HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey guys. I lucked out and found some Exoterra Heat Cable. So far, I'm loving it. It works much better than a mat! I still have a mat on half my tank, but hope to replace that with cable too. I've read on here about some people insulating their tanks. I know you can't cover/insulate the heat mats, but I was wondering about the heat cable. We're entering a deep freeze here (-27C high and lows of -35C) and although the crabs are warm enough in the day, they are getting down to 20C at night or a touch lower. I'd like to keep them a bit warmer without keeping my expensive baseboard heater on all night. So, can I insulate or cover the heat tape? If so, what should I use? If not, could I try insulating the bottom or the wall that they're against?

I believe you can, but best is to ask the manufacturer if it is possible to insulate just in case.


As for insulating the bottom/sides, yes. You can also do that, and works very well.


Edit: is it possible is you could get a pic or two of your setup? Its not a popular option on here, but I know other boards have have some success using a cable. But haha, not many pictures of setups.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Thanks. I'm not sure how easy it is to contact the manufacturer, but I'll look into it.

I'll try to remember to take pictures and upload them later today. I know they aren't super popular here, but the better quality heat mats aren't available in Canada so I go with what I can find. The tape is definitely better than the heat mats I've used before.

Ok, did a little more digging, it looks like the manufacturer has suggested not to encapsulate (insulate) the cable. I was wrong - I know that other brands are capable of bding insulated, but have limited experience with cables and thought all could. Sorry.

http://www.exo-terra.com/download/produ ... Manual.pdf

What I would suggest, which could be a pain as it may require some fiddly cutting, is to cut strips of your insulative material so it sits inbetween the cables and helps insulate the tank somewhat.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Thanks for doing that digging. I haven't had a chance. I'll have to see what I can finagle. I do think I'll insulate the bottom and sides where there isn't any heat stuff.