Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 6 Ft L X 18 in W X 2 ft H tank that is, without heat, around 67*. The thing is it is for cresties and I am aiming for a temperature of 75 degrees as the ambient temperature in the tank. I am not too sure what I should use to obtain this heat. What do you guys think/use?

I would consider heating the room the tank is going to be kept in or moving to a room that is warmer.

Bart

Failing that, you can use an undertank heater a dimmer switch to make the UTH come down to a temperature that is ok for cresties.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

I also considered this but a UTH is designed to provide belly heat. I doubt you will find a UTH big enough to raise the ambient temps of a glass tank that size. Most heating devices on the market are designed to provide a warm spot for basking. Raising the overall temps in a large glass tank, placed in a cold room, will not be easy. Heating the entire room is the only way I know it could be done.

Bart

UTH certainly are effective in a smaller tank anyway. I've been forced to keep my cresteds in a room I can't raise over 55 degrees. Heat bulbs wouldn't have worked, as I have juveniles in small tanks. The geckos seem to nestle down over the UTH during the day to sleep, and behave normally over night. My largest tanks are 20 H, with a large UTH. Perhaps orienting this tank vertically, which would provide better for a crested anyway, would raise the temps of the lower part of the tank nicely. Cresteds could do fine, in my experience, in 63 degrees if they have a way to warm up.
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1.1 Ghost corns, 1.1 Butter het. stripe corns, 0.1 normal corn
1.1 Tremper Albino Leopard Geckos
1.0 Super dalmation crested, 1.1 Pinstripe crested, 2.1.1 Misc crested
1.0 Ghost Bull, 0.1 Snow bull

I think What I'll do is use two ceramic heat emitters placed at each end of the tank. It is not possible to heat the room as its in the basement and all its warmth comes from the heating of the ground floor. If the basement was 75 degrees, our main floor would be around 8o or 85, and that is too hot, costs too much, and isn't environmentally friendly. I don't see any point of making these guys warm but destroying the environment their wild cousins live in in the process. Kind of hypocritical. I think the ceramic heat emitter idea will work. Thanks.

TS

Or you could put them on display on the main floor somewhere where it sounds like heating wouldn't be an issue...
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

low wattage CHE's are a good idea - they provide radiant heat and don't dry out the cage as much as incandescents, and would be much more effective than a UTH.
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4.1 snakes, 4.3.2 crested geckos, 0.1 gargoyle gecko, 0.0.2 red-eyed tree frogs, 2.0 devon rex cats, 1.0 betta, 0.1 sun conure, 1.0 lovebird

>>low wattage CHE's are a good idea - they provide radiant heat and don't dry out the cage as much as incandescents, and would be much more effective than a UTH.

Obviously, the choice of heat source is always the choice of the owner, but in the name of science:

Sorry to go a bit off topic, but let's make sure we have the most accurate information: a ceramic heater will dry out the enclosure just as fast as any other heat source of the same heat output, ie, Wattage. Ceramic heaters just work only the infrared range and incandescent lightbulbs emit only 2-5% of their power (depending on type) as light, the rest is heat. But heat power, whatever wavelength you choose, is still power.

Something else to consider, a UTH will keep the heat currents moving upward mostly inside the enclosure, whereas a bulb has to direct heat downward and then heat is lost to the ambient air from the fixture. (Try touching the shroud on any lamp, if you like burned fingers.) So if you have a large room with just the geckos there, the heat is going to dissipate much faster from the bulb fixture and shroud because it has plenty of air for currents to form and lots of exposed air to shroud. A UTH should be completely glued to the bottom of the enclosure, then the heat has the choice of going to the air or into the glass/plastic/whatever... all of those things have a much lower resistance to heat movement than air. The UTH gives the heat an easier and more direct path to the enclosure.

Hopefully this makes sense, I've got a bad sinus infection and sometimes I think it is in my brain, but I did used to teach this stuff at the University, so ask me to restate anything that isn't clear.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

So, am I right that you are saying a few UTH's will heat the enclosure more efficiently than the heat emitters, or am I mistaken? and does my substrate factor in here, it is about 2 oe 3 inches of coco fiber for plants. Thanks.

TS

Another thing to consider...for a UTH to raise the ambient air temps of the tank you mentioned, in a room as cold as you mentioned, it will be running HOT. Obviously, how hot depends on the size of the UTH, but I think they will need to run hot enough to place any plant life in jeopardy. If this is a planted tank, I would probably rule out a UTH, especially, with 2-3 inches of bedding.

Bart

yeah, your right. Guys, say I put 2 heat emitters at each end of this tank. What wattage would be needed to raise the temp like 5 or 7 degrees? Thanks.