Terrarium heating?

[jbradt]

Hey all,

I'm new to terrariums (planning to just have plants to start with), and I'm wondering how to go about heating. I thought about the false bottom/aquarium heater thing, but that seems like a hassle.

I'm having trouble coming up with other viable options though. It would be a 20 long aquarium used as a terrarium. There must be another efficient way to heat it?!

[cam191919]

undertank heaters are great, just a large flat heater you put under the tank. the lights over the terrarium should also help heat it

[Vicious_Fish]

I agree with cam. You could also try heat tape or heat cable.

[jbradt]

I know I can get heat tape/cable at a hardware store. What about the under tank heater? Could I check one out at a terrarium supply shop, or at the Pets "co" and "smart"?

Awesome ideas! Thanks!

[Vicious_Fish]

Yes, they sell under tank heaters at most pet stores. But, you might want to pick up a Rheostat as well so you can adjust the temperature of what ever heating element you use for this terrarium.

[joel.uejio]

Under tank heaters are good -- You can put them on the side at the bottom so that your tank isn't actually resting on it -- just need to make sure you don't have any decor up against that side that's going to over heat and scald.

It's also important to make sure you have a good lid for retaining the heat -- I usually have a lid where most of it is solid glass or taped-in-place plastic wrap, and then an open section that I can cover with wrap or leave open to adjust the temp and humidity.

[jbradt]

Awesome! Thanks for the responses all. I'll have to go and look into the options and see what will work best. I already have a glass top that covers about 90% of the space, and I used to work at a glass shop so getting more shouldn't be hard if I need to.

[dundadundun]

flexx watt is the heat tape for reptiles. it's best if you're using any reptile uth type heater to put foil tape around the edges too. it retains the heat better, keeps it more even to prevent the glass from cracking and keeps the corners from peeling up and getting dust on the glue.

[jbradt]

flexx watt is the heat tape for reptiles. it's best if you're using any reptile uth type heater to put foil tape around the edges too. it retains the heat better, keeps it more even to prevent the glass from cracking and keeps the corners from peeling up and getting dust on the glue.

Awesome! Thanks for the tip, Dun!

[dundadundun]

no problem jbradt. you're welcome.

[axolotl2]

I am not really sure of how much the undertank heating will work for warming anything but the substrate. A glass canopy will help to retain heat, but you want to make sure you leave enough of a gap for air circulation. The lighting will help to add heat to the terrarium also.