Habitat - Indoor :: Heating

[cheech&chong]

I read everywhere that you need a water heater for your turtles. I live in Houston, TX and it's pretty warm here... I don't really need a heater do I?

Also, I keep my tank next to a window with open blinds... Is this also bad? Sometimes when I wake up early in the morning the turts are already up and about before I turn their lights on..

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Your water needs to be kept at a stable temperature. Water heaters are not expensive at all. They usually go for 20$, sometimes..15$!

Heck, i live in miami and i use a water heater!


I would definitley get one if i was you..

[adam85491]

I didn't used to use one but I learned that you should. It helps prevent RI and is able to keep the temperature constant. Without it my tank is like 72-74 but it doesn't matter..you should get one. I'd reccomend the visitherm stealth..it's what people on here said were the best and if you pricematch it at Petsmart it's like 18 bucks. Your temperature can rise too quickly if your tank is in front of a window by the way.

[marisa]

Summer is approaching, and if it gets really warm where you are, you're probably going to have more of a problem keeping the temp down rather than keeping the water warm. If your turtle is healthy, and the temp in the room he's in is 75F, he should be OK without a heater. If in the fall it gets cool, I'd get a heater then.

[SpotsMama]

I cannot even imagine spending summer in Houston without air conditioning. If your air conditioner is on and keeping the air temp cool then you may still need a heater in Houston in summer.

[steve]

Heaters are also handy for warming up the water after a change/cleaning, especially since it is not advisable to use warm tap water.

[orca_gurl12]

Our house gets pretty warm in the summer because we don't have AC, only a wimpy swamp cooler. (The poor thing)
Is there any way to keep the water temperature DOWN? Or is it okay as is? I figure that I live in an area that is a natural RES habitat so if the wild ones are okay outside then my RES is probably okay inside right?

[DavidY]

Well, even a 200gal tank is tiny compared to a small pond and will heat up to air temperature within hours. The pond however is several feet deep into the ground so it's temperature is held steady by the cooler ground underneath as well as the fact that it takes weeks to raise the temperature of a million gallons of water. Also, the surface area of a pond compared to the overal volume is much greater than our fish tanks so there is a ton of evaporation going on and that helps keep the water cooler than the air. The shallow areas will heat up but several feet down in the mud will stay very cool through the summer.

That being said, you need to keep an eye on the water temperature through the summer to make sure it doesn't go above 80 for extended periods of time. If you can keep it in the 70's that would be best. This can be achieved by positioning a fan so it blows gently across the top of the water. You can also add a couple of ice cubes to the tank every now and then. But you don't want to drop the temp too rapidly either.

[orca_gurl12]

Good point DavidY! The pond probably is cooler down deeper. Putting the fan across the water is a great idea! What do you think about a small clamp fan on the side of the tank turned to low? I just feel a little uncomfortable with the ice cubes because I don't want to make it too cold!

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Wouldnt the cool breeze of the fan possibly get your turtle sick?

[industrial_girl_2000]

Wouldnt the cool breeze of the fan possibly get your turtle sick?

A light breeze from the fan wouldn't be any worse than RES's sitting on a log in nature on a windy day. It should be fine to keep the water cooler during the day.

I would just blow the fan along the water, away from the direction of the basking dock just in case.

[DavidY]

The fan clamped to the tank should work well. Maybe position it so it is not blowing on the basking platform.

Eddie, the breeze from the fan in the summer time is fine since the air is more humid and the breeze itself will be picking up more moisture from the tank water. The RI threat comes from the cold dry air in winter time or from an air conditioner. But you're right that you probably don't want to be blowing directly on the turtles while they're basking.