UTH, Substrate, Terrarium Stand

[TylerDurden]

Hey everyone, I just have a few questions about heating/terrariums.

1. I'm thinking about purchasing the Zoo Med Labs RH5 undertank heater. They're only $18 on amazon, looks perfect for my size tank (about 35 gallons) and I like that it has the sticky pad for a more lossless heat transfer. My question is about the substrate being used with it. I really like the Rzilla carpets. They're really easy to clean, I just want to make sure that those things are compatible with the UTH. Will that sort of carpet interfere with the heat? Could it melt the carpet? (I'm going to get a thermostat to use with it but still curious if that could be an issue)

2. Am I better off putting the UTH under the tank or on the side? (this one has the sticky pad so it works for either).

3. How hot do those UTHs get? Could someone burn themselves touching it directly? (If so I'd probably not put one on the side as I could already see that becoming a potential problem).

4. I have a ceramic heat lamp and a regular heat bulb (long story but I had those left over from a bearded dragon terrarium setup of the exact same size). Should I be putting the UTH on one side of the tank, while putting the ceramic lamp on the other? Is the heat bulb that emits light better than the ceramic one?

4. Ok this one's a bit unrelated to the others but I'm looking for a terrarium stand that's lower to the ground. I'm currently using a desk with the terrarium that props it up a bit too high (the top is at my eye level, I'd be afraid to regularly pick up a gecko from that height). I keep searching online for terrarium stands that are low to the ground (maybe just a foot and a half) but have had no luck. If anyone has suggestions where to look I'd really appreciate it. Also looking for something under $100 if possible. I WOULD build my own but for now I'm living in an apartment that's just a bit too small to undertake that type of project. Also - do I have to worry about a stand being burned by the UTH? (the UTHs seem to all come with a warning that you shouldn't use it under tank on a closed top table, that the terrarium stand should have an open top if you're going to put the heater under the tank)

Sorry for the long post I figured I'd just type out my questions here instead of making multiple topics all over the place. Any help is much appreciated, thanks!!!

 

[reps4life]

I use the Zoo med UTH and Zilla Carpet and have never had any problems. It should be placed underneath about 1/3 of the tank on the warm side. The tank is on my dresser and has not caused any damage. Of course damage may vary with material. Make sure it's completely adhered to the glass. It is recommended to use a Repti-Temp Rheostat for safety. It does not get as hot as to burn a human hand (at least not mine).

You need a cooler side, so no you cannot have a heat source on both ends. Temps vary with species. You did not mention what reptile you will be housing.

 

[im faster]

1. JUST SAY NO to carpet.. its unsanitary ans toenails and teeth get caught in it.
use tile or slate if you want it to look nice.. nothing loose..
2.UTH= UNDER tank heat pad.. you should put it there
3.usually not hotter than 110 degrees i believe.. they should be placed on a rheostat to control temps properly (a lamp dimmer is sufficient)
4.unless the ambient temps are very low... you should get rid of the lamp. its not necessary

 

[TylerDurden]

I use the Zoo med UTH and Zilla Carpet and have never had any problems. It should be placed underneath about 1/3 of the tank on the warm side. The tank is on my dresser and has not caused any damage. Of course damage may vary with material. Make sure it's completely adhered to the glass. It is recommended to use a Repti-Temp Rheostat for safety. It does not get as hot as to burn a human hand (at least not mine).

You need a cooler side, so no you cannot have a heat source on both ends. Temps vary with species. You did not mention what reptile you will be housing.

Thanks, so I really shouldn't need a ceramic lamp at all the UTH does the job? The tank is pretty big, and in the winter the room temps can get pretty low over here...I guess I may have to just experiment as winter comes, my apartment complex is a bit inconsistent with the heating (sometimes it's great and sometimes not so much).

 

[TylerDurden]

1. JUST SAY NO to carpet.. its unsanitary ans toenails and teeth get caught in it.
use tile or slate if you want it to look nice.. nothing loose..
2.UTH= UNDER tank heat pad.. you should put it there
3.usually not hotter than 110 degrees i believe.. they should be placed on a rheostat to control temps properly (a lamp dimmer is sufficient)
4.unless the ambient temps are very low... you should get rid of the lamp. its not necessary

1. I was recommended carpet by just about everyone I had spoken to thus far but I will definitely take your response into consideration. Is there a specific type of tile that works best? (like ceramic?). Will tile affect the heating? (will they heat up more or spread heat out making it more difficult to heat?)

2. Yea I figured underneath was the way to go but from what I've seen a lot of people have them on the sides, even the zoomed instruction manual (looked at it off their website) shows it being used either way. I'll stick with underneath though.

3. thanks that sounds great

4. I'm worried ambient temps could get low in the winter. There's a few points during the year where the apartment complex is transitioning to turning the heat on where it can get really cold, and sometimes during the day the building could turn the heat off if there was work being done on it or something which I could imagine prove disastrous for a gecko if the temps dropped. I was thinking maybe I could hook up the lamp to a thermostat as a backup, so if the temps drop below say...70 it'll kick in.

Thanks for the help really appreciate it!

