Heating My 20 Gallon Questions

[IcedPineapple]

Hi! I have a couple of questions regarding heating my 20 gallon tank. I already have an UTH on one side of my tank, but other than in the little area it occupies, it doesn't seem to heat up the rest of the tank at all, so I am considering buying a heat lamp. I would most likely want a blue/black light, because I would need to leave it on overnight, especially in the winter, and I don't want the light to bother me (their tank is in the bedroom). However, I'm not sure what wattage (I'm looking at Fluker's 60 watt Black Bulb- thoughts?) or how I would mount it? Also looking at "Fluker's Repta-Clamp Lamp Ceramic with Dimmable Switch" as the lamp socket, and the dimming factor is appealing, but I'm just not sure how I would mount it or where the light should come in. The lid of my tank is by Perfecto and it is an aquarium lid, so it is just plastic with some other plastic cutouts, which would not be ideal for heat to be right up against... Any suggestions for my situation?

[Hermiesguardian]

What type of heater do you have? The ones you get in a petstore aren't really effective. An Ultratherm from reptilebasics.com or beanfarm.com is really good. And they can be insulated. Get a size that covers the entire back of the tank, from the top of the substrate to top of tank. Then you can insulate over it. I use reflectix tape. I also tape it to the top of the lid.

[wodesorel]

An Ultratherm from reptilebasics.com or beanfarm.com is really good. And they can be insulated. Get a size that covers the entire back of the tank, from the top of the substrate to top of tank.

This! ^

UTH are great for no-light heating. Just have to make sure they're a good brand and the right size. I like both Ultratherm and Flukers.

[Motörcrab]

Exactly what everyone else mentioned above. The sizes that the ZooMed heaters you normally find in pet stores are labeled for reptile use in that tank size, not for hermit crab use. Reptiles will lay on a warm stop to warm up and move away to cool down. Hermit crabs need the all the air in the tank to be warm. The only way to achieve that is a heating pad that covers the entire back of the tank from the top of the substrate to the rim at the top of the tank.

I go one step further and also add an additional heating pad the same way to one side of the tank. The Ultratherms like I use and I believe the Flukers can also be insulated to direct more heat into the tank as well. The ZooMed types can not be insulated. With using the two heaters we manage to keep our 3 tanks in the low to mid 80's.

Here is a tutorial I posted a week or two ago to describe the process of setting up a tank for proper heat. The sizes of heaters will change but everything else should stay the same.

Fleabags Guide To Heating A Crabitat
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 6&t=119297