General Care Discussion :: heater help please asap

[karbay]

ok i went to petsmart and bought one of the high price heaters for my 20gallon tank brought it home wouldnt heat up so we took it back got another heater different brand and cheaper price and we have it as the directions say and the temp is still around 50 so what is going on is there a SPecial heater we need to get that does the trick or what.
Turtle is acting fine etc but the temp isnt right

Please help i am at my wits ENDS on this heater business


juliet

[scripta_elegans]

First, if it's the same thermometer telling you it's 50 both times, I WOULD REPLACE THAT BEFORE ANOTHER HEATER. For a 20 gallon tank, you need at least a 100watt heater. If you have a 100+ watt heater, try adjusting the temp dial 5-8 degrees higher to see if that corrects the temperatue. if none of these work, I would highly recommend a stealth heater. I love mine.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Yeah, those stealth heaters are GREAT! I love mine too!

FYI: the glass tube ones can be a bit temperamental in terms of temps. For my 20 gallon, I started off with a "very cheap" 50W and it either a.) kept the water at 84 degrees or (when I turned it down *slightly*) b.)kept the water at 68 degrees. FRUSTRATING!!! So I bought a slightly more expensive brand of 25W glass tube underwater heater and now it works just fine.

Hope that helps.