Habitat - Indoor :: Heater

[Terrapin UK]

As I am now getting a new tank, I will need a new heater and filter!

Does anyone have any recommendations? for the heater I have a choice of makes including Visitherm, Aqua El, TetraTec and Hydor. However they all just give a wattage and not size of tank!

The wattages range from 25W to 300W. Does anyone know what would be advisable for a 149 gallon tank?

For the filter there is an offer on the Rena Filstar XP3, so I thought I might get that?

Cheers,

Liam

[marisa]

In general, allow 4-5 watts per gallon of water (a full 20-gallon tank would need about a 100-watt heater, for example). I don't know about your second and third brands of heater. I have some Visitherm Stealths waiting to be tried out, others use them, though and can comment of their performance. In my 110-gallon stock tank, though, I'm using a Hydor 400-watt Thermo heater, and it's working well. I'm also using a Tronic and Ebo-jager in two other set-ups for a few years now, and they're also working well. You might want to check them out as well if they're available.

The XP3 is good value for the money, I'm using one and like it. If you have the tank full/nearly full, depending on what else you have in the tank, the size of your turtle, whether you feed in the tank, you might want to add a second, supplementary filter to help maintain water quality.

[BigCT]

For the heater, you can get a little smaller than you would need for a tropical fish tank. If it's going to be indoors, you will only need to heat trhe water about 5 degrees F above room temperature.

Personaly I'd get one of the heaters that claims to be unbreakable (can;t think of the brand) my turts like to crash into it when they get spooked off the basking area.

good luck

[staman]

Ebo Jager makes their heaters out out pyrex which is really tough. It wont crack from temperature extremes which i like. I had a tronic blow up in my face...I think im gonna get the 250 watt for my 75 gallon. I have a tronic 200 watt and its nice but it seems to be on most of the time. It's working hard to keep that tank 78 degrees.

[Spookster]

For my 90 gallon I have two ViaAqua Titanium heaters. One is a 100watt and the other is a 200 watt. So far they seem to be doing the job. Most heaters have the wattage needed for the size tank printed on the box. I believe mine had 300 watt for a 75 gallon tank. For your 149 gallon you will probably want a 400 watt and see how it does. If it has trouble keeping up then you might want to get another smaller one to help it.