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Hey all,
I have two adult YBS turtles in a 125 gallon tank with a Fluval FX6 filter and a sunsun. There's a divider in the tank, so each turtle has their own mega ray heat lamp.

Currently I'm using an eheim jager heater, but it's a few years old and its off by a few degrees (and won't adjust).

Every product I look at, I find a laundry list of horror stories about them going wrong and killing pets. Basically, I'm looking for the safest option to heat a tank that large.

I'm in New York and it does get hot here in the summer. Do I even need to run a heater year round, or could I get away with only running it in the winter months?

Thanks,

-MVB

I still have my Eheim Jagers running, though I added some plastic protector covers to help them from being knocked around. I think they were bought by Hagan a few years ago so it's possible quality has taken a step back. Aqueon Pro is supposed to be pretty good with a lifetime warranty. For additional safety, a guard can be good, the Aqueon Pro comes in shatterproof plastic. Make sure all the gear is plugged into a GFCI and have the cords in a drip loop position. In NYC, you don't need to have it plugged in year-round. I do keep an eye on temps though (I use a temp gun and lcd sticker thermometers).

There are also some high-end heaters made of metal (I forgot the brand) and there are inline heaters which connect to the hoses of filter outside of the tank.

I had some smaller Aqueon Pros I was running along with the Eheim for a while, but they started running too hot and I ditched them. I looked into it and I found stories about the plastic cracking and leaking something toxic into the water.

These inline heaters - would they work with the Fluval FX6?

Hmm, good to know. At least that's better than the Stealth heaters that came out around 15 years ago... those came in a cool looking plastic shell but a few of them exploded causing fish tanks to blow out.

For an inline heater to work with the FX, it can work with a few tweaks. https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/9-eq ... r-fx6.html

There are probably some other options to consider as well, like maybe some smooth vinyl tubing.

Where do you guys find the cover for the heater? I am going from a small environment with two of the Tetra turtle heaters. But I don't really think they get warm enough. Temperature stays around 70.

Ebay, but you can also make your own.

To further provide safety you can use a temperature controller. Then you have a backup in case the heater contacts stick. Do any of you use one?

Aqueon heaters are good, in addition they are shatterproof.

Aqueon Submersible Aquarium Heater is a completely submersible aquarium heater with precise temperature setting. Featuring a shatter resistant construction, this aquarium heater features an automatic safety shut off and overheat protection. Available in five sizes/wattages to fit any size aquarium, see below.

I don't use a controller.... yet. Once I get a bigger tank with multiple heaters, you bet I'll pick one up,

Steve,
You are a turtle expert and I am not. With that being said I think that your post is not prudent. We all have turtles that we have invested a great deal of money, time and love in. So to not invest another $39 waiting for a “bigger tank” is foolhardy in my opinion. I’ve had friends literally cook their fish and turtles due to a defective heater. Why as a responsible owner would you not have one? They are a second defense to heater failure and they have alarms?
Nick

I'm no expert but if that's a compliment then thank you. At the moment I do manual checks on the temps twice a day and water leak check daily. I'm using lower wattage heaters, so if their thermostats were defective then they wouldn't be able to heat things more than 85F but I would catch an issue before hand. Surge protection and GFCI are there to catch other potential electrical issues.

You make a valid point, it's relatively inexpensive and I'll look into getting one sooner than expected.