My 55 gallon brackish tank has a 200w tetra submersible/adjustable heater in it. It no longer maintains a decent temperature. The maximum temperature it will reach is 71*F.

My husband bought this item last Christmas & given a choice, I would not have. A few years back I kept a 39 gallon tall & went through 4 of these in 2 months. (They tended to NOT be waterproof.)

My 20 gallon has a 100w tetra submersible/non-adjustable heater in it & bounces between 71*F & 75*F.

The 10 gallon has a 50w tetra submersible/non-adjustable heater in it & also bounces between 71*F & 75*F. This tank also has a non-operable (POS) Aqua Culture incandescent hood that I'd like to replace with a florescent model. (The bulbs were *protected* by little plastic guards that allowed water to make contact with them. It shorted out so I removed the plug to insure no *good samaritan* plugged it in.)

All 3 tanks are in the same room (living room), which also houses the furnace, & tends to be one of the warmest rooms in the house. The 55 is on a recently insulated outer wall. With it being on a cinder block/2x4 stand, paired with a 110 year old house, & floor joists running outer wall to outer wall, I'm not terribly comfortable moving it to an inner wall. Especially given that the inner walls were built between the joists.

My ramblings aside, does anyone have any suggestions for quality heaters & florescent hoods? I'd like to be able to plant the 10 gallon, so there is that to consider.

Also, the 10 gallon has a tetra whisper internal filter. It does an okay job, but tends to droop several inches below the water surface as it's held only by a small suction cup. Any suggestions there?

(The 10 gallon & 55 gallon were pre-packaged setups my husband purchased (as gifts) from Walmart.) o.O

Thanks for your time.

__________________
-Never put a Chinese Algae Eater in a Guppy tank unless you enjoy vacuuming little corpses out of the substrate.-

55 Gallon/brackish (1.009)-
1 dragon goby
5 black mollies
4 bumblebee gobies
14 ghost shrimp
2 snails of unknown species

20 Gallon/freshwater/planted-
3 zebra danios
2 snail of unknown species

10 Gallon/freshwater-
currently fishless

I use a Jager heater--appears well built, good reviews and works well keeping an even temperature. I bought oversize because the tank's in a cold room and the price differentials were small between the 100 to 150 watt heaters though I must admit the 150 barely physically fits in my 20 tall. Inspires much more confidence than the Aqueon it replaced.
Aquarium Heaters: Eheim Jager Thermostat Heater at Drs. Foster and Smith
I'll leave the light recommendations to more expert opinion however I use and like Nova Extreme T5HO fixtures.

I like the new Aqueon Pro heaters. It sounds like you possibly have heaters under rated for the space they're in and the size tank. Heaters should be bought based on the gap of the temp of the room, compared to the needed tank temp. There are numerous charts on the web.

For a filter on the 10g, I'd look at Aqua Clear HOB filters. I wold get an AC30.

I don't use hoods on any of my tanks. I use glass canopies and then place my own lights on top of the tank. Mine are all planted.