Inkbird Digital Outlet Heat Temperature Controller with Day Night Control for Brewing Aquarium Breeding Reptiles Hatching Heat Mat

SUMMARY: I have two Inkbird temperature controllers and they are very good products for the money. My biggest comment about Inkbird is this: The features and variations of the different inkbird models are hard to make sense of, especially in the amazon listings. There is better info online, but its still a chore to make sense of what each model does and does not do, and which ones have alarms and which have different timed settings, etc. They have different models with different options and its worth your time to make sure you get what you need. Also, I noticed that there are some new models (its early 2019 as I write this) that look better than their original controllers. They probably work the same, but have been styled to look like they belong in a living room instead of a greenhouse. I just bought a 306 to use as a fail-safe for an aquarium heater. I already have a 308S for another aquarium. I prefer the 308 to the 306 for a couple reasons: 1 - the 306 has a slight buzzing and occasionally clicks when switching on or off (the 308S is silent and seems to function better in general). 2 - the 306 seems to go for 10 minutes or more without changing the temperature reading (when I know the temperature is changing), then will quickly update itself several times over a few seconds, then not change for 10-15 minutes again. This is not really a big problem for my use but the 308S reading seems to always adjust quite frequently and I was expecting the 306 to be similar. The 306 model has a feature that I have not set up but is worth noting...the different settings based on time are a super feature if you are using it for reptiles. Overall I am impressed by what the Inkbird products can do for what they cost. The instructions are a little hard to follow but they are trying to pack a lot of settings into a few buttons, and setting multiple temperature points and ranges of variation can be complicated. Add in different settings for different times, and high and low alarms on the 308, and I think given the complexity of what they do, the buttons and instructions are pretty good.

So far Ive used this in my 75g aquarium for about a month. This controler is pretty simple to set up and has worked great in the Fahrenheit setting. This one seems to be the best version for aquariums and seems to have a sealed probe. The only downside Ive found is when using this in the Celsius setting, the temperature never got up to where I wanted it and had a large temperature range, causing major water temperature swings. I have since switched over to Fahrenheit and has worked perfectly within 1 degree. I have just purchased a second one for a nano tank and will update my review if any unreasonable malfunctions happen.

Easy to setup and very accurate. Literally 0.3 degrees Fahrenheit difference from digital thermometer I have. Not sure which one is exactly, but close enough for aquarium.

As described. I do wish the instructions could be a bit clearer... its took me a while to figure out some of the fuctions. It was very confusing but eventually I figured it out.

Perfect

I had an Eheim Jager heater that was virtually impossible to calibrate to the desired temp. and had become useless. Connecting it to the Inkbird made everything easy and I no longer worry about my fish being cooked or freezing because of the EJ heater. It took a bit to understand the directions but the Q&A on Amazon answered all my questions and once set, it truly is set and forget I wish it was adjustable to 1/2 a degree rather than 1 degree but Im happy not to see my tank temp at 84 when the heater was set at 78. Ive been using it on a 20 gal tall for 2 months and could not be happier. If you have an erratic or hard to adjust heater, the Inkbird is for you.

First of all, so far it has worked fine. I was worried about the noise other reviews mentioned but it is very faint. It is only noticeable with an ear close to the unit. My main criticism is that it seems to only update the temperature readout and heater function periodically. I would hope for it to readout the temperature more continuously but its only getting a new reading roughly every 10 minutes. This on top of the 1 degrees threshhold minimum for heater activation means the temperature may be significantly lower than the desired setting before the heater even turns on. Honestly for most setups this is perfectly fine as the water temperature isnt likely to drop rapidly enough for things to get too cold. It may be a dealbreaker for smaller setups and while I will be keeping mine, I do regret purchasing this specific controller.

This product is pretty amazing, it helped me identify a temperature swing within the first day of me installing it it reads pretty accurate But is a little hard to set up at first, I’m sure the Wi-Fi one is a lot easier! I would recommend this product to anyone who has an aquarium and wants to get accurate readings. I even tested and compared the readings to my Hannah salinity checker and it read correctly each time

Good buy

Great product for aquarium use. Accurate Temperature reading, ability to add calibration if needed & ability to connect two heaters for larger tanks. Second purchase and will order more as needed.