behind rock work or plants.

With an all-in-one aquarium, placement is even simpler since there are compartments in the return section where you can store your submersible aquarium heater. If you have a sump, you may simply put them in your sump after your first chamber.

Is an Aquarium Heater Required?

That is dependent.

Some fish, such as goldfish and white cloud mountain minnows, do not need a heater and are quite content with room temperature water.

This also applies to dwarf freshwater shrimp such as cherry or crystal shrimp.

However, the majority of the fish in the aquarium hobby originate from tropical places that are far warmer than the normal room temperature. They need temperatures ranging from 75°F (24°C) to 82°F (28°C).

If they are kept in water that is too cold for them, they will perish.

As a result, every tank containing tropical fish must include a heater.