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ceramic heater

Ice9

Ice9

New member
Ive just aquired an ultratherm "power plate" ceramic heater which Im hoping to put into my corns new viv when he gets a bit bigger (Hes still in a small tub at the moment till he gets older).

I was going to use this in conjunction with a heat mat and control both with a thermostat. Has anyone had any experience of using these ceramic heaters and if so can you foresee any problems? , does it need a guard etc? its rated at 50w if that helps. Or would I be better off just putting a light in there instead. Im not going to use the heater for the sake of it if itll hurt my snake.

Also , when he moves into his new viv , the heatmat will have to go inside the viv directly under the substrate. Obviously it will be connected to a thermostat so it doesnt get too hot but are there any problems with this set up that need addressing?

cheers
 
You DEFINATELY need a guard on any ceramic heater in the tank. I run a 150watt heater and it keeps the floor (18 inches away) at 30 degrees c no probs BUT the surface of the heater is at over 200 degrees c! You do not want anything touching it, especially the snake.

Everyone here recommends not having a heatmat in the tank and I fully understand the reasons. However the guy I bought my snake from (who is well known and respected in England) uses heat mats inside the tanks in his shop. No burnt snakes either. The thing is too be very carefull with the wattage of the mats you use inside a tank. Keep it to a very small low wattage mat on a thermostat and you will have no problems. Run it unregulated or use a large / powerfull mat and you are asking for burns to the snake. This is wat (sorry) I have been told anyway.

Jack
 
Thx for your reply

Ive almost decided not to use the ceramic now and just maybe put a small lamp in instead. Ive seen some with proper guards that look a much better option.

The mat will have to go inside the viv as it has a wooden base about 1/2 an inch thick so putting it underneath isnt an option.
The instruction sheet that came with the mat says its ok to do this and wont get hot enough to burn the snake (its 28 watts) and it will be on a thermostat anyway. I think the ceramic is too much of a risk if its not essential.

cheers
 
No problem,
the thing to remember with lamps is that they have to be turned off at night. Unless you get a red bulb for it of course.

Personally I like the ceramics but you reasons for not using them are sound.

Let mw know how your final setup works out!
Jack
 
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