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heating vision cages with flex watt

TexasTreeViper May 19, 2006 09:32 PM

how do you use heat tape with vision cages? it is run in the bottom of the cage or what? if so wouldn't that also heat the top of the cage stacked below it? or would it go on the back in which case how do you protect the animals from coming into direct with it or it from water/humidity damage?

Replies (3)

bighurt May 19, 2006 09:56 PM

>it is run in the bottom of the cage or what? if so wouldn't that also heat the top of the cage stacked below it?

If you go underneath the cage tape it directly to the bottom. Depending on how your cages are set up foilfaced espanded polystyrene can be placed underneath the cage. this will help reflect heat up into the cage while insulating the cage below. Some people recommend an airspace but that may not be possible.

>or would it go on the back in which case how do you protect the animals from coming into direct with it or it from water/humidity damage?

I don't use visions or I may have been more helpful. However, My current cages use heat tape on the backs of the cages. This piece of heat tape is taped with foil or in my case glass cloth tape (very expensive stick with the foil). This is on the backside outside the cage to clarify it a bit. I also cover this heat tape with Reflectix a foil coated bubble wrap available at Ace hardware and Menards. This reflects heat in the cage from tha back and works really well in my situation. I don't have visions so this is all a helpful tip not a recommendation for success.
-----
Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

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John Q May 20, 2006 10:10 AM

I have used foil tape and taped the flexwatt to the surface of rigid insulation. Then placed the rigid insulation in between the stacked cages. No problems at all. I have also made my own under tank heaters this way. Use foil tape, tape down the flexwatt to rigid insulation, 1/4 fiber board,etc., and then placed a small piece of ensolite or foam in each corner of the board. The setup is the same size as the glass area on the tank bottom. That way the plastic molding on the bottom edges of the tank kind of hide the heat pad. The ensolite in the corners prevents direct contact between the glass and flexwatt,your air gap. Worked fine for leopard geckos, colubrids, even an incubator.

Juile May 20, 2006 02:30 PM

I posted same question in here month ago. Since than I attached a cobra heat UTH to my vision cage with tape directly on the bottom and works great . The cage is slightly elevated with small rubber gaskets but the uth is attached directly to it . I am buying a bigger tank and will use the vision for emergency if tank breaks which I doubt as I dont move them from their stand.

I realize now I prefer tanks because I only have few snakes and dont stack and like some weak controlled heat from incandescent from above besides UTH as room I have is 65 degrees but either way the cobra uth runs 100 its placed under the vision attached with scotch tape and no problem .

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