Best way to heat baby racks?

[Beardedragon]

Im going to need to build a baby rack one of these days, so I want to get a head start on some questions to look back on. Here was my main question, how do I heat it? Im almost sure that I'll be useing 16q tubs, and about four per level. Should I run a 3in strip of FW along the bottom of each level, or...

This is what I really want to know, how does just running some 11in strips down the back work? What temp does it keep the rack at, and does it provide a cool side( If you even need one?)

Thanks for any replys this gets, more questions im sure to follow!

[Blue Apple Herps]

I personally prefer belly heat to back heat. But it would probably be easier and cheaper to just run 11" down the back though. Honestly though, either should work just fine.

[Freakie_frog]

All of my racks have belly heat. baby all the way up.

[Gloryhound]

I use belly heat in all my racks. I built a 12 unit 6qt (Shoe box) rack for my initial babies. Then I built a 20 unit 15 qt (Sm sweater box) for hold overs for now. Next is a 10 unit female breeding rack using CB-70's and a 10 unit 32 qt (lg sweater box) breeder male rack. I'm going this route so I can cycle the temps during breeding season on both racks at the same time.

[lord jackel]

Well so far I am against the team...I use and prefer belly heat for all my hatchling racks. The tubs are so short in length that back heat gives a perfect gradient...were as 3" belly heat would mean heat was applied to a large portion of the tub making temp gradients harder. (IMO and my experience)

[muddoc]

I am going to have to agree with "The Lord" on this one. We do have 2 ARS hatchling racks that have belly heat installed in them. We seem to get a good gradient with those tubs, as they are 22 inched long, which gives ample space for non-heated tub to remain cooler than the heated portion.

However, I do also have 2 racks that I built myself (before I could no longer keep up with snake production and space requirements). Both of these racks use the Iris shoebox tubs which are about 13.5 inches long. One of the racks is 40 tubs (4 x 10) and the other is 60 tubs (4 x 15). We use 2 strips of 11 inch flexwatt (each piece heating 2 tubs wide, with the flexwatt heating about half of each tub) stright down the back. I have the Helix set at 96 degrees on these racks, with an ambient room temperature of about 82 degrees. With this setup, I usually see about 89-90 degrees in the back of the tub and about 82 in the front, giving me about a 7-8 degree gradient in a rather short tub. I think that is pretty good, and my hatchlings have done great in these racks for the last 3 years.

Hope that is informational,