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How should I attach my under tank heaters?

B

BeauBoi

New member
Hi All!
I am expanding my snake collection, and (obviously) my number of vivs. Since I have been planning this for a while, I ordered a number of large under tank heaters from an over-seas supplier to save money, but hen the UTHs arrived they didn't come with any kind of adhesive to attach them to the tanks.

At this time, I only need 3 of them (of the 10 I ordered) attached to 40 gallon vivs for a variable kingsnake trio who will soon be coming out of quarantine.

I would prefer to attach the UTHs to the side of the viv, rather than the bottom. What would be the best method?

Thanks in advance!
~Beau
 
Well, altough attaching them to the sides will create a gradient, you already know corns need belly heat, I suppose.
The one thing I want to point out is that if the snake is only using the floor space, you'll be wasting more than half of the heat pad. I don't know, I feel you should use them under the vivs, but it's your choice and I won't question it.
As fot the method, I have read from people here they stick the pads to an aluminium foil sheet (the ones that come with the sticky part), and then attach the foil+pad to the viv. This way you can always change position of the pad and don't have to unglue it from the viv directly. Maybe you can work into something like this?
I hope I've helped and congrats on your new snakeys :)
 
Do not attach them to the side. I have actually tested this out. It will not give any of the necessary heat required for a gradient and digestion. The heat will rise straight up and at most only penetrate an inch or two inside the viv. It is not necessary for any colubrid to have belly heat but it is the most efficient way to provide heat for digestion so attach them to the bottom.
I use back (like side) heat in all my racks but the difference is the heated air is trapped in the tubs.
 
mishima25 said:
Well, altough attaching them to the sides will create a gradient, you already know corns need belly heat, I suppose.
The one thing I want to point out is that if the snake is only using the floor space, you'll be wasting more than half of the heat pad. I don't know, I feel you should use them under the vivs, but it's your choice and I won't question it.
As fot the method, I have read from people here they stick the pads to an aluminium foil sheet (the ones that come with the sticky part), and then attach the foil+pad to the viv. This way you can always change position of the pad and don't have to unglue it from the viv directly. Maybe you can work into something like this?
I hope I've helped and congrats on your new snakeys :)
Click to expand...

Well...the reason I was going to attach to the side, is that I am placing the vivs in a large cabinet and didn't want to place the mat directly on the wood. Also, the pads don't come with their own adhesive. Also, I am constructing a large 4-tiered wooden viv that I later want to use the UTHs in...

Replying to other poster, I since am placing the vivs in a wooden shelf with sliding glass doors (and use lights on timers for hot spots) I was hoping that having the UTHs on the back glass would create an overall ambient temperature for the enclosed wooden shelving unit.

I am going to test it all out first of course, and just place the UTHs with small prices of duct tape to begin with.

~Beau
 
I believe there is a metal foil tape that can withstand high temperatures. You could try looking for that at a hardware store.

Good luck with the new snakies!
 
I use Aluminum HVAC tape for the large UTH's sold for seed starting. A lot of times, they end up being a LOT less expensive than the ones for snakes for a similar size.
 
jagodzinski said:
I believe there is a metal foil tape that can withstand high temperatures. You could try looking for that at a hardware store.

Good luck with the new snakies!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I will look for it tomorrow! I have to go and pickup aquarium silicon sealant tomorrow anyway! :)
~Beau
 
Alli_Draggy said:
I use Aluminum HVAC tape for the large UTH's sold for seed starting. A lot of times, they end up being a LOT less expensive than the ones for snakes for a similar size.
Click to expand...

I think that the heaters I got might be that kind, as they are quite rigid. Regardless, I have tested them for temp and they are right on target, so I am using them! :)
~Beau
 
if you wrap the heat pad in aluminum foil, and then use "Foil Tape" (HVAC Tape) to tape the package to the glass tank. That way you can always remove it later if you need to and not have to worry about tape residue stuck to the pad itself.
 
Karl_Mcknight said:
if you wrap the heat pad in aluminum foil, and then use "Foil Tape" (HVAC Tape) to tape the package to the glass tank. That way you can always remove it later if you need to and not have to worry about tape residue stuck to the pad itself.
Click to expand...

Awesome Idea!!! Thank You!!! :-D
~Beau
 
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