Heating Mat, what wattage do I need?

[hally3030]

Hi there,
Can anyone tell me if a 5 watt heat mat will give enough heat or too much heat to 1 African Land Snail (baby at the moment) on the side of a tank measuring approx 1.5 feet by 1 foot.
Also can I just monitor heat with thermometer or do I need a thermostat?
Thanks very much for any help!

[Dusk]

What species of snail and how much are you trying to raise the temperature?
You can monitor with a thermometer as long as you keep a close eye on it for the first couple of days

[hally3030]

Hi, thanks for your reply.
I think it's an Achantina Fulica but not 100% sure.
It's just for making sure that it's warm enough in my house and I heard that I should get a mat for when temp drops. Guy at Forttex.com suggested 5watt mat but I wanted a second opinion as this is my first snail.
I'm going to get an analogue thermometer to keep an eye on it at first then see if I need a thermostat.
Thanks!

[Dusk]

It is useful to have a heat mat and a 5w should be okay for a small tank like that, but you will have to keep a close eye on the temperature before and after installing it to make sure it's not over/under heating the tank.

Fulicas are quite hardy and some people keep them without mats at all but it does depend a lot on your location and central heating situation

[hally3030]

Thanks very much for your help & advice Dusk. I shall order the heat mat.

[morningcoffee]

Also, cover the back of the heatmat, or the outside of the tank wall where the heatmat is, with something to help keep the heat in - a layer of polystyrene or reflective insulation would be good. It really helps to make heatmats more efficient and keeps the tank warmer.

[Dusk]

It does, and if it's a plastic tank you might find that drilling holes in the side where the heatmat is allows more heat into the tank. If it's glass, I'd be wary of putting the mat underneath the tank, as it's easy for snails to overheat if they go to sleep on top if it.

[hally3030]

Thanks both, It's a glass tank and so i'll stick it to the out-side of the tank. Think i've got some clean polystyrene under the stairs so i'll go dig it out.

Another query - i'm using peat rich compost/potting soil from B&Q as main substrate. It doesn't say that it has got pesticides or anything in it and snail has been on it once or twice (i've only had him 2 days). Is this ok?
Thanks

[morningcoffee]

Jun 12, 2009 9:01:58 GMT hally3030 said:

Thanks both, It's a glass tank and so i'll stick it to the out-side of the tank. Think i've got some clean polystyrene under the stairs so i'll go dig it out.

Another query - i'm using peat rich compost/potting soil from B&Q as main substrate. It doesn't say that it has got pesticides or anything in it and snail has been on it once or twice (i've only had him 2 days). Is this ok?
Thanks

I would have thought it should be fine, but might be worth sterilising it first to ensure there's no nasty bugs hiding in it. You could freeze it for 24 hours and then let it defrost which should kill anything off.

[goonius]

or dampen it and microwave it

[hally3030]

Thanks all!