Tile and UTH

[Ipsl]

So as many of you allready know I put slate slabs into the tank. Now I have a 30 Gal zoo med UTH and a red light heat lamp and the hottest it gets is 80 (too low) . I belive it has to do with the density of the rock and the sand underneth it thats affecting the heat transfer. So theres another UTH I saw that gets to 100 degrees. Has anybody else noticed this issue? Like for all the tile users.:main_robin:

 

[moosassah]

Try attaching aluminum foil to the bottom of the tank. That should get you 10 degrees more radiating up.

 

[CSgecko]

I use a uth and i just get a rheostat or even a table top lamp dimmer. that should help you if you need to lower the temps on the UTH. foil also helps to raise the temps so try that first.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

ceramic tile is a great heat conductor, it actually absorbs heat really well, maybe its the sand you have under it, the tile should be flat on the glass.

 

[Ipsl]

Well I already put the foil under and right now its reading 81.7 on the hot side.

(Sorry I just took that pic with my cell phone)
where the UTH is
probe appox. half an inch from the bottom of the tank

So it might be the sand underneath? hmmmm..... Well I put it under there to make sure the slate didnt break the glass. So should I take the sand out or get a stronger uth?

 

[moosassah]

Take the sand out, it's the cheaper option.

 

[The Sunset Gang]

I had this same problem when i first got tile. The tile i got was natural stone slate and the temps would get hot, but then when the room temps went down the stone got cold,but the UTH was working. So i switched to a white ceramic tile, and it did the trick. My temps are now regulated at 92 (warm) and around 75 (cool)

 

[malt_geckos]

I just have regular ceramic tile in mine, and where the UTH is I don't put paper towel, but I use it in the rest of the space. It stays nice and warm. Like everyone else said, it's probably the sand.

Good luck!

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

the does tile does need to be right on the glass and directly on the UTH, kinda looke like yours is only on the ege of the UTH, I take out the sand for more reason that that and get the slate to cover the entire bottom.

 

[NickBoudin]

It may be because you have an open tank. You may need some kind of hood/lid on it to keep some of the heat in, maybe?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Some tiles have a raised grid on the back of them, which can leave air gaps between the tile and the bottom surface of the tile. I would think that keeping sand under the tiles would fill in those air gaps and create better thermo-conductivity. Hmmmm.

 

[Ipsl]

Thats what I would think, but right now its 6:30AM and its 80.3 on the hot side. Now the issue Im thinking with no sand underneath that it would crack the glass or create uneaven heating due to the uneven contact with the slate... :main_robin: hmmmmmm indead lol

Now remember guys, Im talking about slate slabs and used the tile as a reference.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

Sand should HELP with the heat. Maybe you are using too much sand? I have used both slate and ceramic, and I am much happier with the ceramic I have now. It works just fine with no sand and a thermostat.

 

[scl363]

I using ceramic tile also and i love it .How thick is your slate ? it looks a little on your pic that your slate overlaps a little on the corners ( if they overlap it can be that the heat escapes to the sides ) try to lay then right next to each other so its nice and even over the UTH and just fill the gaps with sand.

 

[Ipsl]

It seems to me that other than the amount of sand that the issue might be that its not ceramic.... hmmmmm curiouser and curiouser :main_robin: