I have a 33gallon breeder (36x18x12) that houses a turtle, and I'm going to be adding fish soon. I just set up the aquarium, but it's not keeping warm. Right now w/ the 50w heater from my 10gal in it and the top uncovered, it's 72 degrees. I was wondering how much of a heater is going to be required to keep it between 75 and 80 degrees for tropical fish?
Keeping Tank Warm
- Thread starter jerky1280
- Start date
well it depends on what kind of fish you'll have,
but for community tank(all tropical fish) the average tempt is 75-80F. for some reason it is better to have specified water parameter for specified kind of fish, because it is easier to take care of them if they got sick!
also becarefull, turtle EAT fish hehe you don't want to keep those expensive little fish, They Will EAT those Little fish....
but for community tank(all tropical fish) the average tempt is 75-80F. for some reason it is better to have specified water parameter for specified kind of fish, because it is easier to take care of them if they got sick!
also becarefull, turtle EAT fish hehe you don't want to keep those expensive little fish, They Will EAT those Little fish....
What wattage heater should I use? I'm thinking something pretty high, because it has a lot of open surface area that it gives off heat to (open 36x18 top). Is it possible to overheat the tank? I'm looking at a 200w submersible heater.
In my previous tank (10gal) I had my turtle accompanied by a blue gourami and a chinese algae eater, and kept it between 78 and 80. The turtle is pretty small, so he won't eat any fish that are longer than an inch or so. For this tank, I want to get a bunch of corys to start with (to eat the leftover food from the turtle). Does anyone know if corys come in anything larger than 2"?
In my previous tank (10gal) I had my turtle accompanied by a blue gourami and a chinese algae eater, and kept it between 78 and 80. The turtle is pretty small, so he won't eat any fish that are longer than an inch or so. For this tank, I want to get a bunch of corys to start with (to eat the leftover food from the turtle). Does anyone know if corys come in anything larger than 2"?
It is possible to over heat your tank from heater malfunction! Rule of thumb for heating is 5Watts/Gallon therefore in your tank you need 165W (actually 200W). You can use 2 100W or 1 200W. Why I mention 2 100W is because of heater malfunction. If your heater were to fail and turn on to max, 1 100W would take longer to heat your tank than 1 200W. This would hopefully give you adaquate time to remedy the problem. Would I recommend it? Depends on your dollars willing to spend plus how much you value your fish.
Do you have a basking bulb set up for your turtle? Most turtles require an ambient air temperature in their tank to be minimum of 76oF with a max of about 80oF for basking.
The reason your water is not keeping warm is because you have an open top. That will disappate heat rapidly if your room is a cold sink. But open tops are required for ventilation in a turtle tank.
And I personally wouldn't put a water heater in a turtle tank. Turtles are notorious for being wreckless around glass, and many heaters, get broken by a vigorous turtle. Besides, turtles use their environment to thermoregulate, they need the water to be cool so that if they get too warm they can slip into it.
What type of turtle and why are you housing it with fish anyway? Most water turtles sold on the market today are carnivors that are going to eat your fish in the long run. While it is possible to do fish/turtle set ups as Soulfish describes (I too volunteer in a nature center), it usually requires more water and space than just a 30 breeder.
~~Colesea
The reason your water is not keeping warm is because you have an open top. That will disappate heat rapidly if your room is a cold sink. But open tops are required for ventilation in a turtle tank.
And I personally wouldn't put a water heater in a turtle tank. Turtles are notorious for being wreckless around glass, and many heaters, get broken by a vigorous turtle. Besides, turtles use their environment to thermoregulate, they need the water to be cool so that if they get too warm they can slip into it.
What type of turtle and why are you housing it with fish anyway? Most water turtles sold on the market today are carnivors that are going to eat your fish in the long run. While it is possible to do fish/turtle set ups as Soulfish describes (I too volunteer in a nature center), it usually requires more water and space than just a 30 breeder.
~~Colesea
I have a red eared slider that is about 3" long. I just bought a 150W heater (petco didn't have anything larger) - my water temp is 82 during the day and about 80-81 at night. I keep her with fish because it makes the tank so much more interesting. Right now she's alone in the tank, but I'm planning on getting a bunch of corys to clean up her mess and some other fish as well.