Heater manufacturer Schego showed off a new PTC titanium aquarium heater at Interzoo 2022. Thinner and much longer than existing models these 5/8” thick slimline heaters come in similar wattages from 100 to 600 watts, only the positive temperature coefficient material incorporated into them will help to limit their electrical resistance as the heater body warms up. Titanium users know just how hot these heaters can get while in operation – especially versus glass heaters, but that rapid rise in temperature can cause its own issues internally. By contrast, PTC can be designed to reach a maximum temperature for a given voltage, and that stretched-out form factor now offers greater surface area per watt for better heat dissipation too.
From what we saw at Schego’s Interzoo 2022 booth, the downside for the largest 600 watt PTC model is that it’s long, really long, probably twice the length of the existing 600 watt, 1-inch thick models we all know and use. That means it won’t fit into our sumps like the standard 600 watt Schego and as much as we might want to use this better thermally managed model, it’s only good for the largest of sump chambers. All Schego titanium heaters require separate thermostatic control.
