# Hydor In-Line Heaters



## Finzz (Mar 10, 2011)

i am thinking of purchasing one of these for my 45 gal. tank .. i want to hook it up to a fluval g3 .. which one do i need the 1/2 or 5/8 .. im not sure of the tube size for the fluval .. thank you


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## BlazednSleepy (Aug 21, 2010)

I hear the hydors dont works with fluval tubing.

But Im pretty sure it would 5/8

This is what it says on amazon

Hydor ETH 300 In-Line Heater UL 300W f/16mm & 5/8" Hose


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

google is your friend bro.

g3's come with a 5/8inch hose size, use the eth300. 

I believe the g3's come with standard tubing and not the ribbed ones that the 105 etc. filters come with


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## Finzz (Mar 10, 2011)

so i would need extra parts to hook it up ? 

thank you


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

nope. The filter will come with the clear hoses I'm thinking and you can just hook up the heater in line.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

The 200w Hydor comes with either 1/2" or 5/8" fittings. The 300w only comes with 5/8".


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## Finzz (Mar 10, 2011)

ok then i just need to order the heater .. thank you ..


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## gotfrogs (Jul 9, 2007)

Did you get this to work? I am setting up a tank with a G3 and would like to use an in-line heater if possible.


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## bucilini (Jun 28, 2012)

I have a 200 watt hydor filter inline with fulval 306 ribbed hosing. You will need to get http://goo.gl/BiVsX the rubber adapter for it an it will work just fine.



BlazednSleepy said:


> I hear the hydors dont works with fluval tubing.
> 
> But Im pretty sure it would 5/8
> 
> ...


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## proaudio55 (Oct 20, 2011)

Hydor 300 is 5/8" and it is fairly heavy so make sure you have some way to secure it.
I used a giant HAVC zip tie around the bulkhead. Otherwise a coat hanger or something would work.









http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/pHosting.php?do=show&type=f&id=10684&title=side_view_minib.jpg









http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/pHosting.php?do=show&type=f&id=9389&title=hydor-mini2c.jpg


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## proaudio55 (Oct 20, 2011)

I've been meaning to upload this picture for quite a while. Excuse the dust, this has been running for quite a while. I labeled most components and so far I haven't any any problems with this install.

Click on the hyperlink below to open the picture in a new window then click on the picture to open it full size.








http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/pHosting.php?do=show&type=f&id=11513&title=hydor_plumbingc.jpg


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

The Hydor nut fits on a very specific size of tubing. It's not the 1/2 or 5/8" ID that's the issue. The issue is that different tubing brands have different wall thicknesses. That's why, from time to time, you'll see somebody's pic of a Hydor that has the stock plastic compression nuts removed, and small metal hose clamps in their place. This is the case for my tubing, which is Home Depot 5/8" ID, which has thicker walls than the nuts are designed for, so I'm using hose clamps.

Anyway, if anybody ends up with a Hydor that doesn't fit quite right on the tubing, replacing the plastic nuts with hose clamps is an easy fix.


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## Jmlampert23 (Jul 25, 2012)

Love that heater. With a few parts from home depot or lowes you should be able to hook it to any size filter tubing.


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## KGsPFT (Jun 28, 2012)

I have two of the Hydors. Love 'em. The 3M Command hangers are really easy, and hose clamps are almost a requirement IMO. The nuts are really hard to remove after it's been running a while and I heard the nipple crack a couple times!


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## mott (Nov 23, 2006)

KGsPFT said:


> I have two of the Hydors. Love 'em. The 3M Command hangers are really easy, and hose clamps are almost a requirement IMO. The nuts are really hard to remove after it's been running a while and I heard the nipple crack a couple times!


Great idea with the clip!


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## The Big Buddha (Jul 30, 2012)

Those heaters look great, but I need to share my "Hydor experience" with you.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=188122


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## Jmlampert23 (Jul 25, 2012)

The Big Buddha said:


> Those heaters look great, but I need to share my "Hydor experience" with you.
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=188122



Their inline heater works way better than the submersible ones. I am assuming that because you have a 50w heater it is a submersible.


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## KGsPFT (Jun 28, 2012)

No offense TBB, but would you have been so unhappy with your experience had you known the phone number from the beginning? Seems like the issue got resolved satisfactorily once you made direct contact.

Either way, when looking for an inline heater, thy Hydor units seem to be the standard. I was never able to actually find anyone else making them (that I can remember).


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## The Big Buddha (Jul 30, 2012)

Lol, No offense taken. That's the first website I have seen that does not list numbers under the "contact us" tab. The fact that 2 heaters crapped out in 9 months is 1 of the factors that made me unhappy. Once I made direct contact, I did get a resolution to the problem- But I would not have been happy paying the return shipping if I was a US resident. I guess I just expect better customer service without having the difficulty to contact them. Had someone not pointed out that they called and they got through to someone I would still be waiting to hear back. Their answer about the emails was "sometimes we don't get them"

Anyway just wanted to share it.


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## KGsPFT (Jun 28, 2012)

That makes sense. Someone has pointed out that there seems to be a large difference in quality between their in-tank and inline models (to the benefit of inline owners). I hope that's the case as it was pretty much the only option I found.


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## The Big Buddha (Jul 30, 2012)

I really like the inline idea- less clutter in the tank. Hopefully turn out to be better quality than the submersibles.


