All about UTH

[thedarkwolf25]

I've been using a 150 watt Heat lamp to do my heating for Hera and I have seen so many people recommend UTHs. Well I have several questions before I go and consider getting one.

How do you know what size to get? I can guess that you would only want it to cover 1/2 to 1/3 of the tank since having it cover the entire tank will give to heat gradient. Is that about right?

How safe are they? I have heard that if done improperly they can seriously burn the snake, is this a common occurrence and how do you prevent it?

What type to get? I have seen something called Flexwatt mentioned a few times, is that a UTH or something else? Will it work for tanks or is more suited for rack setups? Are there any particular brands to stay away from?

How do you control the temps it generates? I have seen people mention that you need a thermostat or a rheostat with them to control the temps. How does that work? Do any UTHs come with them?

And lastly how is a UTH with humidity? I know that BPs benefit more from belly heat but will using a UTH increase or decrease humidity?

Sorry for the flood of questions, but I trust you guys' judgment more than me just blindly searching around on the net.

[Stubean15]

well first.. its gonna be really hard to maintain ambient heat with a uth alone depending on the size of the tank.. with a tub uth can easily keep temps good but aquariums are soo hard..

and yes flexiwatt could be used with a tank and its not a uth per say its heat tape but a uth would be better simply because it adheres to the bottom and it doesnt have to be wired it comes ready to go

and you want to use a thermostat i bought a reostat a week ago and it is a waist of money.. it takes a few days to get set right just because its a trial and error process turn the knob up wait turn it down wait.. not too mention its really unreliable you are much better off buying a thermostat

and it wont hurt your snake they are fairly safe to use.. what burns your snake is heat rocks.. its possible but with a thermostat you will be fine

and uths dont mess with your humidity too much at all.. nothing compared to a lamp.. i actually move my snakes water bowl partially over my uth when the humidity is low

and if you have a tank the only way you can really maintain a good gradient and ambient heat is 2 uths (1 under each hide) hooked up to a thermostat.. i have the herpstat II and 2 zoo med uths but i have a fairly large tank so its needed if you have a smaller tank then maybe a single heater is doable.. but yea if you do buy a uth you wont regret.. they beat lamps no matter how you look at it

hope this helped good luck

[steveboos]

well first.. its gonna be really hard to maintain ambient heat with a uth alone depending on the size of the tank.. with a tub uth can easily keep temps good but aquariums are soo hard..

and yes flexiwatt could be used with a tank and its not a uth per say its heat tape but a uth would be better simply because it adheres to the bottom and it doesnt have to be wired it comes ready to go

and you want to use a thermostat i bought a reostat a week ago and it is a waist of money.. it takes a few days to get set right just because its a trial and error process turn the knob up wait turn it down wait.. not too mention its really unreliable you are much better off buying a thermostat

and it wont hurt your snake they are fairly safe to use.. what burns your snake is heat rocks.. its possible but with a thermostat you will be fine

and uths dont mess with your humidity too much at all.. nothing compared to a lamp.. i actually move my snakes water bowl partially over my uth when the humidity is low

and if you have a tank the only way you can really maintain a good gradient and ambient heat is 2 uths (1 under each hide) hooked up to a thermostat.. i have the herpstat II and 2 zoo med uths but i have a fairly large tank so its needed if you have a smaller tank then maybe a single heater is doable.. but yea if you do buy a uth you wont regret.. they beat lamps no matter how you look at it

hope this helped good luck

Great Advice here!!!^^^^

I agree with everything above. Using a UTH will help the humidity since lamps dry it out, so there are only positives with using a UTH.

[PitOnTheProwl]

http://www.zilla-rules.com/products/...controller.htm
I am running the 1000wt for my 55

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...Heatinghttp://
with the 16w medium

[thedarkwolf25]

Thanks so much for the info guys! And thanks Pit for the links!

Btw, if I have a 55 gallon tank, should I get the 55 gallon UTH? will that cover the entire thing? and would a UTH and a basking lamp work for good temp gradient?

[Cody John Steele]

***Everybody has their own opinion's, and ways of doing things. So don't flame me, because most everybody on here uses UTH's***

I hate UTH's, they only raised my humidity with a rather large water bowl sitting on top on the uth, and the temp had to be turned up higher than it needed to be. You pretty much have to have a thermostat, unless your room temps stays 100% level 24/7-365 day, otherwise you will find yourself adjusting your rheostat every time you walk in the room. Also, mine never really raised my ambient temps, and I had to use a lamp to raise them. So what's the point of even using the UTH?

I'm sticking with my ceramic heat emitters, and my repti-foggers on timers to keep my humidity up.

But like I said..."To each is it's own". If you want to try a UTH, go ahead. I may have just had bad luck with my experience.

[thedarkwolf25]

***Everybody has their own opinion's, and ways of doing things. So don't flame me, because most everybody on here uses UTH's***

I hate UTH's, they only raised my humidity with a rather large water bowl sitting on top on the uth, and the temp had to be turned up higher than it needed to be. You pretty much have to have a thermostat, unless your room temps stays 100% level 24/7-365 day, otherwise you will find yourself adjusting your rheostat every time you walk in the room. Also, mine never really raised my ambient temps, and I had to use a lamp to raise them. So what's the point of even using the UTH?

I'm sticking with my ceramic heat emitters, and my repti-foggers on timers to keep my humidity up.

But like I said..."To each is it's own". If you want to try a UTH, go ahead. I may have just had bad luck with my experience.

I've also been considering a Repti fogger at some point, just for easier control of humidity. What do you think of them? OH and is it ok to handle her during a shed? Her eyes just turned opaque yesterday and I'm still holding her even though I know she has an increased chance to bite me, is this ok?

[Cody John Steele]

The repti-foggers are AWESOME!. But......a little overkill for most tanks, even for a 40 or 50 gallon on the LOWEST setting. So I have mine on timers. ( On 1 hour - Off 3 hours ) 24 hours a day. $60 for the fogger & $20 for an LCD screen timer from The Home Depot. Plus, you are only suppose to run Distilled water in them to keep them from getting deposit build up. Lastly, they will drop your temps by 5-7 degrees or so when they cut on.

So they are expensive to start a setup with, and to run (buying distilled water for them) But... you never have to worry about humidity.

It's just about whatever you want to do.

[Cody John Steele]

Ohhh, and the shed thing. I have no clue if you are suppose to hold them or not while they are shedding. They will sometimes be a little upset about being bothered during their shed, but if you aren't getting tagged. I wouldn't worry about it.

[thedarkwolf25]

Ahh ok, I didn't know about them dropping temps or needing distilled water. That kinda turns me away from them.