Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi guys

i just bought an 8 x 8 zoo med UTH..

however i was wondering if it was better to stick the heat pad to a side of the tank. (they had said this was the recommended placement) [i know "under tank heater" how ironic]

about the paper towel substrate:

im afraid that the UTH if placed under the tank will cause burns to the animal if i dont put enough layers of paper towel.

how many layers do i need?

Ya, ironic. I'm not to familiar with the ZooMed UTH, but if it's one of the adhesive types it should work just fine on the side. I would place it towards the bottom. I have a couple racks were I've placed heat tape along the back side & it has worked good for years.
Just a FYI, if you find that it doesn't keep it warm enough, try wraping that side with aluminum foil or taping a peice of styrofoam over it. I had to do this once for a Tree Frog set-up & the foam worked great.

ok first off:

i thought that leos absorbed heat through their underbellies and would it be advisable to keep it on the side? i jsut dont see an animal standing sideways up

what about my paper towel question?

thanks

I would definitely put the heater under the tank to one side. They do need the "belly" heat as well as a gradient. I would also suggest getting a thermostat (can be purchased for $20 to $30). I found the temps to be too high without the thermostats ability to regulate. With that I use reptile carpet. It is very easy to keep clean and adds a great insulator from heater burns. Not to mention it is more attractive. If you want to use paper towels then I would say use enough layers to equal the thickness of the carpet. Maybe 3 or 4?

Damn, I must be tired. I thought you were asking if the UTH could be placed on the side of the actual vertical side of the tank. But ya place on one side underneith the tank. Plus like I suggested a couple weeks ago, hook it up to a termostat.
Otherwise, for what it's worth. Placeing the UTH on the vertical side does help with the ambient air temp.
Good night.

hehe buddy, sorry to break it to you but i did mean "is it ok to put the heat pad on the actual vertical side of the tank"

get some sleep

the main reason im kinda scared to use an undertank heater is because i dont want the heat to be trapped under my tank causing melting of plastics/overheating.

Now that I'm well rested, I definitely see your concern. There is even a risk of the glass cracking as well. With the design of most tanks, they can trap alot of heat under them. A little trick you can do is prop the tank up at the corners about a quarter to a half an inch to provide some air flow under there. You can use anything that's sturdy something like coasters or chunks of cardboarb.
I know some of the UTH will recommend the cage be proped up & even provide little adhesive props to go in the corners.

thats a good idea and my UTH pack did come with little adhesive props to push the tank a little up off the surface..

but theres still that problem of "not enough". it seems to me that a quarter - a half of an inch dosent seem likely to provide enough cool air. with that in mind how do you manage your colonies?

It isn't so much provideing cool air as it's more to prevent heat from getting trapped under the tank.

As for how I manage my colonies, in what way were you wanting to know. With as many as I have, the short answer is a tight schedule & very efficiently. Between the reptiles & my day job, I really don't have alot of spare time.

i guess my question should mean that:

what is the safest way for me to install a UTH (so taht the tank will have the least chance of heat damage and the gecko will enjoy good heat from the tank surface)

thanks

Sorry, I kind of brain farted the paper towel question. I double it up. No real reason why, just do.

As for the UTH, as long as the surface on the hot side is around 90. It should be fine. You can also place a rock on that side off the cage & it will absorb & hold heat as well. You can then place the rock where ever in the cage till it stays at the desired temp you want.