Something Unexpected (image heavy)

[Bogertophis]

Well, you certainly have it more together than I do!! I’m still working on wading through all of the conflicting information I’ve found. Can I ask you how you insulated the sides and back? Did you find a pretty immediate difference in ambient temp? We are in a very cold climate and honestly, glass was the only availability and I just can’t spring for a fancy plastic vivarium at the moment (or for awhile). Any thoughts on styrofoam sheets (the 1” thick kind)? I am planning on making a cool background with spray foam, etc eventually so I’m thinking its something similar anyways and will also provide some insulation. Anyways, sorry to hijack your thread with my own question! Love your setup and congrats on a new very awesome pet!

Hi & . There are many ways to insulate a glass tank, & honestly I prefer glass anyway but that's another subject. (Note, I've kept a number of BPs in the past, but currently keep mostly colubrids.)

There is at least one member that I can recall using thick styrofoam sheets cut to fit, so that's a perfectly good option- lightweight but effective. Sheet cork, or stick-on tiles of cork or carpet also can work, as does corrugated cardboard or foam-center poster boards, but the thicker styrofoam is likely going to give you the highest R-value (best insulation). If you don't like the looks, you could install scenery on the back & sides of the glass first, then you won't even SEE the foam taped behind it.

You can also insulate some or all of the underside of the tank but leave the area open around it IF you're using UTH, & remember to leave some gaps for it to "breathe" safely & for the wire- never leave a tank sitting on a power cord. If you're only using overhead heating devices (like CHE or RHP) then by all means, insulate the floor too. You can also insulate the lower part of the front if you like- maybe about 5" along the bottom- it's all up to you & how much efficiency you need.

The only issue with thick styrofoam is all the little bits when you try to cut it. (use a box cutter or X-acto knife) The foam-core poster boards I mentioned are under .25" thick, but they come in black or white & cut neatly, & you could always do more than one layer- it would look a lot nicer than styrofoam. It's all up to you though- efficiency, cost & hassle are variables.