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Heaters and acrylic tanks?

Rinpu

Rinpu

New member
I went to the pet store earlier today to plan out my supplies and get an idea of how much everything would cost. I was looking at the under-tank heaters, and I noticed that the package had a big warning not to use them with acrylic tanks.

I had been planning on using a plastic tank (a Critter Keeper or similar) while my snake was small, then upgrading to a larger glass one later. Is it really dangerous to use a heater with an acrylic tank? 80 degrees isn't hot enough to melt plastic, I would think... What if I put something between the heater and the tank, like a piece of thin cloth?

I could buy a 10 gallon glass aquarium if I had to, but then I'd have the problem of how to secure the top. I haven't trusted actual aquarium lids ever since I caught one of my cats opening the flap and flipping my fish out onto the carpet. I can't imagine that being secure enough for an escape artist snake. What should I do?
 
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I don't know about the issue of acrylic with UTH's, but if you get a glass tank, get one for reptiles. Mine has a wire mesh lid that slides into place and is secured with a pin. The fish tanks tend to be deeper, giving less floor space for your snake to crawl around in.
 
I'm not positive it's acrylic, but I've had my part-plastic part-glass vivarium and UTH 4 years and never had any problems - the plastic's not even slightly warped. Sure there must be a reason for the warning though; if you find out let me know..
 
Whenever I use plastic tanks, I nix the reptile UTH (they get far too hot and at the least, melt the plastic) and instead I go with a human heat pad. The kind that you can adjust the temperature (both of mine have three settings and I usually use them on the lowest). I haven't had a problem doing it this way. I don't like the thought of dropping money on adhesive UTH's you get at the pet stores; I've already gone through two of them and once you adhere them to a tank, they'll probably never work for you as well again when you have to move them. You could however, use a dimmer on them to control the amount of heat they give off.

As far as securing the top, you could always bungee or place heavy objects on the top (not that this is the best solution visually ;) ) I just purchased a locking metal wire top, but because the aquarium I'm using it on seems to be an older kind, the top does not lock. On the bright side I've found a new place to store my dumbells :) She won't be staying in this tank forever so until then I can deal.
 
I think the issue with acrylic is that especially when exposed to warmth, it will break down and give off slightly harmful fumes.
At least that is what they say as far as body jewelry is concerned.

Also, acrylic is much more porus than glass, and therefore retains bacteria and stink much more.

Plus acrylic will crack and break much more easily than glass.


Hope I'm helpful, can you tell I don't like acrylic?
 
When I got my very first corn, we bought a "baby corn kit." It included a circular kritter keeper, some substrate, a hide, a corn snake book and a UTH. I still have the set-up and am using it right now for one of my hatchlings. It seems to keep the tank the right temp. Mind you that the UTH is only 2" x 3." I double checked and it says it was manufactured by T-Rex.

Also, if you do decide to go with a 10 gal aquarium, but cant find the reptile kind near you, most pet stores do have screen cage tops sold separately which have latching mechanisms.

Hope this helps...

:D
 
Go with a 20 long All-Glass (brand) critter cage. (Though they're not recommended for small/hatchling snakes. To remedy this, get the $6-8 pastic critter cage to house your hatchling until it's big enough to not escape the 20 long, and you can still use the heat source you attached to the 20 long by putting the kritter cage half on/half off the heat source. There's also a longer flatter $14 desert den by Hagen that I use in my hatchling racks.) The All-Glass cage has a sliding screen top, and you just have to buy one tank as an adult can typically be housed in this size tank. UTH's are what I use, BUT I also use thermostats or dimmer switches to control the heat. I have one tank which is not on either, and it can reach temps in the 100's easily. With a 20 long tank, I would recommend the 8x8" UTH. Personally, I trust 'human' heat pads less than UTH's because, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe a human heat pad is designed to run 24/7/365.

D80
 
I was just about to say the same thing. Use a great deal of caution if you use a heating pad. They are definitely not designed for continuous use, and you run the risk of the pad becoming damaged and catching fire. I think it's much too dangerous for that kind of use. I would stick to heat tape or UTH and put them on a rheostat to keep them from reaching excessively warm temps. I think a fire in the house would make it a little too warm for the snake :)
 
at Petco here.. we sell the critter keepers and mini UTH's

they are 4'' by 5'' and are safe for use with the acrylic containers
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! I did some more searching and found a 5 1/2 gallon glass reptile tank (the kind with the latching screen top, as Meg F. mentioned) at Petsmart, so I don't have to worry about the acrylic tank after all.

I think the issue with acrylic is that especially when exposed to warmth, it will break down and give off slightly harmful fumes.

Also, acrylic is much more porus than glass, and therefore retains bacteria and stink much more.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Leia. This convinced me more than anything else that I'd rather not use an acrylic keeper if I could avoid it. It looks like other people have used UTHs with plastic without any problems, but I'd rather have glass just to be on the safe side.
 
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