Reddit mentions of EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater 300W

Sure thing! Here's a list of the main equipment:

Lighting - Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights

Light Risers - OEM FINNEX LIGHT RISERS FITS PLANTED+, RAY2, FUGERAY, ETC.

Filter - EHEIM Classic 250

Co2 - Tank / Diffuser / Drop Checker

Heater - EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater

Addon - Finnex Breeder Box with Light

I don't think you'll want to risk your fishes lives because of a few bucks, even if you can get them cheap. Get a good heater, I strongly recommend this one, and a good filter, even better if you get two. This and this are good ones.

So for a 20g tank, get like what a 75watt heater? http://www.amazon.com/EHEIM-Jager-Aquarium-Thermostat-Heater/dp/B003I5UC0W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452755802&sr=8-1&keywords=eheim+jager+aquarium+heater+thermostat

I'm going to give you 2 complete tank set up recommendations.

1: the 20 gallon long.

Aqueon 20 long from petco, or find it on craigslist

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/filters/products/aquaclear-filter-1?variant=27576121864

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/intake-sponges

As filter option 1


https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/filters/products/aquarium-co-op-coarse-sponge-filter?variant=29459429163077

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/air-pumps/products/never-clog-air-stone

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/air-pumps/products/check-valve

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/air-pumps/products/ziss-premium-air-valve

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/air-pumps/products/fluval-black-airline-tubing

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/air-pumps/products/aquatop-air-pump

As filter option 2.


https://www.amazon.com/EHEIM-Jager-Aquarium-Thermostat-Heater/dp/B003I5UC0W?th=1&psc=1

Heater. It's a bit oversized but it's good up to like 40 breeder. Itd be better to have 2 75 watts but that's way more expensive.



https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/lights/products/finnex-stingray-led-lights?variant=17546663300

Light that will grow plants in a 20 long perfectly fine.
Its dirt cheap because they OCCASIONALLY only last 2 years but FREQUENTLY dont make it past 3 years. It's a great light for 3 years of run time though.



Water test kit recommendation.
https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/water-testing/products/api-freshwater-master-aquarium-water-test-kit


Cycle kick start
https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/dechlorinators/products/fritz-zyme-7-live-bacteria-freshwater


https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/plant-supplies-1/products/easy-green-all-in-one-fertilizer

Ferts

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/live-plants

I recomend you do not pay shipping for substrate. Look at you local fish store for ecocomplete.

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/fish-medicine/products/quarantine-meds-trio
My usual meds.


Second recommendation is a aqueon 40 breeder

Same everything else but sized for 40 gallons.

Obviously this looks like an aquarium coop ad. But hey, they're my go to.


Plants, anything marked "easy" on that site.

I'd go with the 250 or 300w option. Here

Filtration - yes, canister filter is your best option. The one that is specifically for turtles is probably the ZooMed, and you should stay away from it. It's not going to be enough, and it's kinda a pain to deal with. Fluval makes some great filters, but if you're on a budget, SunSun is good, OR if you're handy, you can make one yourself. Search DIY fishkeeper on youtube for DIY canister filter.

Heating - there are a ton of heaters on the market, again, the 'turtle heater' at the pet store is probably not your best bet. Make sure it's protected somehow so your turtle doesn't damage it though. Eheim Jager is hard to beat, and not terribly expensive. http://www.amazon.com/EHEIM-Jager-Aquarium-Thermostat-Heater/dp/B003I5UC0W/ref=sr_1_7?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1457984903&sr=1-7&keywords=aquarium+heater

Substrate- none is perfectly fine. I keep a bare bottom tank right now, and it stays super clean (assuming you have good circulation and filtration). Sand works really well too, just make sure to clean it thoroughly before putting it in the tank, and don't get the stuff with tiny rocks. DON'T use small gravel.

Egg laying - if you do an above tank basking area, you can put a sandbox in it. There's a ton of other good reasons to do an above tank basking area, and it doesn't really take up too much space if you do it right.

Here's my setup on a 40 gallon tank.
http://imgur.com/a/4iIeX
I have a much larger setup I'm working on now. My little guy is too young to sex, so I don't know if I'll need a nesting area or not yet.

There are heaters with metal casings, but they are expensive. if your turtle is smashing against the heaters and physically breaking the glass, that could be only solution unless you want to do an in-line heater, which would require a canister filter. If the heaters are just dying due to shoddy materials/worksmanship, get yourself an Eheim Jager. I've never had a problem with any of mine.