Habitat - Indoor :: Touching Tank Heater

[CrushnSquirt]

Hi, I was just wondering if it is ok for the turtles to be touching the submersible aquarium heater? We just added one to our tank and our turts seem to really want to be right up next to it and I'm scared that it can burn them. Is this possible? Nowhere in the instruction manual does it say anything about it.

Thanks for your help!!

[Vivi]

i dont really think that it can burn your turtle cuz nicky is always on the heater and when i check him he never has any burns on him. but then again i have read and seen turtles that have been burned by their heater. i think it depends on what kind of heater you have and how strong the heater is.

[jenaero]

I think there's no warning on the package because they expect that the heater will be used for tropical fish which won't rest on it.

I have also heard of turts getting burned. There are heater guards you can buy but you need to know the name and size of the heater because they're made in different sizes. I don't use one but my turts have never gone near the heater.

[cobbcustomz]

my turtles always seem to sleep right around the heater. never noticed any burn marks on them

[marisa]

I use heater guards with higher-wattage glass heaters that are in stock tanks (not glass) and have the potential for being pushed into rocks (possibility of breaking) but haven't with unbreakable heaters that are with turtles in tanks who leave them alone. I've felt the heater without a guard and didn't find to be overly hot, so I think that the heat dissipates quickly into the water, especially if it's placed in a tank where the water is circulating.

If you want a guard, Tronic sells heater guards that fit a number of different brands of heaters (Ebot-Jager being one). You can get them at big als on line (one place) for $2.99 for the larger one. Measure the length of your heater to make sure it's not longer than the Tronic's. What I've done is to just buy an extra Tronic guard and use one of the middle sections to extend the length of it. The alternative is to cut some PVC pipe the length of the heater, drill enough holes in it to let the water circulate freely, cap the end and place the heater in that.