Tile + UTH

[Chevalrose]

I'm going to be putting slate in my 20G long and will be getting an Ultratherm UTH. Do I need to/should I put anything underneath the tile (papertowel, fleece, sand, newspaper?) or put the tile directly onto the tank? I know Ultratherms only get to about 95 degrees so I want to make sure enough heat gets through.

 

[jfreels]

Sand works great for me, it transfers the heat very well. Thin layer on the bottom works just great. I have a zoomed UTH though, I still need to use a rheostat.

 

[ariana]

i just put my tile down on the glass.
make sure you get a rheostat just in case.

 

[CallDr]

I use Rep Carpet.... some use newspaper, shelf liner, sand..ect. I tried sand first and it was a mess to get right and not get sand all over the tile. So since I already had the Rep Carpet I used it. Those dang glass tanks have all that silicone that it's hard to get the tile level....... unless you trim it. I tried that on a 10 gal I had and that was a pain too.

The tile is a great heat conductor, so you will not have a problem there with too little heat...... but some may suggest you lower it. So to be sure you can say ( or see ) what your temps are....... get a Temp Gun. Then you will know what and exactly where all your temps are in the tank.

I bought a light dimmer at Lowes for 11 bucks and the Temp Gun from Amazon for 25 bucks.( PE-1)

 

[jfreels]

Just a note about the sand under/around the tiles....

I use a small kitchen basting brush to make sure there is not sand around the surface of the tile. I will sweep it into the corners and around the edges and then sweep the remaining onto a piece of paper to discard. It's really easy and makes no gaps for the legs to fall into or get damaged on.