What thermometer do you use?

[szidls]

Hey All,
Just trying to figure out which thermometers you have had the best luck with? I have a Won pro-heat heater with a digital readout on my 20 gal. I bought a Rainbow-lifeguard big readout temp alert thermometer to check it against. The RB reads aprox 1.8 deg cooler then the Won. Soooo I put a bulb thermometer in the tank. It reads basically the same as the Won. Guess I will go with the higher reading.
Anyway, Let me know what's in your tank. Controller, Digital, Bulb????
Thanks, Scott

 

[Sea of Sorrow]

I'm using the Rainbow-Lifeguard big readout temp alert thermometer. Been using them for years with no problems.

 

[dgasmd]

I use the one in my Ranco temp controller. I have used others and found this to be the best hands down. I also a floating type for redundancy.

 

[Curtswearing]

I, like Rick, am using the Rainbow-Lifeguard big readout temp alert thermometer.

The alarm saved my bacon one time. I kept hearing a beep and couldn't figure out where the beep was coming from. Using my ears as a guide, I finally found my way to my aquarium which was at 86 degrees. The thermostat on my heater had broken and it wouldn't turn off no matter what temp it was set at. I have to assume that the tank would have continued heating until it crashed.

Scott, my RB reads about 1 degree low as well which I just compensate for. The alarm feature is worth it's weight in gold IMO.

 

[reedman]

I use a floating (old school mercury filled) thermometer as a sanity check for the cheapo indoor/outdoor thermometers they sell at Fred Meyer. I paid maybe $15 or $20 for it and it reads both the temp from the probe (in the tank water temp) and the location of the digital read out (canopy temp or stand temp depending on where you mount it). It also records high and low temps until you reset it, so I can see the variation in the temp throughout a day. It's pretty good on accuracy, but more importantly it is consistent. So once calibrated, I can use it without any worries. I still check against the old school one occasionally to make sure.

 

[szidls]

Hey Thanks for the replys guys.
Curt- The alarm feature is really nice. I guess having 2 thermometers on the tank is good practice as a safeguard. Earlier this summer Colleen had the same mishap as you. The heater t-stat broke on her hex reef. When I walked buy the tank I could feel the heat radiating off. 94 deg I think. A bag of ice to the sump melted in about a minute. Luckily all livestock and corals survived.
Thanks for the conformation on the low reading of the lifeguard thermometer.
Keep the posts comming.
Thanks, Scott

 

[wrightme43]

Oregon Scientific, wireless digital thermometer. waterproof, and used normally for hot tubs or pools. 25$ at lowes. back up floating glass kind. I sorta enjoy watching the snails getting on it sinking it to the bottom and then it poping back up. Steve

 

[NaH2O]

I use the Pinpoint thermometer. As of now, I don't need heaters, but did note while cycling, the digital readout on the won-pro was off approx 1 or 2 degrees according to the thermometer.

 

[Ed Hahn]

I use a Rainbow-Lifeguard Digital big readout temp alert thermometer. One of the neatest ways to find my heat issue was this thermometer. It told me at 9pm I had a temp issue. I would have never found my temperature spike with a regular thermometer.

 

[Macbeth417]

Rainbow-Lifeguard little temp and thermometer here too.
Simple, cheap and pretty accurate from what I have seen

-Erik