Too large iPower Heater?

[Hungrytree]

Well I had a tiny UTH heater that came with my adopted crabs. So I ordered the largest heater I could fit on the tank, the iPower 8"x18". I have a 10 gallon tank and just realized I should have bought a smaller one, rated for 30 gallons. The one I bought is rated for 50 to 60 gallons and hangs down into about the top inch or two of substrate. Will that bother the crab that is dug in near the back of the tank? I can't see him through the glass but I know he's down there.

I've had it on the back of the tank about an hour and a half and it seems to be okay. I did insulate it with cardboard before I realized it was too powerful.
Temp is 85 so far. How hot is too hot? I'm worried about going to sleep and roasting my crabbies overnight

[aussieJJDude]

Being 'in' (but not actually in) the substrate by a few inches is fine. I had similar on a previous setup, crabs use to love digging in the warm sand in that area. The only issue is the sand may be dryer (or dry) in comparison to the rest of the substrate, but isn't really an issue.

A good idea if it is getting too warm, it to place it on a thermostat. But tbh, being around 75-85 is definitely in the ideal range. What is the room temp currently? But I think as long as it stays under 90F, it should be fine. But for long periods of time, keep it below 86-88F. In a properly set up enclosure, the crabs can dig in the substrate to stay cool.


It's probably wise that you got an 'over sized' heater, since the gallon recommendations are only really for reptiles which the UTH is placed underneath on a small area for hot/cool zones.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[wodesorel]

If you're in the upper Nothern hemisphere, you'll need that extra oomph when winter hits in a few months!

[Hungrytree]

Room temp is 72 currently. I put the thermometer against the heater and it said 95. I had read that they are okay at that temp for a bit. Plus the above sand folks can move forward and dig in the sand and such.
When my daughter wakes up, I’m going to move the heater a bit higher and make sure it’s not covering the sand where Batman is.
I’m really trying to do this well. I hope they are okay.
Honestly it’s giving me slight flashbacks to when my kids were tiny and so dependent


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[curlysister]

I have multiple heaters, two on the back and one on each side. I didn't really plan it that way, I just ended up with that many when I upgraded tanks. I live on the Prairies in Canada, where it can be -40C in winter and +40C in summer, in an old farm house with no air conditioning, and baseboard heat in the upstairs room where the crabs are. So my room temp can fluctuate a LOT. With this many heaters, I can adjust how many are plugged in, according to the tank temp. The other night it went down to 12C, and of course we had windows open to cool down the house at night, so I plugged in a heater and put a blanket on the top of the tank for the night. The next day, the temp was 27C, and the room was warm so I unplugged the heater and took the blanket off. It does mean checking the tank temp a couple times a day, but it works for me, LOL. As I have added sub to make it deeper, one or two of the heaters is 'under' the level of the sub. As Aussie said, the sand does get a bit drier in those areas, I just pour a bit (like quarter cup or less) of water there every now and then.

[Hungrytree]

I have multiple heaters, two on the back and one on each side. I didn't really plan it that way, I just ended up with that many when I upgraded tanks. I live on the Prairies in Canada, where it can be -40C in winter and +40C in summer, in an old farm house with no air conditioning, and baseboard heat in the upstairs room where the crabs are. So my room temp can fluctuate a LOT. With this many heaters, I can adjust how many are plugged in, according to the tank temp. The other night it went down to 12C, and of course we had windows open to cool down the house at night, so I plugged in a heater and put a blanket on the top of the tank for the night. The next day, the temp was 27C, and the room was warm so I unplugged the heater and took the blanket off. It does mean checking the tank temp a couple times a day, but it works for me, LOL. As I have added sub to make it deeper, one or two of the heaters is 'under' the level of the sub. As Aussie said, the sand does get a bit drier in those areas, I just pour a bit (like quarter cup or less) of water there every now and then.

Thank you for your advice. I’ve been doing something similar. I’ve propped it farther away from Batman who’s dug into the sand for a bit. Sam and Paradise are really happy for the warmth and are mainly staying as close to the UTH as they can get. I’m confident they can move away if they need to cool off so I think everything is working out well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk