Under Tank Heaters - Exo Terra ?

I've seen both being used, although most reviews I've read have said that the ExoTerra under tank heaters (rainforest especially, desert ones arent as bad) do not get hot enough. Im currently using the Zoo Med Reptitherm, and its working really well; HOWEVER, they dont sell them anywhere in Toronto and I had to get it shipped from the states.

SO, I wanted to see if anyone uses the Exo Terra Desert model and do you have any problems getting it up to 90-95 F ? These are a much cheaper option for me and very easy to obtain since they sell them at every single Petsmart in Toronto. I use herpstats as my thermostat because I will be breeding eventually.

Thanks!

Bump :) Anybody use these exo-terra UTH's ? I remember trying to ask people this when I got my first ball python, but nobody had answers, so I resorted to buying the ZooMed online and got it shipped from the US. Im probably going to be using flexwatt for future breeding/hatchling racks, but for now, I need something cheap and effective for a new cinny I am buying.

Any input would be helpful :cool: & Thanks!

I have one on a leo tank I'm using slate tile substrate it wouldn't get up to the right temps so I had to use a CHE with it. I have zoomed UTH's on other tanks that work a lot better, so I would recommend ordering online again.

Also you should try some local pet stores for a Zoomed I live near Barrie and there is 3 that I know of that carry them, so I'm sure in Toronto you should be able to find them somewhere.

I would stick with the Zoo Med UTH. I tried the Zilla brand and it was a piece of junk. I found the Zoo Med brand on Amazon.com for $13USD each. I went with the Zoo Med brand ever since. They can get up to 120F so I use a dimmer to adjust the temp. I never had an issue, except when I switched from tanks to tubs, I bent the UTH and it was broken.

Tip: Put foil on the sticky side, and use foil tape to tape it on your tub or tank. That way, it's reusable. :)

I use some Exo-Terra Desert UTH's and they maintain temps just fine for me. The reason that I like the Deserts better than the Forest ones is because they have a higher wattage rating, which allows them to get hotter when higher temps are needed.

I'm currently using the exottera rainforest and it's working fine for me. I obviously use a t-stat, and without it the uth got to at least 102degrees, I stopped after that, just wanted to make sure it would get hot enough. no prolems, so far...

The problem with your question is how many variables are missing. The temp of an enclosure will be effected by the ambient temps type of enclosure how heavy it is how much of what substrate. All of these will effect how hot a UTH can get in an enclosure. A rainforest will work just fine under the right conditions and a desert will not be hot enough under the wrong conditions. It depends.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

The problem with your question is how many variables are missing. The temp of an enclosure will be effected by the ambient temps type of enclosure how heavy it is how much of what substrate. All of these will effect how hot a UTH can get in an enclosure. A rainforest will work just fine under the right conditions and a desert will not be hot enough under the wrong conditions. It depends.

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Sorry :P Im planning on buying just one UTH to last me until the summer, so I dont have to invest in flexwatt and all that jazz until then. (getting a baby cinny in a few weeks, and not getting another snake till next summer probably)

So heres the setup: The room temps will drop to 72-75 at night fyi. I will be using a shoebox sized Sterilite Tub, with either mulch or aspen as bedding (whichever transfers heat better to get perfect temps). On top of the uth, I would ideally only put about 1/2" of substrate because I've found the heat doesnt penetrate if you have anything more.

So Im hearing mixed reviews about the ExoTerra UTH. Vypyrz says they work fine and I saw him using the Exo Terra Desert model in his Tub Setup Sticky. I'm leaning towards ordering this time on Amazon, since it is only about $20 on amazon, and with shipping it would come out to around the same as the exo terra in stores.

I have a really important question about tubs. Say I want to put my new cinny in a 12 quart tub. How do i figure out the dimensions of such a tub? Would I have to go to the store and measure? I need to know because I'm trying to decide which size UTH to get.

Edit: btw. tanks guys :)

Edit: NVM I found out the tub sizes. Here they are in case anyone was wondering:

From Rubbermaid - 15 Qt = 16.7" x 13.5" x 5.3"
From Sterilite - 15 Qt = 17" x 12" x 6.7"
From Enasco - 12 Qt = 16.5" x 10.75" x 6.5"

The Reptitherm sizes are as follows: Small = 6"x8", Med = 8"x12"

Would I want to get the small or the medium? I know the heat source should cover not more than 1/2 of the hatchling tub, but not less than 1/3. In Vypyrs tub setup sticky, he uses an exo terra uth that is 1/2 the size, so I think I might go with the medium.

Thanks guys ! As always been a great help

i'm running an exo terra desert on my snake's warm side, hooked up to a thermostat of course. i'm planning on getting a rainforest one for her cool side cuz its gettin' too cool if i dont run a space heater in the room & that's gonna kill my electric bill cuz those little things suck up so much electricity it's not funny! from what i can see the rainforest ones arent supposed to get hotter then 85 i believe but i'm gonna hook the one i get up to the thermostat too just in case.
cant end up with 2 warm sides now can i?

Here's a better discription of what I got going on:

I have a glass tank, 2 hides, one large glass water bowl, one small glass bowl with moss in it to help with humidity.
My exo-terra, medium, uth is under tank (duh) with hydrofarm t-stat under tank and under heat pad. My t-stat is set for 93%
I have one layer of newspaper substrate
My digital therm/hydro reads @
hotspot- 92%
ambient- anywhere from 79-81%
cool- %78
humidity is 50% bumped to 70% when in shed

I also have a 100 watt bulb to help with heat because this is all sitting in a room that stays usually at a constant 68% (my husband is cheap and waaaaay hot blooded and apparently my comfort isn't all that important, haha)

Hope this is more helpful, if not, oh well, haha.

I'd go with Zoo Med, better quality to me.