# Tropical Aquarium Heater



## DG8 (Dec 10, 2014)

I have just bought a new 215lts aquarium to hold tropical fish - at the moment I have a well established 64ltr fishbox aquarium but decided to go bigger. The fish shop I am buying my new tank from (and bought the fishbox from) advised me that I needed a new heater as my present one will be to small.

He advised me to get a digital Fluval E300 at the price of £45:99, I have looked at Amazon and they advertise the same for £32:95. As I do not live locally to any aquatic shop, buying the one from Amazon will not only save on price but also the cost of fuel to make the round 120 mile round trip.

My big concern will the two heaters be the same and if they are why the big price difference. I could understand four or five pound but £13:+? 

Anyone know if there are large differences in price depending on suppliers?:confused5:


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

I don't see any reason why the one on Amazon shouldn't be just as good, so long as it comes with warranty etc. Aquatic shops do tend to be a fair bit more expensive than online.

Fluval are a good brand, though personally I've found that cheap unbranded heaters work just as well as the expensive ones. The general rule is 50w per 50l, so for a 215l tank you need 250w or higher. Or for larger tanks, some people prefer to have 2 lower-rated heaters (e.g. 2 x 150w) so that the water heats more evenly, and also as a backup in case one dies.


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## Dragonlady (Jul 5, 2010)

As for the price, a retailer needs to keep staff, heat the shop and all the costs are imposed at the end on customers. It's almost always cheaper to buy online.
I bought just two weeks ago a 100 watt Juwel heater on Amazon as the original 50 watt with the 64l tank was not sufficient. Before winter I was afraid that my fish freeze.
The heater was delivered on time, in original box and works fine.

I, personally, try to buy from local pet shops, even if the price is slightly higher than on Amazon/eBay. If anybody buys only online I'm scared that in 5-10 years there won't be any choice to buy fish and other pets from local shops. This month, my local specialist aquatic shop is closing, after 30 years on the market. What a shame! 

However, in your case, I wouldn't think twice and I'd buy online.
You can also check product reviews online, what pet shop staff definitely won't tell you.


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