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## deeda (Jun 28, 2005)

I love the Hydor in-line heaters but it would be nice if they came in wattages less than 200W.

I've been running 3 of them for at least 5 years and no issues at all.

I also do recommend using the provided hanging loop to suspend the heater properly. It's a bad idea to use your hoses for this purpose.


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## AndreyT (Apr 28, 2011)

Finzz said:


> i want to hook it up to a fluval g3 .. which one do i need the 1/2 or 5/8


It is 5/8", but be careful and pay attention when you purchase the hose. There's 5/8" and there's 5/8", so to say. In the attached picture you can see samples of two vinyl hoses, which are sold as having 5/8" inner diameter. The one on the left is from ACE Hardware and the one on the right is from a local pet store. Both, again, are explicitly labelled as having 5/8" inner diameter. 

Needless to say, the left-hand one has significantly larger inner diameter. It fits over Hydor connectors pretty snugly (I have Hydor 200 with 5/8" connectors), yet can be slid over by hand without softening it up in hot water. The right-hand one is virtually impossible to slide over Hydor connectors when cold (softening it up in hot water should make it possible). The right-hand one, as you can see, has thicker walls.

Actual measurements of their inner diameters with a caliper show that the left one is pretty much precisely 5/8", while the right one is more like 1/2". Yet the latter one has a repetitive print on its side saying _5/8" I.D._ Go figure...

I'll probably use the left one with my Hydor and Fluval 306 due to its larger inner diameter. I like the right one for its thicker walls, which resist collapse better, but its inner diameter appears to be ridiculously small for the claimed 5/8".


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## BHolmes (Aug 23, 2012)

I have been using my 300 watt for two years now. It keeps my 90 gal right at 80 deg. My heater stays right in place by the 3/4 in ID tubing. No sag or stress on the connections after two years. I love the Hydor inline heaters.
On a side note I read above to use hot water to soften up tubing. I like to use a hairdryer to not only soften up the ends but also straighten out the entire section of tubing once it is in place.


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## gotfrogs (Jul 9, 2007)

I got my 5/8 200 watt installed on my G3.








I have not yet added water to the tank yet.


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## accordztech (Dec 6, 2004)

I have this heater. Would use it any day! bern running it for 2 years.


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

Finzz said:


> i am thinking of purchasing one of these for my 45 gal. tank .. i want to hook it up to a fluval g3 .. which one do i need the 1/2 or 5/8 .. im not sure of the tube size for the fluval .. thank you





BlazednSleepy said:


> I hear the hydors dont works with fluval tubing.
> 
> But Im pretty sure it would 5/8
> 
> ...


It does on mine.



accordztech said:


> I have this heater. Would use it any day! bern running it for 2 years.


Me too. Did you buy it Finzz? I love mine. Reliable, unproblematic and consistent. It works with the Fluval G6 tubing just fine!


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## storrisch (Jan 22, 2011)

I would NOT recommend securing the heater to the bulkhead. Putting excess pulling/pushing pressure on the bulkhead could cause leaks or worst case to crack the glass depending on thickness. why not just a small hook on your stand.


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## accordztech (Dec 6, 2004)

storrisch said:


> I would NOT recommend securing the heater to the bulkhead. Putting excess pulling/pushing pressure on the bulkhead could cause leaks or worst case to crack the glass depending on thickness. why not just a small hook on your stand.



I don't.know why people secure it outside or hook it. 

Put it under your tank and secure it with a 2" clamp


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## AndreyT (Apr 28, 2011)

Hydor installation instructions clearly state that the heater has to be installed _vertically_. I wonder what's the rationale behind this requirement. 

Being able to install it horizontally would make things a lot easier in many cases (and, as I see, some people do install it that way).


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## proaudio55 (Oct 20, 2011)

AndreyT said:


> Hydor installation instructions clearly state that the heater has to be installed _vertically_. I wonder what's the rationale behind this requirement.
> 
> Being able to install it horizontally would make things a lot easier in many cases (and, as I see, some people do install it that way).


My guess: they say that because the hanging loop is on the end and it causes the heater to hang vertically. As long as you keep a reasonable flow rate, I can't fathom any reason why the orientation would make any difference with the heater's operation.


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

KGsPFT said:


> I have two of the Hydors. Love 'em. The 3M Command hangers are really easy, and hose clamps are almost a requirement IMO. The nuts are really hard to remove after it's been running a while and I heard the nipple crack a couple times!


great tips! thanks =)


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## TexasCichlid (Jul 12, 2011)

AndreyT said:


> Hydor installation instructions clearly state that the heater has to be installed _vertically_. I wonder what's the rationale behind this requirement.
> 
> Being able to install it horizontally would make things a lot easier in many cases (and, as I see, some people do install it that way).


Hanging horizontally has a slim chance for air pockets to build up in the heater and that creates hot spots. Vertically allows for no air bubbles to build up.


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## sarahspins (Sep 24, 2012)

Has anyone heard rumors of these getting stuck "on"? I have one set up on my 55g and so far it's working great, but I'm actually considering running it through a temperature controller that will cut the power off above a certain temperature, just as a safeguard.

Good idea, or am I being overly paranoid?


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## accordztech (Dec 6, 2004)

You can do that or put it on a timer. Shut it down for a few hours at a time...it will never over heat. I don't worry about mine.


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