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| Product:
Acura Heater Series |
overall score: |
| Manufacturer: Top Fin
(webpage unknown) |
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1 2
3
4 5 |
| Price:
$15-(50 watts) <--> $20-(300 watts) |
| Pros:
Easy set heaters will let you throw away your
thermometer. |
| Cons: Heaters are
short lasted. Not recommended if you do not want to replace the heater
every year. |
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Product Review |
Models Used for
this review->150 and, 200 watt |
| Tetra has long been one of the
best known names in the aquarium hobby. Sold
under the names of Tetra, Second Nature and Challenger, to name a few, Tetra products have
survived a long time by providing high-quality products that were not too expensive for
the average aquarist to buy. This month we review the Acura
series of heaters. The Acura heaters are
submersible heaters that can be preset to a specific temperature and they will then
maintain that temperature. There are several
sizes, from 9”-14” and the range in watts from 50-300. This heater can be used on tanks from 15-100
gallons. The retail price is $20-$30 with the
larger more powerful heaters costing more. |
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Accuracy (7) |
One
of the big selling points of this series of heaters is it’s ability to be set and
then left alone. They contain a simple
temperature setting mechanism. The top of the
heater is a dial, by turning the dial, the temperature can be set to any degree you
desire. I usually set my own tanks around
76°, though that will vary somewhat depending on which heater I am using. For the Acura series of heaters, I found that I
have to set the heater lower than I want the tank temperature to be as they seem to always
run just a little high. Other than that, the
heater is fairly accurate. It will keep your
temperature right around where you set it to be. |
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Ease of Use (4) |
| I
can’t think of how this heater could be easier to set.
Well maybe if we could set it by remote control, but other than that,
nothing could be easier. All you have to do it
turn the dial. The clear glass has the
temperature behind it allowing you full visibility of where you are setting the
temperature. Once set, the temperature stays
very close to where you’ve set it, making the ease of use over the long term very
high. |
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Reliability
(5) |
| The one short-falling of this
heater is its durability and reliability. Of
the 5 that I used, 3 had water or perhaps just condensation, inside the glass tube. The water comes in contact with the metal and
causes corrosion. I’ve had 2 of these
heaters die from this experience, both within 2 years of their purchase date. One of them took a tank full of peacock cichlids
with it when it died, putting it into my black book. Heaters
are very important to your tank, and when they go out by heating the water to 100° it is
a very memorable and sad experience. From my
experience, I expect a new heater to last 5 years. The
Acura series of heaters does not seem to be built to work for that long of a time period,
and I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who doesn’t want to worry about replacing
their heater every couple of years. |
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Overall
(6) |
| The Acura series of heaters
provides a quality product at a low price. You
won’t find many submersible heaters that are as inexpensive as the Acura heaters. However, their lack of a long life-span hurts their
overall rating considerably. Still for the
price, you are getting exactly what you are paying for. |
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