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Under tank heaters
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by Frawgg on October 12, 2005
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BEFORE I asked this question, I DID research the topic! Is Zoo-Med still the industry standard for U.T.H.'s or are there other manufacturers that I should look into that I am not aware of? I E-mailed www.pro-products & asked if they sold U.T.H.'s & they replied rather condescendingly. They said that U.T.H.'s are "unnatural" way for a reptile to thermoregulate themselves as they thermoregulate themselves from an overhead heat source (the sun). Okay, I can buy that (as if I didn't already know) but a reptile caged in a glass aquarium is in itself "unnatural". A reptile living 17 + years in captivity is "unnatural" as they probably would have been eaten, killed, or died from "natural" causes. In my opinion, I feel that overhead heat sources put out too much heat within a given area (even when the listed product is marketed for a specific cage size) & a proper thermal gradient cannot be maintained. Overhead heat emitters have their place for certain lizards & chelonians as long as the cage is big enough. But snakes enclosures are proportionally small and maintaing a proper themal gradient with an overhead heat source is next to impossible to achieve. If an overhaed heat source is used, I feel that the enclosure better be big enough for the reptile to retreat to a cool spot. Pro-products??? I hope you are "listening"1
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RE: Under tank heaters
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by MoccasinMan on October 12, 2005
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Simple Flexwatt heat tape regulated by a thermostat or rheostat is my favorite. It is very effective if you are using paper as a substrate. If you are using an organic substrate keep it shallow because it will act as an insulator if it's too deep. Heat tape is also relatively inexpensive!
Andrew
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RE: Under tank heaters
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by Phobos on October 12, 2005
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Hey...
Pro-Products Thermal panels are the way to go,as far as I'm concerned. They heat only locally and provide nice cold areas for my snakes to go if they want to. I use them in conjunction with a "Big Apple" controller. No way the snake can toast themselves and they last forever and are cheap to operate. You need a real cage and not an aquarium to use these, which is a problem with some keepers.
Al
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RE: Under tank heaters
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by Frawgg on October 12, 2005
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Hey Al, let's face reality and realize most people use aquariums because they are the most economical caging material for housing snakes. I too would like to buy stackable reptile housing units but $ is an issue (as it is to most Americans). Since you use pro- products, let me ask you a question. Do their heaters provide a proper thermal gradient in a 20 gal. long enclosure? What are your temperature parameters within a 20 gal. long cage? I assume you place the heater on the inside upper roof of the cage. With glass aquariums this cannot be done. I am not trying to be difficult (i.e, "snotty"), I'm just asking questions that you can answer realistically since you do own this product. Thanks Guys for all of your replies.
Michael
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RE: Under tank heaters
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by Phobos on October 12, 2005
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Hi Michael:
No "Snottyness noted" LOL
They would not be effective in such a small aquarium, I would imagine. I don't have an aquarium anywhere at my facility, so I can't say for sure. The smallest enclosure I use for some juvies is the Visionarium with a center divider, so I can have two animals per Visionarium. Most of my enclosures are Vision 400 & 221's and some Precision "Small cages". I use a mix of "Heat Rocks", Ceramic emitters, and Pro Thermal panels. The ceramic & thermal panels are controlled by some sort of proportional device. As I add new cages, I will install only Thermal panels because I really think they are superior for this purpose.
I suggest you use a "Heat Rock" which has been around for years and works well if you cover it with substrate and or use it in conjunction with a thermostat.
Now for the "My Opinion about Aquariums" part of this post:
I do not think it's wise to keep Venomous Snakes in Aquariums for many reasons, all of them involve safety. The whine I hear all of the time, "Real cages are too expensive" does not cut it at all. People have no problem spending top dollar for the snakes but really try to skimp on safely housing that expensive snake. When I add a snake to my collection most of the time the "housing" for the animal costs far more than what I spent on the snake. Typically $200 to $300 per enclosure, depending on the enclosure & configuration. People, you can't put a price on safety nor can you take back an accident once it's happened.
Cheers!
Al
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RE: Under tank heaters
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by Phyllobates on October 12, 2005
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Michael
I’ve used flexwatt with a light dimmer so you could set the temps of what ever is desired. I also used professional rheostats and you can get the dimmers cheaper and as good as any thing on the market. The set back is that you must check every now and then with a thermometer to make sure you are getting the right temps as desired. Then put a red mark where 80 degrees is down to night temps for whatever animal you are keeping. I use this method with glass tanks Neodesha’s and Vision cages for 15 years.
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RE: Under tank heaters
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by captiveherps on October 12, 2005
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There are a number of brands of under tank heaters on the market now, I have been using the Hagen exo terra ones lately. Heat tape is fine when you use a rack set up but for one or two aquariums its not that cost effective due to the thermastat. In some places heat tape can be hard to get because most of them are not UL (or similar) approved. Here in ON Canada it is illegal to sell electrial equipment that does not meet code requirements. Unless the zoo med stuff has improved since the last time I have seen them I would stay away from them.
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RE: Under tank heaters
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by Frawgg on October 12, 2005
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Dually noted. I know about ALL the U.T.H.'s and my point was that pro-products was trying to feed me a line. I also have many years working with venomous & non-venomous as you do. As for the glass aquariums, I stand by my statement. I haven't had any mishaps in all my years of venomous keeping. I don't keep any venomous reptile that wouldn't be suitable for a glass aquarium (read "My Profile" to see what species I keep). I keep my animals in a sealed room in case anything did happen to the glass. As stated before, glass aquariums are the most economically available material. YES, I would like to keep my reptiles in a safer cage. Evidently you live in a perfect world! LOL! I'm just joking with ya'!
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RE: Under tank heaters
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by Frawgg on October 12, 2005
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(P.S. To all the other guys, thanks for your input. I knew about the flexwatt but maybe someone who didn't will read this thread & benefit fron this discussion) THANKS!
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