Equipment Review and Discussion :: need help on choosing a good heater...

[Kallistos]

I think even though some turtles are stupid, that they will keep be able to prevent themselves for burning themselves. Turtles have nerves just like us, so I doubt they'll sit there burning their hands off...

[industrial_girl_2000]

lol yea, a 3" turtle in a 10 gallon tank. that's the best i can do. i just bought the 10 gallon tank yesterday. before it was a 5.5 gallon. i like to make room for my turtle to play around so thats why i dont want to keep on adding stuff in the tank since i already have a whole bunch of stuff in it like different kinds of rocks big or small. toys, caves, filter and a basking area floating on top. i'm a student, so a 10 gallon is the best i can do and it seems that my turtle is perfectly fine with it. i just cleaned up my tank so it's now less crowded. besides, a huge tank would be too much work when comes to cleaning.

It's really not much more work if the tank is bigger. The only difference is that you won't be carrying the tank to the sink to empty it out. Nowadays there are some GREAT items on the market to help with the water-changing. With my 90-gallon tank, I have LESS work cleaning the tank than when I had the 55 gallon tank, if you can believe that (honest!). Those "python" tubes (plastic tube you hook up to a faucet to suck water out & refill tank) are great. I don't own one yet (I just got my tank not too long ago), but I saw the guys use it when they brought my 90 gallon tank to my house. Amazing. I spent many years with my 55 gal tank hauling buckets of water & killing my back. I am SOOOOO excited that they have such awesome products out there for tanks! It makes it so EASY to take care of my kid!!!!

[kc]

python tubes? what do they look like? also, there's a long way from the tank to the nearest sink so i'm not sure if that'll work

[industrial_girl_2000]

python tubes? what do they look like? also, there's a long way from the tank to the nearest sink so i'm not sure if that'll work

That's what's so great about them. The standard tube length is around 25 feet, and you can get additional tubing to make it even longer if your sink is farther away! It's just a very very long clear plastic tube with a pipe fitting on one end of it so you can screw it right onto any faucet (screw off the little screen cover on the end of your faucet, then screw on the python tube fitting. Then you turn on the water on your faucet. The valve on the python controls which way the water is going. If it is in one direction, the water flow will create suction that will suck the water out of your tank, and directly into your sink drain. If the valve is pointed the other way, the water from your faucet will flow thru the python into your tank! They take time to empty & fill the tanks, but it sure beats the heck out of carrying buckets out of your house! Wheeee!

Those are so super cool. I am very excited to get one. They aren't exactly cheap, around $50 for the basic 25 foot long python. If you need more tube, I think it's around $25. But it is a one-time cost & you will love how easy it is to keep your turtle clean!

[cam722]

Those are so super cool. I am very excited to get one. They aren't exactly cheap, around $50 for the basic 25 foot long python. If you need more tube, I think it's around $25. But it is a one-time cost & you will love how easy it is to keep your turtle clean!

I didn't pay $50 for mine and I just got it recently. It was less than $30.. of course that was US and kc lives in Canada. There is an attachment to the faucet assembly that gets pulled down that makes it "suck" rather than "fill". The valve on the tubing just stops the water from flowing in any direction..