General Care Discussion :: i give up! *heater problems*

[pumpkinsherbet]

i did previously complain about my heater. i gave it a proper chance (2 days) and it's not working. the basking lamp keeps the water temps hot. the heater doesn't even sustain it. with lamp off temp keeps dropping to below 70 and of course i'm getting worried.

what's a good inexpensive heater i can use that is both safe in plastic containers and can easily be transferred to a bigger tank? current tank has 60 liter capacity, currently only 6 gallons of water. the turtles are 1.1" and 1.5" but i still want to make sure heater doesn't take up too much space, they are very much loving all the swimming space.

*edit* budget looks to be around $30 now.

[missibsu]

I love my stealth heater, and it isn't badly priced!

[pumpkinsherbet]

tank you!

[industrial_girl_2000]

Sorry to ask a dumb question, but which kind of heater did you buy? How many watts is it? Can you see if it is on? At night, when the room is dark, my glass tube submersible heater actually *glows* orange when it is on (it goes on/off throughout the night to help maintain the temp of the water).

I have one of the inexpensive clear glass tube submersible heaters (100W = $30, but the lower watt ones are cheaper....usually around $20) & have been using the same kind for 17 yrs (they each burned out after a few yrs & I have replaced mine at least 4 times over that period of time, as well as upgraded when I needed to).

I only mentioned that I have a 100W heater for my 90 gal (60 gal of water in it). It's on the maximum setting & maintaining the water at 76 degrees F. You will NOT need a 100W heater....maybe a 50W Maximum. There is a formula for the amt of watts you need based on your tank, but I don't remember it offhand. I think Marisa posted it a while ago.....

[mkoby]

I second Missi's opinion! FYI, the online prices are MUCH cheaper! I paid $23 for my tiny heater at PetSmart. The 250 watt is only $21 online!! Make sure you ask if they will pricematch. It's worth it!

[pumpkinsherbet]

it's some pos heater that i got from walmart. i should've known better, i worked there i know most of their stuff is subpar quality. it's called jr. heater or whatever and designed specifically for tanks of my size. when i pulled it out this morning i checked the rod and it's barely hot.

[industrial_girl_2000]

it's some pos heater that i got from walmart. i should've known better, i worked there i know most of their stuff is subpar quality. it's called jr. heater or whatever and designed specifically for tanks of my size. when i pulled it out this morning i checked the rod and it's barely hot.

Do you still have the receipt? Maybe you can take it back & exchange it. It sounds like it is broken.

[d0eb0y]

i got a TOPFIN heater. And its has been pretty good for me. Used in 2 different setups. A 10 gallon and now it is keepin temps nice in a 30 gallon.
Has a light on it so u know its running. Safety shut off so it wont overheat and they are pretty cheap. They run from 15$ - 22$ at Petsmart.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_ ... 4441810762

50 Watt = 16$
100 Watt = 17$
200 Watt 21$
300 Watt 22$

Not bad pricing and like i said mines has been pretty reliable for the past 6 months. And living in Massachusetts it has gotten pretty cold some nights and all is well.

[Kallistos]

The stealth heaters are on sale @ drsfosterandsmith.com

15% so now's a good time to purchase one!

[grey goose]

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/tipsa ... ersize.htm

All about heater selection......

[CountryGirl68]

Like RESOwner said, you can get a 250watt Visi-Therm Stealth heater from drsfosterandsmith.com for under $20. Petsmart.com has the Deluxe 200watt for $14.

The water heater is very important in maintaining your turtle's health.

[steve]

I'd like to know how big the tank it.... you said 60 liters which is 1.6 gallons.

You said there is 6 gallons of water, is that also correct?

If you need to correctly measure your tank, try this page:

http://www.redearslider.com/calculator.html

[Kallistos]

600 liters doesn't make sense either, that's 160 gallons. I assume it's a 10 gallon aquarium or maybe a 20 gallon, just measure your tank and put it into that calculator. It's wonderful!

At the bottome there's some popular tank sizes in liters/cm and inches/gallons.

[pumpkinsherbet]

wow! i have a lot to answer.

erm, it's 60 quarts, that was just a matter of me using the wrong word i was never good at that stuff.

the walmart heater is definitely going back. not exchanging it. don't like that place.

thank you for the about.com link, they always have good info

i went to petsmart on my lunch break. i've been having these problems since day one (even rigged something else up for a couple days) so this was turning me into a frayed nerve. couldn't wait for delivery so i asked the guy there to direct me to the stealths. unfortunately they were all too big so i went for a neptune 50 watt submersible heater.

water temp is holding steady at 78 right now. if i need to turn it up or down let me know. i've been trying to keep it between 78/82 all the texts i've read have been conflicting with each other and that was the average.

hopefully their time with me having these problems has made them tougher. i've been keeping watch to make sure they don't display any signs of illness. they're very active and healthy and john finally ate! so i think it's okay now

[da sAUCE!]

ya rly top fin roxors.