redearslider.com

I have a 100 watt heater (set to 80F) in my 10 gallon tank and the temp stays in the 79 F to 80F range...Is this heater too high a wattage?

No. thats good, Its ok to have a higher wattage heater than rated for the tank, because it will still just turn off when it reaches the proper temp. I have a 250watt rated for a 75 gal in my 55 and it does a great job.

I have the same as Chris, 250 watt in a 55 gallon,(53 gallon).

A 100 watt heater is a bit too big physically and wattage for a 10 gallon. Rough estimates indicate that you should have 3 to 5 watts per gallon of water.

steve wrote:A 100 watt heater is a bit too big physically and wattage for a 10 gallon. Rough estimates indicate that you should have 3 to 5 watts per gallon of water.

what harm other than space will this cause the turtles?

as long has its keeping the water at around 78 i wouldnt think it would be a problem

If it has an automatic shut-off when the water gets to the desired temp, there's really no problem that I can see. And I've seen some 100-watt heaters that are fairly small. I've used one in a 10-gallon for a while and had no problems.

Chris-va -- If you can do it I would suggest that you lower the temp a little between 75 and 77 degrees. I would only use the higher temp for when your turtle is sick. The thermostate can be lowered a little. You could do well with a 50 watt for such a small tank. Good Luck--

the ideal temp is 78 for hatchlings. once they get around 4 inches you can go ahead and drop the temp to 75-77