heating a plastic tank?

[Sally]

Hi.
Hope someone can help

I have been given a brand new huge plastic indoor guinea pig cage - the kind that is all plastic apart from a door on the top that has bars . ;D

I am curently thinking of moving my slimys into this as they have outgrown their glass tank but my house is quite cold and i have to use heat mats stuck to the outside of the glass tank at present to keep Fred and Eric happy.

How will i heat the new tank if i use it?
Will i need to put the heat mats under the compost?The tank is deep enough for the meats to go inside the tanlk on the inside but maybe that would hurt the snails if they crawled directly onto the heat mats?

Please help!!!!

[Arno]

I have got plastic tanks and the heatmats are on the inside.They never get so hot that it would hurt a snail.You can also use lamps to heat tanks.

see this thread:
petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=habitat&action=display&n=1&thread=4813

[Sally]

would i put the mats under the compost then or attach them to the inside of the tank?

[Arno]

I would put them either on the inside,or on the outside with a piece of polysterene against it(so that its sandwiched between the tank and the polysterene)

[Sally]

:)thats great - thanks.

i am waiting for some cork bark to arrive before i move them ;D

i am so excited for them going into a massive new tank - yes, i know i'm odd.....................!!!!!!!

[sonicsnail]

I would put the heat mat on the outside of the tank. Make sure you put it on the side of the tank and not on the underneath. Heat from the side of the tank is a much more natural heat. Also, if the snail get too hot from the heat mat being underneath the tank, it's natural reaction is to bury itself. However, all it is doing is burning itself towards the heat source, this could kill them. So you can prevent this by putting it on the side of the tank and not on the underneath.

[sonicsnail]

Also, I'm not sure on the polysterene, sandwiching the heat mat to the side of the tank. There has been some talk that the mat could over heat, and cause a fire risk. Maybe by sandwiching it against the tank is causing a fire risk?

[section8angel]

On most heat mats they tell you to put a piece of poly at least 6mm thick on the side of the mat that isn't facing the tank otherwise it wastes a load of heat. And as they don't all get that hot anyway, it helps lol.

Some people put it there when they put the mats underneath the tank too, with it on the side it should be safer as there isn't as much pressure.

The main fire risks I've read about with heat mats is they haven't had the right fuse in their plugs. A program the other week was showing how some place lost their reptile room because of the fuse in the heat mats plug. Poor animals

[sonicsnail]

Oh ok then, if that's what it says to do. I still would put the heat mat on the side of the tank, for the snail's safety.

[section8angel]

Most get sandwiched anyway even without the poly. Underneath ones get squished into what they're sitting on, the side/back ones can get squished into a wall/other object, so I think the poly also protects it so that nothing sharp etc touches the mat as well as helping to not waste heat?

Not sure though. I don't know if they all say about the poly, but all the ones I've seen have.

I'd also put them on the side too, and on the outside.

[Val]

Hey sally, is this what you have got? I have 2 of these and they make great snail tanks. ;D

petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=habitat&action=display&n=1&thread=4809

[Sally]

;D Thats exactly the one!!!!

Have you had any heating issues or problems with the bars at the top?

Do you find plastic tanks hold the heat in better than glass tanks?

[sonicsnail]

sally said:

Do you find plastic tanks hold the heat in better than glass tanks?

Yes, I think plastic tanks hold heat much better...

[Val]

I think overall that plastic probably does stay warmer than glass, but glass is fine also providing that the heatmat is large enough for the tank. With my cage the same as yours I stuck a large heatmat on the inside which went across the bottom section and also the top section so I can't in fact take the top OFF anymore, but the lid is large enough to give good access. I fixed some plastic shading material over the heatmat to act as a 'guard' and I used the same shading material on the inside of the lid to block the large spaces between the bars. Here is a picture of my heatmat 'guard' to give you an idea what I mean. I just stitched it round the edge and then stuck the heatmat with double sided sticky tape. Neat eh?

Val

[apple]

Does the heat mat rise the humidity level inside the tank?
If yes, if we put it outside the tank, it doesn´t make that effect... Spraying the compost is enough?

Thanks

apple

[Arno]

The warmth coming from the heatmat raises the humidity,so whether you put it in- or outside makes no difference.You still need to spray the compost though(as there needs to be water inside the tank for the humidity to rise)

[apple]

Ok, thanks. But what I meant in relation to the spraying, was if, without heat mat to rise the humidity, if spraying is enough.

[Arno]

Yes it is,if you do it regularly.

[apple]

Yes, I do once a day, and the compost is wet.
But maybe I´ll get an hygrometer as well as thermometer.
Thanks.

[Sally]

Val that is fantastic!!!! ;D

I am shopping this weekend for the rest of the new bits for Fred and Erics new tank so i will lokk out for that material to make my own guard.

Thank you so much everyone for your advice and help - i will post piccies soon to show you the new tank!