Can ceramic heat emitters be used for heat?

I have really bad luck with UTH. Several have just up and stopped working and today one actually cracked the bottom of the tank my ball lives in. They aren`t exactly cheap to replace either. I am not sure if it is the brand (I use Zoo Med), or if I am doing something wrong. I will be moving Gaia to a larger tank soon (probably next month), and was planning on using a UTH on her new tank. I am wondering though if a CHE might be a better idea? Are there other good heating options? The UTH has always kept the temperatures where they need to be. Right now her tank is a ten gallon because she is only about a foot and a half. If UTH are needed, would a CHE be alright until I move her next month to the larger tank so I don`t have to get two of them?

Were you using a thermostat....if the glass got hot enough to crack then something is overheating.

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I haven`t been using a thermostat, and it has been fine up until now. Thing is, I had just cleaned the tank. So I wonder if that had anything to do with it. But it looks like it did fail. My snake is fine, she is not burnt or anything. But I have also had a few that just shut off and would not turn back on. I just seem to have bad luck with them.

It because they are not made to run full boar all day everyday that is extremely unsafe for you and your snake...to say it has be fine up until now is crazy and just downright irresponsible...you evidently are having problems if the tank cracked and I will guarantee you that your temps are not correct. You are very lucky your snake has not been burnt or your house hasent burned down...please unplug it if it is still on and get a thermostat to properly regulate it...ultratherm uth are good quality. Herpstat thermostat is what I personally recommend.

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How are you geting your temps and were from???

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I used and UTH heating pad for one Day when I got my snake, I had a temperature probe directly on the glass to monitor Temps. It got to 125. I unplugged and got a thermostat online with 2 day shipping. They get ridiculously hot really fast. It's incredibly unsafe.

No I unplugged it.

I would really appreciate if you not call me irresponsible. Gaia is very well cared for. She sheds completely every time, never refuses food, has no respiratory issues, and is in good health. I know this because I took her to the vet not too long ago. Everyone makes mistakes, that doesn`t make them irresponsible. It makes them human. My room stays at a pretty constant temperature. Her tank does too, I know this because I have thermometers and humidity gauges in there. It only went over 90 degrees once and that was right after I got a bearded dragon whose heaters make my entire room an oven. I now keep a fan on and have not had an issue since. Everything I read when researching getting her said that UTH are safe without a thermostat. My question was not about if I am not using the UTH right, it was about if a CHE is acceptable for the sole heat source or at least if it will work short term until I get her a larger tank next month so I don`t end up having to get another UTH anyway. I have a feeling I may have broken hers while I was cleaning her tank today. I am sure you did not mean to come across as talking down to me, but you kind of did. I take pride in having well cared for pets. They all have great enclosures and they are all well loved. Please don`t respond to this thread anymore since you do not have an answer to my original question which is, can ceramic heat emitters work short term.

Also, one more thing, the two that have just up and stopped working did so after less than one week so were probably defective.

Welcome to a public forum...it is very irsponsable to say its was fine when it got hot enough to crack glass... and yes you can use a che a the only heat source if your can provide the proper temperature gradient. ...you must not be getting accurate temps if it only got to 90...im not telling this to belittle you im tell this to help you. You dont want to end up learning the hard way..

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"yes you can use a che a the only heat source if your can provide the proper temperature gradient... "

That was all you had to say.

I have gauges all through her tank to make sure everything is correct. Before the glass cracked it probably did get higher than 90, but I was not right there watching. Are you right in front of your enclosures watching the gauges all the time? I check her tank morning and night, and as I said before, it has always been pretty constant. Like I said, I had just cleaned her tank. I think I may have torn a wire or twisted something by accident when I was putting her tank back where it belongs, so that may very well have caused the issue. I am sure you did not say it to belittle me, and I appreciate you were trying to help, but you came across as very condescending and insulting. My animals are all very well loved and cared for and I would never put them in harms way on purpose. But if I broke her UTH that easily, I really want something a bit more durable or that I can put in a safe place easier while I am cleaning the tank. So I will probably go with a CHE for that reason.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psp2koldrd.jpg

I am surprised you have not had other problems yet.

Ceramic heat emitters have pretty intense heat but only really directly below them. In a glass tank it would be pretty impossible I would think to get good temps in the hide where the snake would be without roasting the hide or the entire tank. Plus they suck humidity. I would look about getting a plastic cage next time around, with a radiant heat panel plus a uth if needed. So much easier to control temps and humidity, plus more secure for your snake.

UTH are for hot spots, they don't change the ambient temp hardly at all. I've had snakes for over a decade and haven't killed a single uth, nor had any crack a tank. Running them unregulated is dangerous and likely your problem. Any heat source needs to be on a thermostat for your snakes safety, I have herpstats on all my cages.

No I dont watch my gauges constantly but I also run quality thermostats that regulate what the exact temp is on the uth by having a prob attached directly to the uth.not letting it run full boar hoping it dosent overheat...if you are using analog gauges they are very inaccurate and I would suggest go with digital if you dont have them and temp guns work great for know exact temps were you want instantly...

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If you refuse to use a thermostat, at least use ultratherm uth. They don't run as hot. Just get a thhermostat, it's well worth the money, and it's another cool gadget.

It`s not that I refuse to use a thermostat. I will get one tomorrow when I get her another heater. Everything I read (and that is a lot) told me that if I am able to maintain temperatures in the enclosure then UTH are fine. Most of them had the attitude of "well if you need one you should get one but otherwise they are just an extra". I went with that and, like I said, have never had an issue and temps stayed pretty even. I am using a digital thermometer/hydrometer combo on each end of her tank and they can be moved as needed (I put them on the substrate right over the heater to check temps there) so I have been taking all the steps I thought I needed to take in order to make sure her temps are right, and they have been. If a thermostat is needed to keep her safe then I will certainly get one. I am annoyed because I am being called irresponsible. Making a mistake based on research you did does not make you irresponsible. If I were irresponsible I would have put the faulty heater back on her tank hoping for the best. I didn`t, I unplugged it and went looking for help, and instead of help I feel like I got attacked. I checked my snake over, she is perfectly fine with no burns or anything. Actually when I heard the pop I don`t think she was in her hide. Like I said I just cleaned her tank and every time I do I change the decor slightly and she has to inspect everything.

I was considering a PVC or plastic enclosure for when she gets older. I was trying to find out about their heating as well from online sources but not having much luck. She is still a year or so out from being in a full sized tank though, and I don`t want to get her one until she is full grown because of how expensive they are. Next month she was going to be moving up to a 20 gallon. They do seem to have a lot of benefits though. Has anyone made their own? Was it easier/cheaper or should I just stick with buying one? I may use a CHE just until next month since when I get her a bigger tank I will need a bigger size UTH.

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Originally Posted by PsykotikLovbyrd

I unplugged it and went looking for help, and instead of help I feel like I got attacked.

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1st of why is everyone so sensitive? You didn't like the information provided to you so you view this as being attacked :rofl::rofl::rofl: Its not always unicorns and rainbows. SMH

2nd you have multiple thermometers so you should have the probe from one of those mounted to the glass under the substrate but over the UTH. What is/was the surface temperature of the glass this whole time? Please be honest and don't tell me 90 degrees.

As far as a PVC enclose, you would then be moving up to radiant heat panels and still need a thermostat there too.

There are several diy cages in that section of the forum, you can make your own although it doesn't always end up cheaper. You can also buy one with a divider so you could use half the cage and then open it up as she grows although if you clutter it up it would probably be fine anyways. You should sit down and figure if it's worth it to buy another tank and all accessories for the next jump or if it would be easier to just wait and save for a permanent setup. I have found over the years it's better to just do it right from the start and that way I end up with a lot less extra unusable stuff that wasted my money. If you do get a che you want a smaller wattage one, 50-75 and it needs to be on a thermostat or at the very least a lamp dimmer/rheostat that you can pick up for around $20. A temp gun around the same price would be a good investment too so you can double check temps. Do your thermometers have a probe on them?

CHE's will heat the tank fine, however in my opinion it also dries the air out a lot more then other forms of heating and your snake will have problems shedding. Of course that happens naturally with aquariums where the hot moist air escapes right out of the top.

I believe that the best heat for a ball python is still the under tank heating pad, however your really can't use them as is. As you found out, under tank heat pads will crack glass if there is no air flow underneath. If the heat has no place to escape to it will build up until something gives. I cracked a few aquarium bottoms myself when I started using the zoo med heat pads nearly 30 years ago and I don't think the product has changed at all in that time. You need to raise the tank off the ground a little bit to acheive the air flow underneath. If I remember correctly, Zoo Med includes these little adhesive silicone buttons with their product that you're supposed to place at the corners of the bottom of your aquarium. These are tiny and completely inadequate to the task. What I have done in the past is go to the hardware store and buy a couple of small square rubber furniture coasters (those things that you put under the legs of your chairs so you don't scratch your floors) Cut them in half diagonally and silicone them to the bottom corners of the aquarium. This will give you enough height for the excess heat to escape and they won't fall off and get lost after a couple of days like those little silicone buttons do.

But, you should never use any kind of heating source by itself, whether CHE or heat lamp or heat pad. Heat should always be regulated in some fashion and having a a heat regulation device is necessary equipment for housing any reptile. Either a Rheostat (lamp dimmer) or a Thermostat will do the job. Here is a link to the type of thermostat that I'm currently using --> http://www.reptilebasics.com/ve-200, though there are many good manufacturers out there and I'm sure others can give advice on the ones that they use, Or you can use a lamp dimmer from home depot as long as you regularly monitor the temps. Here is a little write up I did on building your own dimmer device for heat control -> http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...r-cheap-skates

I hope this helps. Everybody makes mistakes when they're first starting out, it's only irresponsible if you don't LEARN from your mistakes.