HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi! I'm getting a 50 gallon tank for my birthday and I was wondering about any good heating pads for my new tank. At the moment I have a 20 gallon which has trouble staying at 83 but my heating pad spans the length of more than half my tank, and is about as tall as it above substrate level. I was just wondering what size to get for a 50 gallon, and which brand would be not too expensive. but also work well. The tank will have fluorescent lights coming with it. The dimensions of the tank are 12.75 L x 48.25 W x 20 H

I have a 50g also, I don't have a uth yet because I live in NorCal and it's pretty warm here year round and have been doing fine with the heat lights. I have been thinking about upgrading to a uth though. I asked around abit and the Ultratherm brand is highly recommended and used by most crabbers here. The cheapest and best places to buy are the bean farm and reptile basics websites as for size I think it's recommended to get one that will cover at most of the back wall of your tank.

The thing about the ultratherm UTHs is that you can safely insulate them, which is what really makes the diference in heating efficiency. (Plus heat lamps can be drying, especially if you don't live in a humid place, so humidity might become a problem with lamps, though some people use them without much issue.)

Just get the largest one that fits the back of your tank.

A standard 50 gal is about 36" long & 19" deep: your best ultratherm bet is likely a 35"×11" (assuming you have about 8-9" sand), and that'll knock you back about $30 'n shipping.

Edit: just looked at your dimensions - you could do the 47×11 for $32. Your tank is about 53 gal, so probably sold as a 55 gallon (because they're typically marketed as being slightly bigger than their actual capacity. )

LadyJinglyJones wrote:The thing about the ultratherm UTHs is that you can safely insulate them, which is what really makes the diference in heating efficiency. (Plus heat lamps can be drying, especially if you don't live in a humid place, so humidity might become a problem with lamps, though some people use them without much issue.)

Just get the largest one that fits the back of your tank.

A standard 50 gal is about 36" long & 19" deep: your best ultratherm bet is likely a 35"×11" (assuming you have about 8-9" sand), and that'll knock you back about $30 'n shipping.

Edit: just looked at your dimensions - you could do the 47×11 for $32. Your tank is about 53 gal, so probably sold as a 55 gallon (because they're typically marketed as being slightly bigger than their actual capacity. )

If the UTH covers most of the back then how do they get a warm side and cooler side? I just upgraded to a 40gal and trying to regulate the heat/humidity.

Edit: Someone else explained it's front to back gradient heat. Duh. Lol