Product: Acura Heater Series (a.k.a. Whisper Heaters)
Manufacturer: Tetra
Price: $15-(50 watts) <--> $20-(300 watts)
Pros: Easy set heaters will let you throw away your thermometer.
Cons: Heaters are short-lived in my experience, showing weakness in design that lead them to break or stop functioning prematurely.


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 I  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.

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.

Ease of Use (8)

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.

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. All three of these heaters died from this experience, two within 2 years of their purchase date, the last made it nearly 4 years. 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/Whisper 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.

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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