Good deal on these racks?

[llovelace]

I am no expert by any means but most people on this message board recommend an under the tank heater for tubs or tanks. A lot of racks are built with belly heat so that the snake can have a basking spot to warm up and properly digest. Right now I have tanks and it wouldn't really help the health of my snake if the UTH was on the side. Is it wrong to assume that?

With a closed rack system, the use of back heat is acceptable because the whole back end of the tub gets heated, I have 2 closed racks, and my animals are doing fantabulous, now my 41qt rack has an open back, therefore I opted for belly heat.

Your are correct, when using tanks placing your heat source under the tank is optimal.

[OhhWatALoser]

I am no expert by any means but most people on this message board recommend an under the tank heater for tubs or tanks. A lot of racks are built with belly heat so that the snake can have a basking spot to warm up and properly digest. Right now I have tanks and it wouldn't really help the health of my snake if the UTH was on the side. Is it wrong to assume that?

I have attempted to research the claim that belly heat has any effect on anything to do with the animal, verse using back or top heat. turns out there is nothing to research besides people claiming it. no studies, no people that noticed something, no breeder even saying they know someone who did something. nothing but hearsay.

I can tell you all my animal in backheated racks digest their meals just like the ones with belly heat.

I did find this tho

Do these racks use belly heat or back heat? Which is better?

RBI Plastics Shoebox and Sweaterbox racks come standard with back heat. Which is better? We have found back heat to be every bit as effective, if not more so, than belly heat. The back heat in these racks will easily warm the back 1/3 to 1/2 of the boxes to a cozy 88-90 degrees. Actually it will get hotter than that if you don't use a thermostat or rheostat which is why one is required. The heat tends to be more even than belly heat which is usually in a more concentrated 3"-4" wide strip across the bottom. The heat gradually tapers off to about 80-82 in the front of the box. Our animals very easily thermoregulate with this setup and we have switched over to entirely back heated rack systems here.

Is belly heat bad? We dont think so, we just like this better. If you will be setting up the 32 Qt. Sweater Box Rack in a room that is regularly below 74 degrees you may want to consider the belly heat option. On the Shoe box and MCB-S tubs the back heat will provide great performance in all but the coolest of rooms (below 65 degrees). One note, with belly heat racks you MUST place your thermostat probe on the heat tape itself. NOT inside one of the tubs. On the CB-70 rack we install belly heat standard. The extra long CB-70 makes back heat ineffective. To help give your animals a more even heat and a larger basking area we use two independently wired strips of three inch heat tape (80 watts each) placed about 6 inches in from the back. NO HEAT CABLE is used, only flexwatt heat tape. The heat tape is recessed into the shelves for years of maintenance free use.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/rack-faq.html

[PitOnTheProwl]

I dont think it makes as much of a difference if you can get the ambient temps up to 90 degrees or so. Which is a lot easier in a rack than my tanks

[OhhWatALoser]

I dont think it makes as much of a difference if you can get the ambient temps up to 90 degrees or so. Which is a lot easier in a rack than my tanks

I reason im switching over to back heat is because when i was using newspaper substrate belly heat worked fine, but i switch to cypress and i was torn between the bottom of the tub being 94 degrees and the top of the cypress being colder or put the temps at 90 on top of the cypress and the temps be over 94 under the cypress. back heat fixed that problem, and i see no difference in digestion lol poop still looks like poop