Can I use Under the Tank Heater (UTH) on a wire shelf?

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

That's a fantastic idea! You can often find oddball tiles at hardware or flooring stores for real cheap too.

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Exactly. I've used ceramic tiles this way for years, they are a great "heat sink" to hold & diffuse the heat under glass tanks, so even if your power happens to
go off, the heat doesn't immediately disappear. ;)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Personally, I'd buy some cheap ceramic tiles from the nearest flooring store (where they sell & install carpet, vinyl & ceramic tile flooring) to line a wire
shelf with. Wood or foam board is great insulation but NOT fire-proof...you want safety first. UTH must be regulated but heat builds up & both wood and
foam board will dry out over time & are flammable...not the best choice, though if you need a really insulated cage floor, you could use both with less risk.
(wood or foam board on shelf first, tiles on top & leave air gaps -needed for the UTH!-) So yes, wire shelves can be workable. Safety first though. :gj:

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Thank you, your solution is wonderful. I will look into this!

One quick afterthought: if you're using tiles under a glass tank, be sure to check the space under the glass bottom, since some tiles are thicker than
others & you do not want the glass resting ON the tiles, plus you need a little gap for the UTH too. Typical aquariums have a molding around all the
edges, & if you end up using a thicker UTH (I use Flexwatt, which is probably the thinnest type) another thing you can do is to use rubber weather-
stripping along the bottom edge of the tank to raise it just a bit more: the weather-stripping is available in different sizes, & it's peel & stick, so it's
very easy to use, cut w/ scissors to fit the edges. I actually use it on all my tanks so they never slip- I used to live in Calif. (earthquake country) &
without it, tanks easily slide off their cabinets: we had a small quake & I noticed the slide on a new empty tank I was setting up, so this was my
solution, & sure enough, about 3 mos. later, we had a big quake & none of my tanks moved at all. The weather-stripping you want is 'closed-cell'-
as the "open-cell" type squishes down too much.

One more suggestion: Wood is sturdy but heavy & thicker than you might want; foam board is light & good insulation, but not sturdy & will squish down
in time under a glass tank. I'd use a piece of tile-board or a piece of paneling- most large home improvement stores sell both, and often have remnant
pieces for sale cheap. They can also cut it for you, so measure ahead of time & you'll be done in one trip. ;) I love hardware stores, so many solutions!