Zoo Med UTH question?

Ok so I'm going to buy me a nice ole sterilite tub today from wally world and was wondering....will this be ok to use? I was told long ago to put foil over the pad, just incase i wanted to use it on another tub/tank in the future. Because I know once you stick it to something, you can't take it off. So suggestions?

As long as you have a thermostat controlling the heat mat you are fine.

You don't have to put foil on it, you can just leave the coating on the adhesive.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

As long as you have a thermostat controlling the heat mat you are fine.

You don't have to put foil on it, you can just leave the coating on the adhesive.

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so...so what thermostate do you suggest?

A Zoo-med UTH will be fine, but must be regulated by a thermostat and monitered with a probed thermometer. Without a thermostat the UTH can and will get hot enough to kill your snake, and could even melt the tub.

Stay away from thermostats sold in petstores as they are overpriced junk.

Here are 3 good thermostats depending on your budget:

Cheap: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NZZG3S

Mid-Range: http://www.reptilebasics.com/ranco-etc-111000-pre-wired

Best: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Here is a good thermometer. It can be purchased at Walmart for $12. It has 2 temperature sensors as well as a humidity sensor. Simply place the probe on the hot side directly over the UTH and place the unit on the cool side.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...nt/photo-3.jpg

Putting foil over the sticky side of the UTH is a good idea.

Remember that UTH's don't heat the air in the cage all that much. This means that if the room the cage is in gets too much below 75 degrees a secondary heat source (like a space heater or heat lamp) will be necessary.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

A Zoo-med UTH will be fine, but must be regulated by a thermostat and monitered with a probed thermometer. Without a thermostat the UTH can and will get hot enough to kill your snake, and could even melt the tub.

Stay away from thermostats sold in petstores as they are overpriced junk.

Here are 3 good thermostats depending on your budget:

Cheap: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NZZG3S

Mid-Range: http://www.reptilebasics.com/ranco-etc-111000-pre-wired

Best: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Here is a good thermometer. It can be purchased at Walmart for $12. It has 2 temperature sensors as well as a humidity sensor. Simply place the probe on the hot side directly over the UTH and place the unit on the cool side.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...nt/photo-3.jpg

Putting foil over the sticky side of the UTH is a good idea.

Remember that UTH's don't heat the air in the cage all that much. This means that if the room the cage is in gets too much below 75 degrees a secondary heat source (like a space heater or heat lamp) will be necessary.

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so what brand UTH do you suggest? Thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

I was looking to get this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zoo-Med-Rept...10969735433%26

- - - Updated - - -

This is what I use now on one of my tanks. Would this work also?

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Appl...=2&category=14

Personally with a single tub as it has no mass I would not suggest a on/off that makes the spyder robotics as the clear option. The best UTH I have ever used is the ultratherm as they bring a extra safety due to the low max temps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrBrute

so what brand UTH do you suggest? Thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

I was looking to get this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zoo-Med-Rept...10969735433%26

- - - Updated - - -

This is what I use now on one of my tanks. Would this work also?

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Appl...=2&category=14

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I would get one of these and one of the 3 thermostats I suggested in my last post:

http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsmar...AvailInUS%2FNo

thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Personally with a single tub as it has no mass I would not suggest a on/off that makes the spyder robotics as the clear option. The best UTH I have ever used is the ultratherm as they bring a extra safety due to the low max temps.

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The link to the variable temp mat that should also work I have never used one but the Idea is sound it is likely a step resistor so you can set the wattage to allow the T-stat to deliver correct temps but choosing a setting that will keep a 'run a way' inside a safe level. The Ultratherm is similar, intellitemp, kane also do not become super hot usually 10-20ºF over the room temp. I have a couple of zoo meds and exoterra I don't like the exos at all. The zoo meds I have I am in the process of replacing with lower heating units. Things can and do go wrong having a heater that is simply not going to get hot enough to cause burns under any circumstances increases the safety level dramatically. The 'new breed ' of UTH many have this feature the old school types (zoo med) do not. It seems a good idea to increase the level of safety as much as is feasible.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

The link to the variable temp mat that should also work I have never used one but the Idea is sound it is likely a step resistor so you can set the wattage to allow the T-stat to deliver correct temps but choosing a setting that will keep a 'run a way' inside a safe level. The Ultratherm is similar, intellitemp, kane also do not become super hot usually 10-20ºF over the room temp. I have a couple of zoo meds and exoterra I don't like the exos at all. The zoo meds I have I am in the process of replacing with lower heating units. Things can and do go wrong having a heater that is simply not going to get hot enough to cause burns under any circumstances increases the safety level dramatically. The 'new breed ' of UTH many have this feature the old school types (zoo med) do not. It seems a good idea to increase the level of safety as much as is feasible.

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Thanks!