Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well darn it. My heater in my false bttom has stopped working. I used it to keep the water flowing in the tank at about 75 degrees. Was a cheap way to keep the tank warm.

I am not about to rip up the substrate to get to it, but was wondering if anybody has had luck with any of the stick on heat pads. I woudl assume that they have one that is waterproof for turtles, but Im not too well versed on it.

And if they do make one - would there be any reason not to stick one to the back of the tank as well? or otherwise? maybe a gentle warming of the background though heat would be better than warm water.

anyhow - what do you all do when you cant bring the room temp up to keep the tanks correct?

You can use the reptile mats applied to the background on the outside, or if you have a metal mesh stand, underneath, but I've had some bad experiences with placing them under a tank that is on top of a wood or counter top. They are not thermostatically well controlled and may overheat and scortch the stand. They are also relatively inefficient on the outside. There used to be a very good nursery mat that was designed to go under damp soil for seedling starting, but they were very expensive, and I haven't been able to find them again since I used them in a greenhouse about 25 years ago.

What are your room temperatures? Your lighting should add heat to the tanks that will be taken up by the soil and water, and gradually dissipate through a cool night, keeping the vivarium somewhat warmer than the ambient room temperature. Your vivarium will always be somewhat warmer than the room. Many darts can take cooler night temperatures than the recommended 65 degrees and still do just fine as low as 55. It may take them some time to wake up and smell the coffee in the morning, but it won't kill them or even affect them in the long run. I live in SE Idaho where it's really cold in winter and sometimes during a power outage, I have to supplement with a wood stove. (A heat mat or lights are useless in these circumstances, of course.) Ironically, I have the most problems with keeping cooler tank temperatures in summer, although the outdoor temperatures seldom get above 80.
-----
Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus

Hey Iso:

What seemed strange to me was that I was experiencing my Imitators doing much better and being much more prolific with the egg laying when the night temps would be chillier, say around the upper 60s inside the tank. I was really worried the first winter when I couldn't get the temps up, but then furrowed my brow while I watched them seemingly become more active as a trend during the colder months. I thought it could only be my imagination until I read a post from another very respected and long time breeder that he had noticed the same trend with his Imitators and wanted to know if others saw the same thing. Well, four winters has come and gone and each winter, my Imitators lay eggs and raise young and stop around summertime.

I had some folks who really know about Imitators tell me that they keep them at a high 70 always, but I found(at least with my own), they seemed to be more active with a change of temperature going from a night drop to a day moderate range. Now I instictively fear the summer day heat much more than any chilly night. Day heat was the culprit to some lost young this last summer, but I had couldn't say the chill has given me a bit of worry(my lowest temp on the very far extreme was 64.9 one yeat).

I think the worry would be more worrysome below the 50 range. This is what Patrick Nabor of Saurian.com advised me about the beautiful Tincs I had from him. Does your temps ever get close to 50-55? And does it ever do so suddenly? I'd imagine you'd be quite uncomfortable in a room that chilly. So, I'm thinking that if you are comfortable in a room, usually your frogs will be Ok too. Its more the hot end with the lights and all that I have struggled with more to adjust, just like Patty already said.

Maggie

I've noticed the same thing, Maggie. My imitators breed in late fall and winter, and so do the pumilio Bastimentos.

I think it was a fellow on frognet (Lars) who told me his auratus tank regularly gets down to 55 at night with no harm done. When my D. azureus pair were shipped last May, the package was downright cold on the inside and the frogs were totally immobile. I thought they were dead, but put them in a nursery tank to warm up and wait. Within an hour, they were moving a bit, and within four hours, they were hopping around eating. There has been no evidence of any permanent damage in the months since then and they are breeding normally.
-----
Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus

Interesting. Have we heard of frogs doing fine after a heat spell though? I have heard of more frogs dying from overheating then over chilling, I recall in the past posts I used to read. When I began in the hobby, my instinct was to think that since they are Rainforest creatures they must never suffer colder temps but could deal better with a warmer temps. But, I'm learning differently and others seem to be seeing the same.

Even as I write in here, my Imitator is calling the female to lay an egg for the tad they just transported to a brom a week back. The tank has habitually been in the upper 60's again. Let us know how your frogs do over the year. How cold does it get where you are?

Maggie

A friend of mine is really into fish.He gets a catalogue from Dr.s Foster and smith that have some unique heatint aparatus for aquariums that could be adapted for your use.One in particular is a cable made to be buried in the gravel.