Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i understand and appreciate rack systems and do realize that there are some very affordable hatchling racks for small breeders especially - BUT - tell me why this will or will not work - if you picture a metal closet shelf about 10 - 12 inches wide - length is irrelevant for this discussion - cost of and ft piece maybe 10 - 12 bucks, i'm guessing plus another few bucks in hardware to mount it nicely - then an equvalent length of 3 inch flexwatt laying on the back 1/3 of the shelf - contolled by your preferred method, ie. be it as cheap as a lamp dimmer to as high as a proportional then shoebox tubs sitting side by side for hatchlings - i mean, i been thinking - you gotta buy the tubs anyway - you gotta by the controller anyway ???? so, for 10 or 12 hatchlings - what could be wrong with this? - i could easily see this entire setup well under 50 bucks if one built his own temp control system - which raises this question - how hot does flexwatt get if not regulated??

That will all work fine, but I don't know exactly how hot flexwatt will get without a rheostat(dimmer) to control temps on the warm end, and this will all vary ANYWAY depending on enclosure bottom thickness, ambient clost temps in your home,..etc...

I would DEFINITELY hook-up a dimmer(rheo) to control things, and have a very accurate temp probe/thermometer down at the actual cage floor bottom at the warm end for accuracy no matter what. And of course a couple hides on each end, and you should be good to go!

Oh!,...and make darn sure you have EXTREMELY secure lids, and plenty of holes melted in the sides and lid for air exchange.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Are you talking about the metal wire shelves? If so, those are great with Flexwatt. The metal helps spread the heat and helps "smooth out" the temperature under the box without sucking away too much of the heat energy. If the ambient air temp is cool, likely no dimming is necessary in that scenario. However, always have a controller wired into the setup.

Better to use the bare metal wire shelves as opposed to that plastic coated stuff, but either works. You do not need a conventional rack system. Wire shelves are awesome for plastic boxes as described.
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Mark

th'x to both of you - animal plastics expert said flexwatt gets very hot uncontrolled - so, yes, i would definitely dial down the temps with a controller and monitor the temps with a quality digital - thanks again

I'd recommend mounting the Flexwatt 'under' the shelf (if possible) instead of on top of it, especially if you will be placing tubs on the shelf. You don't want to take a chance with the sliding of the tubs on and off the Flexwatt, it can degrade the product and cause its eventual failure. And if using a metal shelf, that could be a 'shocking' situation. Ken.

Excellent point!

Yeah, he could also use some sheet aluminum to cover the flexwat tape. This would prevent the long-term sliding of the enclosures over it and possible failure, as well as disperse the heat well from the conductivity of the aluminum.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

With wire shelves, you set the boxes down on the Flexwatt (he needs lids on the boxes). It isn't a lidless rack.

Thus far, I have never had an incident using wires shelves and Flexwatt. You thread the Flexwatt through the wire "spokes". No cover necessary.

And, placing some surface protecting felt "dots" under the boxes eliminates abrasion if that is a concern.
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Mark