Keeping Tank Warm!

[Grant]

Hi,

As you may know i have a pretty large Exo Terra tank and at the moment its a nightmare to keep at a constant temperature day and night, I have made some recent improvements like covering the mesh on the top of the tank with cling film to keep the warmth in... and yesterday i moved my 27 watt heat mat from under the tank onto the side and placed tin foil and polystyrene on the back of the heat mat to cut out the loss of heat and still i only manage to get around 24 C or some times 25 C, and now the other problem is that were i have place the heat mat on the side the glass gets pretty dam hot and i am worried that if the snails slime over it they may hurt themselves........ so last night before i went to bed i switched the the larger heat mat and still had the smaller heat mat on does not give off much heat only 7watts and the tanked drop to 18-19 C......
Pics!





So just wanted to know if people do have large tanks how well does the warmth stay in them and if people place there heat mats on the side of the glass how hot does it feel and how you deal with it?

[Grant]

I've been looking at them Exo Terra heat lamps with the glo bulbs has anyone had experience with them on the snail tanks?

[feebix]

Clingfilm won`t keep the warmth in at all. Try and get something more like thick foam or insulation of some sort. Also, glass is terrible for letting heat out, that`s why snakes shouldn`t ever be kept in glass tanks. If you could put your tank in a corner so two sides of that glass are up against walls and insulate them too, that will help.

[katie]

I think bubblewrap is suppost to be a good insulator? Might have been something else though, can't remember it completely :/ ?

[feebix]

Yeah bubble wrap is good, air pockets

[crossless]

In Finland many use styrox.

I used at moment these www.exo-terra.com/en/products/sun_glo_neodymium.php they were 40watts, I had too for my 98litre tank two lamps. They warmed up something like 4 to 6degrees, now I have so poor lid that they don't warm any more (heat can't get in tank), so have to move tank for while nother place of house till I get better tank.

After that I'm thinking get pair of these www.exo-terra.com/en/products/heat_glo_heating.php and use some normal lamps or with some plant lamps with them to make day and night for snails and those infrared lamps I'm planning to keep on 24/7 if I don't buy daylight heat lamps for snails Have to first buy really high watt lamps so they would wam bigger tank better.

[infiltraitor]

I'm using an 18W Exo-Terra heatmat on the back of our tank, and have a 25W night-glo lamp in a modified Exo-Terra hood that sits above a fitted polycarbonate lid, adding another local source of heat through the plastic.

Both give off a fair amount of heat, but I've yet to see a snail slime across either when they are on. I guess as we're using a thermostat, the time may come when a snail is going across the mat when it comes on; I assume they'll feel the slightest increase in temperature and quickly(!) head to a cooler spot.

If you're having trouble keeping the temps up in your tank, your mat will be on constantly anyway, so the snails probably won't try to venture across.

[crossless]

I put mat under the tank now atleast if comes really cold this night they can go and cuddle on warmed soil. I noticed that my mat has just few wats but I think it's better than nothing. Snails seem to move more close to corner where the mat is. They don't have really asap worries to "freeze" yet. I like to keep them warm so no one would try to go hibernation. Tomorrow I will move tank just in case in room where is no windows so it won't be draft during Xmas. After Xmas with new tank I think lamps will warm tank better. Now lamps just warms lid not inside air. With new tank I think all the heating problems will be gone.

[crossless]

Now it looks really promising I have lamps and heat mat on use. I changed snails to their own room, in my closet. Now they have a night, I added some cutted pieces from old dog food (is plastic is has some kind of foil on it too. Bag pieces are on top table, on that some foil and mat taped on tanks bottom. Now cooler side of tank is 19degrees and warmer about 24degrees, I don't how much it will be lights on but I think they will survive nicely over xmas there.

I miss them little bit been with me in same room. I have get use those loud bangs on glass what they make with their shells.

[crossless]

Yeey, dad gave whole styrox sheet to myself, itäs really huge. Maybe I try make small background for my snails from it too. I have succeed to insulate heatmat with dogfood bag plastic and foil tommorrow I will cut piece under the tank and make deeper hollow on it where I put those plastics with foil and then they will get evenly heated tank.