Habitat - Indoor :: In Search of a Decent Heater

[brady2180]

Can anyone recommend a very good heater for a 30 gallon tank?

[chrisinva]

I love my Marineland Visi-therm heater...

I'm not sure what size you would need for that size tank though

[chrisinva]

I personally am gonna get one like this for my 30 gallon

http://cgi.ebay.com/MARINELAND-DUAL-TEM ... 286.c0.m14

[Daniel3507]

the visi therm stealths are very good. alot of people here use them since they are plastic and very few people have had problems with them. mine works great.

[Fuzzy Hamster]

Yup. The Marineland Visi-Therm Stealth Submersible is the way to go.

For a 30 gallon tank, get the 100W heater. If you plan to upgrade your tank in the near furture then you may want up-size the heater (to a 200W) to be prepared for the larger tank. The price difference is negligible.

I would suggest you avoid any heater that has a fixed temperature. Ideally, you want to eventually & gradually lower the heater temperature as your turtle grows. Typically you would start at around 82-84*F for a hatchling and then lower to around 74-76*F for an adult.

[marisa]

I've used the Stealths and they're OK. I've also used Ebo Jagers and Tronics (both glass, so if you've got rocks in the tank or your turtle is agressive, heater guards are recommended) and they're fine as well.

Actually, if you have a healthy hatchling, 78F would be a better temp. A healthy adult can easily handle a water temp in the low 70's.

[PcBuilder14]

I've never seen a bad review on a Marineland Visi-therm Stealth Heater, some reviews have people talking about owning theirs' for like 5-7 years and still running strong.

[brady2180]

Looks like the Marineland Visi-therm is the way to go. Thank folks!

[marisa]

I have one that stopped working after about a year.

[2Daughtry8]

If you use a water heater, do you still need a heat bulb?

[marisa]

Yes. The water heater keeps the water at a constant temp. The heat bulb should be over the basking area to keep it warm (which will encourage a turtle to bask). For the basking area, a range of 88-90F is good. The heat bulb can be a regular incandescent bulb, use a wattage that will get the temp into the range mentioned.

Your turtle needs both a heat source/bulb and a UVB light over the basking area.

[RonnWilliams]

hello.

I'm a college student on a budget (even though I don't mind spoiling my
Timmy now and again). I see The Marineland Visi-Therm Stealth Submersible Aquarium Heater (100 W is $35) is very popular. I have a RES in an approx 20 gal tank. What other heaters would you all recommned? How important is having the heater fully submerisble?

Please give me your opinion of the following:

Visi-Therm Deluxe Aquarium Heater (100 W @ $25)
EHEIM Jager Aquarium Heater (100 W @ $22)
THEO UL Aquarium Heaters from Hydor (shatter-proof glass, 300 W @ $30)

[steve]

Hi Ronn, I would lean towards the Jager. The Visi-Therm and Theo can be found much cheaper and you might want to consider the Visi-Therm Stealth as well.

[marisa]

I have Stealths, a Theo, Tronics and Jagers. I am slowly replacing the first two kinds with Jagers.