 

[reps4life]

1. JUST SAY NO to carpet.. its unsanitary ans toenails and teeth get caught in it.
use tile or slate if you want it to look nice.. nothing loose..
2.UTH= UNDER tank heat pad.. you should put it there
3.usually not hotter than 110 degrees i believe.. they should be placed on a rheostat to control temps properly (a lamp dimmer is sufficient)
4.unless the ambient temps are very low... you should get rid of the lamp. its not necessary

Unsanitary? they are meant to be washed often as you would your bed sheets
I am planning to replace it will slate. I am tired of searching underneath them for crickets. Are they able to walk normally and grip without sliding on tiles?

 

[TylerDurden]

Unsanitary? they are meant to be washed often as you would your bed sheets
I am planning to replace it will slate. I am tired of searching underneath them for crickets. Are they able to walk normally and grip without sliding on tiles?

you know with my bearded dragon, I do remember a lot of crickets finding ways to hide under it...that's a good point. I'd like to know this too about traction on the tiles. I may switch over, it seems like it could be much easier to deal with.

 

[im faster]

you dont dedicate in your sheets constantly

 

[reps4life]

tile

you know with my bearded dragon, I do remember a lot of crickets finding ways to hide under it...that's a good point. I'd like to know this too about traction on the tiles. I may switch over, it seems like it could be much easier to deal with.

Yes, my dilema has been that It seems some tile materials do not heat up as well. Also traction since I have seen some reptile running in place on home floors,

I have seen reptiles on tiles but never in action. Hopefully we will get some answers.

 

[TylerDurden]

Yes, my dilema has been that It seems some tile materials do not heat up as well. Also traction since I have seen some reptile running in place on home floors,

I have seen reptiles on tiles but never in action. Hopefully we will get some answers.

had a few more minutes of free time so I went and did a little research on this, it seems like slate tiles provide traction but I keep seeing the same thing about heat loss, that they could be too thick and make it harder for the UTH to do its job. I'm seeing a lot of recommendations for slate tile + a heat source on top of the tank as long as the tank is tall (at least 12" or so).

It's a bit inconsistent though so let's see what people here say

 

[reps4life]

you dont dedicate in your sheets constantly

You confused me for a second, then I realize you meant defecate.
I guess it does depend on the reptile. Mine poops in the same corner so I just place a piece of paper towel and throw it out immediately. He is tidy boy

 

[im faster]

lol autocorrect fail

 

[reps4life]

had a few more minutes of free time so I went and did a little research on this, it seems like slate tiles provide traction but I keep seeing the same thing about heat loss, that they could be too thick and make it harder for the UTH to do its job. I'm seeing a lot of recommendations for slate tile + a heat source on top of the tank as long as the tank is tall (at least 12" or so).

It's a bit inconsistent though so let's see what people here say

I also have to use a overhead bulb due to the AC. I use The Exo Terra Night-Glo A19 Moonlight Terrarium Lamp 75 watt. I had the red bulbs but my Leo would look up at it squinting.

 

[im faster]

Right but still urine and other matter will seep into the carpet/
And due to the fibers it is IMPOSSIBLE to make it sanitary.

 

[Dimidiata]

slate works better then ceram imo it provides much more traction. As for carpet, i use it for now. wash it once a week and replace it with another one once a month. I do plan on also replaceing with tile, or something similar. just one question how does the uth do in heating the tile?

 

[stager]

slate works better then ceram imo it provides much more traction. As for carpet, i use it for now. wash it once a week and replace it with another one once a month. I do plan on also replaceing with tile, or something similar. just one question how does the uth do in heating the tile?

My UTH gets much hotter under the tile over 100 degrees so if you go that route keep a watch the first day, I had to by a dimmer and play around to get the rightr temp.

 

[Dimidiata]

I was thinking about that. Ill probably have to get a diff lamp too since my current one would heat the rocks aswell(doesnt so much for the carpet, just for light). I plan on having a adjustable uth by then.

 

[satyr666]

I've been doing a lot of research and just put together a setup. I used slate tile as a substrate with a layer of sand under neath it, I was only getting surface temps of around 80 with a exo terra UTH. So I bought a ceramic heat emitter with a dimmer switch and it seems to work well combined with the UTH. My reptiles are housed in my basement and we have cold winters here in canada as well lol, the dimmer on the heat emitter works well for controlling air temps too.

 

[TylerDurden]

I've been doing a lot of research and just put together a setup. I used slate tile as a substrate with a layer of sand under neath it, I was only getting surface temps of around 80 with a exo terra UTH. So I bought a ceramic heat emitter with a dimmer switch and it seems to work well combined with the UTH. My reptiles are housed in my basement and we have cold winters here in canada as well lol, the dimmer on the heat emitter works well for controlling air temps too.

that's exactly the setup I was just looking at lol I think I'm going to do the same thing.

I already ordered an UTH, I'm going to go with a thin slate tile if I can find one, and sand only to fill the cracks (not as a loose substrate). Going to use ceramic heater as backup, my tank is about 37 gallons so it's big, the air is not going to heat up with the UTH. Also bought a rheostat to control both ceramic heater and UTH so they don't get too hot.