UTH on the Side of Tank vs. On the Bottom?
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 6:05 am
Good Morning Board Members,
I am new to crabbing and wondering how important the position and placement of the under tank heater is. When the crabs came to me from the previous owner a few weeks ago, they came in a 10 gallon tank with the under tank heater stuck to the bottom. The previous owner also had an additional under tank heater not in use. This was their only heat source before. When I got the crabs I moved them into our old 55-gallon tank. I placed both under tank heaters side by side on the bottom of the 55 gallon when I set it up.
I am now reading a lot about under tank heaters being better placed on the side wall of the tank above the substrate level. When I set the tank up the only heat source I had were these two under tank heaters and they did not sufficiently raise the temperature to where it needed to be. I set up a space heater on the countertop beside the tank pointed at the same end of the tank where the under tank heaters are. This is just a temporary solution to raising the temperature as I wait for the new infrared bulb and fixture that i ordered online to come in the mail.
With some adjustment to the thermostat, the space heater has brought the temperature to the normal range that it needs to be at for now. I'm wondering about other people's opinions on having the under tank heater placed on the side wall above the substrate, versus on the bottom of the tank. I am assuming that as long as I can get the temperature to the right level it doesn't really matter.
Once my infrared heat bulb and fixture comes in the mail and I am able to set that up, if I am not able to reach the right temperature and I'm forced to move the under tank heaters to the side wall of the tank, (above the substrate level), my question is this: is it safe to use the backdrop that I have taped to the back of the tank? The back drop im talking about here is just a scene, the full size of the back of the tank. I purchased at a petstore and taped it to the tank when we had goldfish in it.
If so, would I place the under tank heaters between the backdrop and the glass, or on top of the backdrop so that they would not be visible through the glass, if that makes sense.
Unrelated to the topic title, but still in the realm of heating, I have another question. For the top of our tank my husband cut panels of plexiglass. Four panels in all, two on each side which cover the entire top of the 55 gallon tank.
I am assuming that the new infrared heat bulb and fixture placed directly on top of the tank will probably melt the plexiglass panels. My husband is a welder/metal fabricator and has made a metal panel for me with a screen circle in the middle of it, about a quarter inch larger than the fixture all the way around. (Expecting bulb and fixture in the mail any day now, i have not actually set this up yet).
I am new to this board and not entirely sure how to post a picture of the metal panel described above, which my husband has fabricated for me. The metal that he used is food grade and he says it will not rust. I'm wondering if using this metal panel will cause any harm to the crabs or their environment? The other three plexiglass panels will remain with only one section being this new metal panel with the screen circle in it. I am assuming it wont matter since the crabs will not be coming into contact with the actual metal panel that the light will sit on. I hope that that makes sense and doesn't sound like a dumb question.
Thank you in advance for your advice.
Take Care,
CrabbyMommy2017
I am new to crabbing and wondering how important the position and placement of the under tank heater is. When the crabs came to me from the previous owner a few weeks ago, they came in a 10 gallon tank with the under tank heater stuck to the bottom. The previous owner also had an additional under tank heater not in use. This was their only heat source before. When I got the crabs I moved them into our old 55-gallon tank. I placed both under tank heaters side by side on the bottom of the 55 gallon when I set it up.
I am now reading a lot about under tank heaters being better placed on the side wall of the tank above the substrate level. When I set the tank up the only heat source I had were these two under tank heaters and they did not sufficiently raise the temperature to where it needed to be. I set up a space heater on the countertop beside the tank pointed at the same end of the tank where the under tank heaters are. This is just a temporary solution to raising the temperature as I wait for the new infrared bulb and fixture that i ordered online to come in the mail.
With some adjustment to the thermostat, the space heater has brought the temperature to the normal range that it needs to be at for now. I'm wondering about other people's opinions on having the under tank heater placed on the side wall above the substrate, versus on the bottom of the tank. I am assuming that as long as I can get the temperature to the right level it doesn't really matter.
Once my infrared heat bulb and fixture comes in the mail and I am able to set that up, if I am not able to reach the right temperature and I'm forced to move the under tank heaters to the side wall of the tank, (above the substrate level), my question is this: is it safe to use the backdrop that I have taped to the back of the tank? The back drop im talking about here is just a scene, the full size of the back of the tank. I purchased at a petstore and taped it to the tank when we had goldfish in it.
If so, would I place the under tank heaters between the backdrop and the glass, or on top of the backdrop so that they would not be visible through the glass, if that makes sense.
Unrelated to the topic title, but still in the realm of heating, I have another question. For the top of our tank my husband cut panels of plexiglass. Four panels in all, two on each side which cover the entire top of the 55 gallon tank.
I am assuming that the new infrared heat bulb and fixture placed directly on top of the tank will probably melt the plexiglass panels. My husband is a welder/metal fabricator and has made a metal panel for me with a screen circle in the middle of it, about a quarter inch larger than the fixture all the way around. (Expecting bulb and fixture in the mail any day now, i have not actually set this up yet).
I am new to this board and not entirely sure how to post a picture of the metal panel described above, which my husband has fabricated for me. The metal that he used is food grade and he says it will not rust. I'm wondering if using this metal panel will cause any harm to the crabs or their environment? The other three plexiglass panels will remain with only one section being this new metal panel with the screen circle in it. I am assuming it wont matter since the crabs will not be coming into contact with the actual metal panel that the light will sit on. I hope that that makes sense and doesn't sound like a dumb question.
Thank you in advance for your advice.
Take Care,
CrabbyMommy2017