Flex watt tape vs UTH? Which is better?

Just got a new 40 breeder that I'm eager to set up. I have a small UTH & a 100 watt CHE from my 20L tank. I'm trying to decide which would be a better choice, another UTH or the heat tape. I do not have a thermostat yet, but would like something I can hook up numerous heat sources to. Suggestions would be much appreciated, thanks!

I think the whole point of using flexwatt is because it saves you money while being more reliable that most UTH. The savings part is especially true when you have a lot of tubs to heat

I use a herpstat ND and am VERY happy with it. You should get a thermostat BEFORE using any heat source. Most of them will allow you to hook up mulitple heat source when purchased.

I don't know what a 100 watt CHE is. But just stick with "Flexwatt" heat tape. It's a proven product.

A CHE is a ceramic heat emitter.

It really depends on the kind of setups you have. If you only have a couple glass setups, UTHs work well. If you are heating a large amount of tubs, flexwatt is much more economical. Both of these options must be used with a thermostat. If you want a thermostat that will control the heat of multiple sources, a johnson controls or ranco from reptile basics would be a good buy.

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Originally Posted by mmca

I think the whole point of using flexwatt is because it saves you money while being more reliable that most UTH. The savings part is especially true when you have a lot of tubs to heat

I use a herpstat ND and am VERY happy with it. You should get a thermostat BEFORE using any heat source. Most of them will allow you to hook up mulitple heat source when purchased.

I don't know what a 100 watt CHE is. But just stick with "Flexwatt" heat tape. It's a proven product.

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Thanks! A CHE is a ceramic heat emitter, which I've heard good things about. It allows a heat source without sucking out humidity. I just bought it to try to raise the ambient temp. He's been hanging out on top of his hide right under the CHE since I started using it so I'm guessing he enjoys the back heat.

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Originally Posted by kasmir

Thanks! A CHE is a ceramic heat emitter, which I've heard good things about. It allows a heat source without sucking out humidity. I just bought it to try to raise the ambient temp. He's been hanging out on top of his hide right under the CHE since I started using it so I'm guessing he enjoys the back heat.

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The UTH should cover about 1/3 but no more than 1/2 of the floor space of the enclosure. Depending on the brand and sizing, a 10" X 10" would be the smallest and a 11" X 17" mounted longways would probably be best...

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

A CHE is a ceramic heat emitter.

It really depends on the kind of setups you have. If you only have a couple glass setups, UTHs work well. If you are heating a large amount of tubs, flexwatt is much more economical. Both of these options must be used with a thermostat. If you want a thermostat that will control the heat of multiple sources, a johnson controls or ranco from reptile basics would be a good buy.

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Thanks Steffe, this is the only tank I have so I may just go with another UTH. Are the lifespans about the same with heat tape & a UTH? Now with a thermostat am I able to set each heat source to a different temp or will they all be the same? I want to make sure I'm getting the correct thermostat that will allow me to set each one individually, can I do that with a Ranco or Johnson Controls?

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Originally Posted by kasmir

Thanks Steffe, this is the only tank I have so I may just go with another UTH. Are the lifespans about the same with heat tape & a UTH? Now with a thermostat am I able to set each heat source to a different temp or will they all be the same? I want to make sure I'm getting the correct thermostat that will allow me to set each one individually, can I do that with a Ranco or Johnson Controls?

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The lifespans are about the same for both. Maybe a little bit longer for flexwatt but its pretty negligible.

The herpstat II is the only thermostat I know of that will allow you to set two different temperatures. All of the other ones will only let you set it to one temperature. The johson and ranco will let you control 6 identical heat sources to the same temperature.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

The lifespans are about the same for both. Maybe a little bit longer for flexwatt but its pretty negligible.

The herpstat II is the only thermostat I know of that will allow you to set two different temperatures. All of the other ones will only let you set it to one temperature. The johson and ranco will let you control 6 identical heat sources to the same temperature.

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So a Ranco or Johnson would only work if I had multiple tanks & each one set to the same temp correct? For my set up, I would need each heat source set at a different temp, for the cool side UTH, the warm side UTH & then for the CHE, right? Thanks so much for your help!