Under Tank Heaters and Tank Temperature

[TheWulf]

From what I've been able to find, it seems that under tank heater performance is hindered depending on the type of substrate.

I guess most people use it as many people keep leos on substrates like paper towels or thin reptile carpet. When using something like sand, bed-a-beast/forest-bedding, these are thicker and absorb most of the heat -- meaning the end result is a warm substrate but not really a warm tank -- which is why i'm questionning this heating choice vs a heat lamp.

Thoughts?

[peterm15]

i use both... heat pad 24/7, lamp during the day... i use sand... but in one section i put a rock to creat a good belly heat area

[DragnDrop]

You really only have to heat the surfaces and air space that the leopards contact. No need to worry about having 88F in the airspace 6 inches above the leo since they'll never fly through there. :) The warm caves/hides have to be warm, substrate should be warm enough but doesn't have to be as warm as the hides. A 'warm tank' sounds to me like you're trying to get the heat thoughout the entire enclosure, which isn't needed. Envelope the leo in some heat wherever it goes, allow a cooler 'envelope' in the cool end, and don't worry about the places he'll never venture to. If you had arboreal geckos it would make a difference since they climb and jump up high, but with leos just worry about the bottom and climbing areas on the ground. A UTH properly positioned and proper size for the enclosure will do it for you.

[TheWulf]

Great.. thanks for the tips! I think I'll use a UTH and add a small 75W basking bulb on the warm side for lighting/slight temperature gradiant in the tank.

Apparently the smaller exoterra heater should be good for a 20gal so i'll give that a try... i'd rather get a smaller one and not have to use a dimmer since yes, dimmers on electrical components not designed to handle low amperage can damage the circuits.

[TLH_Wär§cöötmän]

I guess it all depends on your tank setups. I have plants and tubing suspended on the back wall of my 27 gallon, so I like to keep the heat in a little more, but I use the terrarium felt carpeting, not sand, ect. I am still nervous about impaction, even tho I am sure its unwarrented considering all my Leos are adults. But thats just me LOL :D

The rock is a good idea too, I used a slab of granite ontop of the heat pad side a while back, so I bet if you did something similar, by burying the rock in the sand so that it was on the glass against the heat pad it should after a few hours heat the entire rock up and eminate heat. Slick idea there DragnDrop. I think I'll use that if I ever use sand.

Speaking of heating pads, anyone ever stuck one to the back/side of a tank?? I'm thinking its a bit ineffective (most the heat would be lost to the open air, whereas underneath, the heat is somewhat caught), but something like a Tokay might like the warmth if you had matting on the wall or something ontop the glass, so the gecko doesnt get burnt. What do you think???

[DragnDrop]

If you're worried about the UTH not warming the enclosure enough, have you considered putting it inside instead of underneath? You'll have to be careful how you set it up inside, but it can be done with just a bit of work. I have some of my leos in melanine cages, and use the UTH inside. Here are some pictures of the contraption I made (mind you I'm not a carpenter, but for a 'meere' female, the darned things turned out pretty good and work like a charm). Anyone a bit handier with tools than I am could make a prettier version.

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3115/321inside_compartment-med.jpg

The moist hide normally sits on top of the ceramic tile, it was moved so I could take the pictures.

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3115/321uth_side-med.jpg

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3115/321uth_under-med.jpg

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3115/321uth_cord_side-med.jpg

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3115/321uth_hide_box-med.jpg

By raising the UTH off the floor it makes a nice warm cave for the geckos to hide under and keeps any loose substrate from getting stuck to the UTH itself. Using the screen protects the geckos and insects from possibly injuring themselves on the UTH and keeps it safe from them as well.

There's also heat cable that can be used inside. I've just recently started using the one by Zoo-med, and love it.
I wouldn't recommend the roof de-icer cable, it gets too hot, but the Zoo-med cable is fantastic, even in humid enclosures.
So far I've used it in the Frog-eyed gecko and fat-tail tanks and plan on using it on the other enclosures I've got in the works.

[TLH_Wär§cöötmän]

Pretty good idea!! Looks good!!

[TheWulf]

Nice original idea! I don't think that would work with my current setup though, I just use an aquarium with a grill top. It gave me some ideas for multi-level tank setups though!

[Painted Desert]

I've been using Dragndip's idea for over a year now... and i've never looked back. I'm not quite so fancy... i simply sandwich the UTH between two slate tiles... the real rough textured kind from HomeDepot. If you have an aquarium setup... simply run the UTH cord in the "crevice" of the corner, place black electrical tape along it for camoflage, out the top, and over the back of the tank... your background paper will conceal it :)
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/3625Pc200005tank11-med.jpg

[TLH_Wär§cöötmän]

Very nice tank! I like the idea of puting the heatpad between 2 slabs.

[TheWulf]

Very nice! Great idea too