Boyu · Glass
DR Digital Heater
- Heater
- 50–300 W
Everyday tropical tanks where you want to see the temperature without a separate thermometer.
6 models
Gear catalogue · 25 heaters
Aquarium heaters, compared properly
Glass, inline and smart heaters, sized by watts per litre. From Boyu, Chihiros, Dophin, Eheim, Juwel, Oase, SunSun, UNS. Match them to your tank, then put up to four side by side.
TL;DR, choosing aquarium heaters
Most tropical planted tanks sit at 23 to 26 °C, and the rule of thumb for a heater is about 1 watt per litre in a normally heated room. Go up towards 1.5 W/L if the room gets cold in winter, and on big tanks consider two smaller heaters instead of one large one, so a stuck heater cannot cook the tank and a dead one does not leave it freezing. Glass heaters are cheap and reliable, inline heaters sit on the canister return hose so nothing is visible in the tank, and electronic or app heaters show the actual temperature and warn you if something goes wrong. Mount a heater where water flows past it, and use a separate thermometer to check it.
How to choose
- About 1 W per litre in a normal room; up to 1.5 W/L in a cold one.
- Tanks over 200 litres: two heaters of half the size each are safer than one.
- Inline heaters keep the tank clean but need the right hose size for your filter.
- Put the heater in the flow and check it with a separate thermometer.
Boyu · Glass
DR-9 Series Heater
- Heater
- 50–300 W
General tropical tanks on a budget.
7 models
Boyu · Glass
GR Glass Heater
- Heater
- 100–300 W
Medium tanks where you want an easy-to-read set point on the outside of the tank.
5 models
Boyu · Glass
HT Adjustable Heater
- Heater
- 50–300 W
Budget heating for community and planted tanks.
6 models
Boyu · Electronic / app
PTC Digital Heater
- Heater
- 300–1,000 W
Large aquariums that need serious heating with accurate control.
4 models
Boyu · Titanium
TR Titanium Heater
- Heater
- 100–300 W
Sumps, large tanks or tanks with boisterous fish where a glass heater could crack.
5 models
Chihiros · Inline
Heater Pro
- Tank size
- 38–435 L
Rimless and show tanks with a canister filter where you want clean glass and precise, app-set temperature.
2 models
Dophin · Preset
AH-1000 Plastic Mini Heater
- Heater
- 10–25 W
- Tank size
- up to 30 L
A nano or small shrimp tank that just needs taking off the chill.
3 models
Dophin · Glass
AH-1006 Glass Heater
- Heater
- 25–500 W
- Tank size
- up to 500 L
A tropical tank where you want a cheap heater with a visible scale.
7 models
Dophin · Glass
AH-1008 Glass Heater
- Heater
- 25–500 W
- Tank size
- up to 500 L
A budget heater for a tropical planted tank, sized to your volume.
7 models
Dophin · Preset
AH-1010 Mini Heater
- Heater
- 5–15 W
- Tank size
- up to 15 L
A small shrimp or betta tank where you just want a stable, sensible temperature.
3 models
Eheim · Glass
ThermoControl
- Heater
- 25–400 W
- Tank size
- 20–1200 L
Almost any planted tank, from nano to very large, where you want a proven heater you can set and forget.
10 models
Eheim · Electronic / app
thermocontrol+e
- Heater
- 150–300 W
- Tank size
- 200–1000 L
Larger tanks where you want remote alerts about temperature, especially if you are away a lot.
3 models
Eheim · Preset
ThermoPreset
- Heater
- 50–200 W
- Tank size
- 25–400 L
Beginners and community planted tanks that are happy at 25 °C.
4 models
Juwel · Glass
AquaHeat
- Heater
- 50–300 W
Juwel aquarium owners replacing or upgrading the heater inside their Bioflow filter.
4 models
Oase · Glass
HeatUp
- Heater
- 25–400 W
Oase filter owners who want to add heating later, or anyone after a simple adjustable heater.
9 models
SunSun · Glass
AR Series Aquarium Heater
- Heater
- 50–1,000 W
- Tank size
- 20–900 L
Any size tank, including sumps that need a lot of heat.
10 models
SunSun · Electronic / app
ARB Digital Heater
- Heater
- 500–1,000 W
- Tank size
- 300–900 L
Large display tanks and sumps.
3 models
SunSun · Glass
JRB Aquarium Heater
- Heater
- 65–500 W
Everyday tropical tanks.
5 models
SunSun · Electronic / app
XRB Intelligent Heater
- Heater
- 600–1,000 W
- Tank size
- 300–900 L
Large tanks and sumps.
2 models
SunSun · Electronic / app
YRB-250 Remote Heater
- Heater
- 500 W
Large tanks where you want to check and set temperature easily.
1 model
SunSun · Electronic / app
YRB-800 Electronic Heater
- Heater
- 100–500 W
Mid to large tanks where you want to set and read temperature outside the water.
4 models
SunSun · Glass
YRB-900 Aquarium Heater
- Heater
- 30–500 W
Nano to large tanks.
6 models
SunSun · Glass
ZTB Aquarium Heater
- Heater
- 50–1,000 W
- Tank size
- 20–850 L
Any freshwater tank, sized to its volume.
6 models
UNS · Electronic / app
Micro Aquarium Heater
- Heater
- 10–20 W
- Tank size
- 3.8–18.9 L
Betta tanks and nano cubes under 20 litres where a normal glass heater would dominate the tank.
2 models
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions people ask most when choosing aquarium heaters.
What size heater do I need?
Roughly 1 watt per litre. A 60 litre tank takes a 50 to 75 W heater, a 120 litre tank 100 to 150 W. If your room drops below about 18 °C in winter, size up.
Do planted tanks need a heater?
If you keep tropical fish or shrimp, yes, unless your room holds a steady 23 °C or more year round. Many plants actually prefer the cooler end, so a heated tank does not need to run hot.
Are inline heaters better?
They are tidier and heat evenly because all the filtered water passes through them. They need a canister with the matching hose size and a little more care when you service the filter.
Where should the heater go?
Near the filter outlet or intake where water moves past it, angled so it is not buried in substrate. Poor flow around a heater causes hot and cold spots.
Other gear
Specs come from the maker or a major retailer’s listing and are checked where we can. Makers revise products, so confirm the figures on the product page before you buy. Product photos are supplied by the brands and their distributors.