Insulating a glass tank

Would wrapping towels around 3 of the tank walls help with insulation? Would cardboard or something else work better? I imagine covering most of the screen top with something would help with humidity and heat, but what material would be best to do this? A towel?

Is there a better way to insulate a glass tank for increased heat retention and humidity?

Thanks

you could use 3/4 foamboard found at hardware stores. is the tank in a room that you could heat up a little with a space heater. i don't mean 90 deg. just 75-78 deg.?


vaughn

I guess I could, but how much electricity do those things use?

some use 500 , 750 or 1500 watts. the 750 and 1500 watt ones are common. how big is the room or area the tank is in? some have a high and low heat settings. try to think outside the box, by making the area outside of the tank more stable it will help you to regulate the tank easier.

vaughn

Cardboard, foamboard, or any similar material would work around the sides of the tank. Try covering the screen top with clear contact paper applied to the outside of the screen. If you use an overhead lamp for heat, you can cut a hole in the contact paper for it. However, overhead lamps are notorious for sucking the humidity out of an enclosure. If at all possible, you want to heat the enclosure with an undertank heat pad. Some people have used one pad on the warm side set on high and another pad on the cool side set on low. Certain substrates, such as ReptiBark or cypress mulch can help maintain humidity levels. Although paper towels and newspaper make cleaning really easy, they don't do much for humidity.

Thanks for the replies. Is there any controversy regarding whether ReptiBark is potentially harmful or not? I think I remember someone saying that it's dusty and can cause respiratory problems. How about cypress mulch? Both 100% safe for balls?

Thanks again

Unless something has changed, cypress mulch is fine.

wait i before we get totally off topic here what was that a bout the insulating? i didnt understand it

I want to put something up against the outside of the tank walls to keep the heat from escaping through the glass. Also, I want to put something over part of the screen top to keep the humidity up.

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Originally Posted by guitrage

Is there any controversy regarding whether ReptiBark is potentially harmful or not? I think I remember someone saying that it's dusty and can cause respiratory problems. How about cypress mulch? Both 100% safe for balls?

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I haven't heard anything about ReptiBark being potentially harmful. I'm pretty sure it's just overpriced cypress mulch. And as for cypress mulch, it is quite safe and has been recommended, I believe, by KLG from NERD.

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Originally Posted by guitrage

I guess I could, but how much electricity do those things use?

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According to my electric utility, depending on usage, around $30-$50 a month. Outrageous.

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Originally Posted by Marla

Quote:

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Originally Posted by guitrage

I guess I could, but how much electricity do those things use?

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According to my electric utility, depending on usage, around $30-$50 a month. Outrageous.

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That can't be right ... I am running 6 - 8 oil filled heaters, console humidifies, fridge, freezer, lights, a ton of racks etc and my electric bill is a lot lower than you would think ... even in the summer running AC in all the rooms.

I think that estimate might be a little hi .... A small oil filled heater on low just to bump up room temps a couple degrees shouldn't cost much at all.

I think it costs on average $1 to run 1 watt 24 hours a day 7 days a week for a year. I think ... can anyone chime in on that?? Vaughn maybe?

I certainly don't know for sure on this one, but $30 - $50 dollars a month doesn't sound right to me. I think your electric company is way over estimating.

Hope this helps.

-adam

It sounded high to me, too, but that's exactly what it said in the info I got from them yesterday. I think they are probably referring to the average space heater a person would use, with coils/elements, rather than the more efficient oil-filled.

hey all, my bill here in va runs around 145-165 bucks a month for the whole house. our house is about 1600 sq ft. everything is electric. i run a small 750 watt heater in my 10 x10 herp room. i maintain 75-82 deg. year round in the room. i keep the house 72-74 deg year round. i believe that keeping my room warmer makes each cage/rack run less and more efficient. i use a small humidifier in the room that keeps moisture around 50-65% in the winter and 65-80% in the summer. i don't mist or spray my ball pythons and i get one piece sheds. i do spray my geckos and green trees daily.


vaughn

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Originally Posted by guitrage

Thanks for the replies. Is there any controversy regarding whether ReptiBark is potentially harmful or not? I think I remember someone saying that it's dusty and can cause respiratory problems. How about cypress mulch? Both 100% safe for balls?
Thanks again

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Ive read and heard that ReptiCHIP is better than the bark.

Well this is almost a bakers dozen old

I am having the same problem, but not so much heat loss as a very shy girl. I purchased a foam background from amazon, it cost 27 dollars and is pretty big. So i cut it to fit my 20 gallon long as a background, and still had enough left over to cover the sides. now she is warm and not so shy. I also went to home depot and had a piece of plexiglass cut to fit the top with the lamp space cut out so the fixture still fits. hope this helps.