Indoor propane heaters

[Balog]

Ooooo, ok. Better make them wool, too, so they retain heat better when wet. 

And in bright patterns to keep their spirits up! Then post pics... 

[Fly320s]

And in bright patterns to keep their spirits up! Then post pics... 

Hard to believe that I'm first, but...

Make sure the sweaters are turtlenecks. 

[Stand_watie]

...It is advisable to not have the tank indoors, but that is your call.

This is due to the explosion hazard that could happen if tank is tipped over and valve broken off.  If installed indoors, do put in a location where bump/tipover hazard is zero.  If you work in an (OSHA approved) industrial facility, or have noticed the propane/acetylene tanks at your local Home Depot (wherever), you may have noticed that said tanks are in a safety cage bolted to the wall and have chains keeping them upright. That is the reason.

[charby]

They have 12 volt electric blankets, wrap the tank in the electric blanket and hook to a deep cycle battery.

[Silver Bullet]

For anyone interested in a heater, here's a government report on same:

http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia05/os/co03.pdf

[Firethorn]

Red Eared sliders. They can hibernate as well, but I was under the impression that it requires a gradual decrease in temperture, not a sudden drop from ~70 degrees to sub-50 degrees.

I'm not finding good information on that part.  They definitely can hibernate, even the babies from a late clutch will do it right in their nest if the conditions call for it.

btw, I meant surface area vs volume, not just volume.  A 5k gallon tank will take a while to freeze even in sub-zero weather.  An equal volume of water in pipes could freeze in well under an hour.

From my reading, once it heads under 55F they'll start looking to brumate, but only really start under 50F.

[alex_trebek]

The heat capacity of water is your culprit here. If you are going to use an electrical system, why not install an extra UV lamp in the basking area? That will last much longer on a battery, if the room can be maintain to 50, let the turtle figure out where to go and how long to stay there. Would the hot and cold switch be too much shock to them?

[CNYCacher]

rigid foam insulation on as many sides as is practical wil go a long way to keeping the tank warm as the air in the room drops temperature.  It comes in 4' x 8' sheets in various thicknessses.  Cut to size, tape in place if and when needed.

Get some kind of electric heating pad between it and the glass on one side and you will really b in business.