Heat pad size

[betoiguanas]

A friend of mine gave a new heat pad, from Zoo med. My tank is 30 x 12 x 18 (30 gal ). The heat pad that I currently have is 30-40 gal. The new one is 50-60 (large).
My question is: Could I switch the old heat pad for the biggest one without any problem? Of course I have a thermosthat, I wanted to know if I can improve a better heating.

[blackcrystal22]

A friend of mine gave a new heat pad, from Zoo med. My tank is 30 x 12 x 18 (30 gal ). The heat pad that I currently have is 30-40 gal. The new one is 50-60 (large).
My question is: Could I switch the old heat pad for the biggest one without any problem? Of course I have a thermosthat, I wanted to know if I can improve a better heating.

Sometimes the ZooMed's suggestions arn't always correct. Just make sure that the heat pad isn't bigger than 1/4-1/3 of the space underneath the tank. If it is, then it's probably too big.

[Argentra]

Exactly. Don't pay attention to the crud written on those pads...most of it is seriously outdated.

However, do make sure that whatever heat source you use is no more than 1/3 the length of the tank, as was said. If it fits those dimensions, go ahead and use it.

[Mochelem]

Just watch it close, I have zoo med mats and they get up to 135 degrees, just start your thermostat low and work your way up to your optimal temp...

[betoiguanas]

Exactly. Don't pay attention to the crud written on those pads...most of it is seriously outdated.

However, do make sure that whatever heat source you use is no more than 1/3 the length of the tank, as was said. If it fits those dimensions, go ahead and use it.

Mmmh, is 8 x 18, the tank measures 30 long, is more than half, so there's no way I could use it ? Maybe in the colder months ?
Not even with the thermostat?

[dr del]

Hi,

How cold does your room get in the colder months? You might be able to use the larger heating pad to keep the coolside temps up connected to a thermostat (or possibly even via a dimmer to the thermostat controlling the heatmat on the warmer end?)

Does that make sense?

You really don't want too large an amount of the cage being warmed to the hot end temps but 18" of the floor as cool and 12" of warm end sounds about perfect.

But use good quality thermostats if all the floor area has heaters under it as it could be disasterous (and indeed fatal really quickly) if the whole tank was exposed to full blast heatpad temps of possibly 120f.


dr del

[Argentra]

Dr. Del said it. That's the reason you don't want the whole floor of the cage covered by heat sources. If one, or heavens forbid BOTH, goes haywire your snake is toast. When you have an area in the center unaffected by heat, the snake can retreat there to avoid the worst of it.

If you do use that large one in winter, make sure you have a good quality reliable t-stat on it to keep it at the cool side levels. Even though I use ZooMed stats regularly, I would NOT trust one, or any of the cheap stats, to control something like that.