General Care Discussion :: HELP!!! TEMPERATURE CHANGE BAD??

[stephanie1986]

hello I have had 2 red ear sliders for about 9 months they must be atleast 2 inches right now and when I got them they were a little smaller than that. They really have not grown that much but suprisingly they are still alive. The 10 gallon tank they are in right now has a good setup, basking area with a desk lamp, but they have never had a water heater. So basically for 9 months there water has not been warm. Not freezing either, I guess you can say semi cold water :( . Now I am considering getting a water heater to make them healthier and maybe grow a little. But will the temperature change that they are not use to harm them more than help them????[/b]

[jenaero]

Go buy the water heater. It will heat the water gradually so they won't notice it. It's very important to know the water and basking temp so go get a thermometer if you don't already have one.

[SpotsMama]

You can get very inexpensive plastic themometers with adhesive backs at places like Petco or Petsmart. You stick them to the outside of the tank.

[jenaero]

Those actually aren't a good way of measuring the water temp. They can be greatly influenced by the room temp outside the tank rather than what's inside. You can buy a cheap plastic aquarium thermometer with a suction cup on it and put it in the water.

[marisa]

It's better not to get the cheap kind that have the little balls at the bottom. I had one and the bottom came off.