Heat mat and hydroballs
- Thread starter Alvaro345
- Start date
hellspawn
New member
The heat mat isn't going to do much except maybe keep the hydroballs (clay, or glass usually, for drainage) drier. You want to use a heat mat nearly directly underneath a thin substrate (2" or less). More than that and you're really wasting electricity on something that won't make much of a dent on the tank's temps.
You're better off creating a basking spot, generally at the top or focused on a corner, with a higher-wattage bulb, typically > 50 watts. This would make more sense naturally since in the wild the animal is given the chance to move around from shade to direct sunlight under its own volition, rather than being forced to sit on burning sand all the time. A good naturalistic vivarium has a range of humidity and temperature conditions from one end to the other to help provide for both conditions for the animal to choose from.
You're better off creating a basking spot, generally at the top or focused on a corner, with a higher-wattage bulb, typically > 50 watts. This would make more sense naturally since in the wild the animal is given the chance to move around from shade to direct sunlight under its own volition, rather than being forced to sit on burning sand all the time. A good naturalistic vivarium has a range of humidity and temperature conditions from one end to the other to help provide for both conditions for the animal to choose from.
scotty08724
New member
I have a zoomed 8" x 12" heat mat in my 18"long x 18"wide exoterra that covers just under 1/3 of the tank. It has 1 inch of hydro balls at the bottom of the tank. Then on the 1/3 side of the tank I have a medium size zoomed Repti Shelter Repti Shelter? 3 in 1 Cave as the humid hide, placed directly on top of the mesh separating the hydroballs from the soil (over the heat mat). Then I also have a cork hollow half buried at approximately a 30 degree angle going down till it touches that mesh as well for a dry hotspot (again over the heat mat)![DSCN1004[1].jpg](https://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/data/attachments/18/18667-bb6a1173ed335625044211ecc9289d95.jpg "DSCN1004[1].jpg")
![DSCN1005[1].jpg](https://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/data/attachments/18/18668-28b36e75f171a200c6f454987a8655f4.jpg "DSCN1005[1].jpg")
. Both spots get around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, while the heat mat it self, when I measure it with a digital temp gun, registers at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest spot in the tank is 68 degree. I have my heat mat on a lamp dimmer set to half the normal voltage, so it runs at 8 watts per hour instead of 16 watts(which was heating up to 135 degrees) . I pay 13 cents per 1000 watts, so at 8 watts per hour (70,080 watts per year multiplied by 13 cents per 1000 watts) it only cost me $9.11 per year to run it. If I didn't have the hydroballs in the way I would be able to further dim down the heat mat by 5 degrees, saving around .50 cents a year, but loosing all the humidity I get from it (around 60-70% with the heat mat under the hydro balls, as apposed to 30% with the heat mat up above the substrate). For geckos that don't have eye lids, I imagine that trying to sleep without having your eye balls dry out must be awfully irritating. My house stays at less than 30% humidity all fall-winter so, this added humidity in my tanks are welcomed, and I am sure my geckos appreciate it.
In this picture the gecko is a female Paroedura Pictus (which are not known for requiring high humidity) and the red light above is just an L.E.D. for night viewing and doesn't add any heat.
. Both spots get around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, while the heat mat it self, when I measure it with a digital temp gun, registers at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest spot in the tank is 68 degree. I have my heat mat on a lamp dimmer set to half the normal voltage, so it runs at 8 watts per hour instead of 16 watts(which was heating up to 135 degrees) . I pay 13 cents per 1000 watts, so at 8 watts per hour (70,080 watts per year multiplied by 13 cents per 1000 watts) it only cost me $9.11 per year to run it. If I didn't have the hydroballs in the way I would be able to further dim down the heat mat by 5 degrees, saving around .50 cents a year, but loosing all the humidity I get from it (around 60-70% with the heat mat under the hydro balls, as apposed to 30% with the heat mat up above the substrate). For geckos that don't have eye lids, I imagine that trying to sleep without having your eye balls dry out must be awfully irritating. My house stays at less than 30% humidity all fall-winter so, this added humidity in my tanks are welcomed, and I am sure my geckos appreciate it. In this picture the gecko is a female Paroedura Pictus (which are not known for requiring high humidity) and the red light above is just an L.E.D. for night viewing and doesn't add any heat.
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Here's what I do for my fat tail enclosures: I put the hydroballs in 2/3 of the tank. I put the screen over the hydroballs and wrap it around under the hydroballs at the open end to hold them in place. Then I put coco fiber over the whole floor. The result is that 2/3 of the tank has hydroballs and substrate and the other 1/3 (above the heat mat, obviously) has coco fiber only. I push the hides into the coco fiber so they get close to the heat source. I have 3 tanks like this and everyone is doing fine.
Aliza
Aliza