What are you currently using? I recently bought a rack with back heat and had never used it before. There is definitely more of a learning curve to get your temps right with back heat than belly heat.

I appreciate the set it and forget it ease of belly heat. Belly heat will create a warm "spot". The size of this spot will depend on the size of your tape as well as the type of substrate you go with. Some substrates are more efficient with dispersing and/or holding the heat than others.

Back heat offers more of a "radiant" heat. So, yes, it does have to run hotter but your animals get more of a warm area than a warm spot. (Does that make sense?) If your rack is set up in an area where it will not be exposed to drafts and the back end is made with tight enough tolerances to where you won't have to worry about much heat escaping... back heat can be very effective.

Either way is fine... you will find arguments for and against both types of heat and most likely neither one will ever "win". Belly heat seems to be the more popular of the two, but if it is not installed properly your tubs can rub against the tape and eventually wear through it creating a very real fire hazard. Back heat does not have this problem, but since the tape has to run at a higher temp to achieve proper "in tub" temps, back heat poses it's own set of potential dangers.

Best advice: No matter which you chose - back or belly heat - be sure to spend the extra money on a good thermostat. By good, I mean, PROPORTIONAL thermostat. The on/off types are okay, but for my piece of mind (kids, wife, house, rack, snakes, I want to come home to ALL of them at the end of the day) I only use proportional thermostats.

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