Is heater not strong enough??

[Ninja turtle]

I have got a 50w heater for our turtles tank. It has about 50 litres of water in the tank, but the temperature is only 24'c. Do I need a stronger watts heater? :-? (Oh they are baby turtles)

[suphew]

I assume you have tried turning the heater up, and arn't just believeing what the dial says on the heater, they are oftem wrong. Also is there plently of water movement round the heater?? it could just be heating the water round itself and turning off. I would have through 50w would be ok for 50 liters but if he tank is only half full so you have a large glass surface to water area and no tops on the tank it might be letting too much heat out. Is the heater on alot?

[Ninja turtle]

Yes the heater on all the time, the tank is half full, not really any water movement by heater apart from the undergravel fitler movement, I do have a glass lid for the tank but wasn't sure if it was a good idea to use as the turtles need light and though the glass lid would stop the turtles getting their light. I am only new to turtles and the book don't say much.

[Freakyfish]

Taht heater is big enough for that amount of water

Do you have a thermometer

Also the temp will depend on outside factor

Is there tank subject to really cold areas i.e outside or does it get really cold where the tank is

Have the lid on the tank and straight glass will not stop the light coming through

[suphew]

The glass will stop the UV light which the turtles need otherwise their shells go soft. Buut this doesn't mater unless you have a light that puts out the correct light in the first place. I used to let my turtle swim outside in a plastic paddling pool for a few hours each week, I think this helped but I didn't realise he had grown enough to get over the side until he disappeared one day :-(

[Freakyfish]

Exposure to natural is the best way for your turtle to produce enough Vitamin D3 which is what helps keep the shell hard

If your feeding a high quality Turtle food then vitamin D3 wont be a problem as they are supplimented in the food

The Uv light will only emmit UV for around 3 months

Feed a quality food and get some natural sunlight into him and everything will be great

Also Suphew i wasnt aware it will stop all UV through Glass but i do now lol

[jude]

Is your thermometer accurate? I would check with another one before I considered changing the heater - I've been caught that way once already

Cheers

Jude

[smidey]

Also the temp will depend on outside factor

Is there tank subject to really cold areas i.e outside or does it get really cold where the tank is

Have the lid on the tank and straight glass will not stop the light coming through

Hi, my 200L tank is in my lounge in the same room as a fireplace. When I light the fire on a cold evening the tank temp can rise as much as 1.5 deg by the end of the night without the heaters turning on.

[fishboi]

I have got a 50w heater for our turtles tank. It has about 50 litres of water in the tank, but the temperature is only 24'c. Do I need a stronger watts heater? (Oh they are baby turtles)

i dont see a problem here 24-26 degree is ideal temperature for youngsters so ur right on the ball there. heating rule is 1 watt per litre so u have more than enough.

]I do have a glass lid for the tank but wasn't sure if it was a good idea to use as the turtles need light and though the glass lid would stop the turtles getting their light

u do NOT want to cover the tank completely not because it would stop the light but it would get humid and cause white blotches on the sell because they can not fully dry off which can become worse turning into fungus and shell rot.

Also Suphew i wasnt aware it will stop all UV through Glass but i do now lol

that's because it doesn't, it only absorb a small amount not all.

Exposure to natural is the best way for your turtle to produce enough Vitamin D3 which is what helps keep the shell hard

If your feeding a high quality Turtle food then vitamin D3 wont be a problem as they are supplemented in the food

The Uv light will only emmit UV for around 3 months

i totally agree, check the ingredient on the food ur feeding ur turtle and make sure it has vitamin D3 and ur be fine. but UV light emits UV for more like 6-9 month not 3. and remember u want a light that goes in to the UV range and produce UVB not a UV light. UVB helps the turtle to produce its own vitamin D3

hope that helps

[alanmin4304]

I have had one turtle for 9 years (since a few months old) without a reptile light and he is very healthy. I feed good quality turtle food, live fish and as much plant as they want to eat. They are all healthy and breed well. Your temperature is OK but if the heater is on all the time it is too small or the thermastat is not working. I have an area where they can get out and dry their shell and it is right by the window and has a glass cover over that part to stop them from escaping. Good diet,some sun and letting them dry out is the way to go. I put the babies into a tank in the garage which has a reptile light and a heat lamp because there are no windows.

[suphew]

Freakyfish wrote:

Also Suphew i wasnt aware it will stop all UV through Glass but i do now lol

that's because it doesn't, it only absorb a small amount not all.

The glass does block a significate amount of UV, but not all of it. I know this is true because I had the UV filter glass on my halide bulbs while I was at work one day and came home to find a number of dead burned corals in my tank. I also heard of people who have looked at halide bulbs with out glass and suffered arch eye.