New to Crabbing and what size UTH?

[Cakes]

Hi guys! I'm new to the forum so I'm not too sure whether this is the right place to post or not but here it is. I am a student who lives in Australia (Melbourne) and just recently bought a 61cm x 31cm x 38cm (LxWxH) tank, which is around 72 Litres, or around 19 gallons. Just wondering what size UTH heater I should get for the back of my tank, assuming the substrate would be around 15cm. My house gets pretty cold in winter. It's summer right now and my room is around 21 degrees celsius on a cloudy day. Couldn't find good UTH heaters in stores so I'm thinking of sourcing them from eBay. Here are the dimensions of the ones I'm currently looking into: 25W(42X22cm), or 35W(55cmx25cm). The 35W would cover almost the whole back of the aquarium but would go below the substrate for about 3-4cm assuming the substrate is 15cm. Also not sure as to how hot the 35W would make the tank (overheat?). The 25W would exactly end where the top of the substrate would be, but leave around 18cm of space horizontally (possibly +2cm since I'm not sure as to how I'm going to attach it to the back of tank since there is a black plastic bit on the end of the UTH which makes it not sit flush with the aquarium wall). Do I place the UTH so that the plastic bit hangs out to the side so that the mat itself sits flush with the aquarium? Also, do I tape the UTH onto the tank? (Taping it would mean the 35W would go into the substrate even further since space is needed for the tape). Also, the aquarium came with a glass lid but has 2 edges cut off of it to make it easier to take off and on. The holes are roughly 5cm x5cm (triangle-shaped hole). There is also a 5mm gap between the glass cover and the tank at the front and rear of the aquarium. One last question, how many crabs should I get? All the shops I have looked at mostly only have small crabs.

[crabbycasey]

I’ve read where someone wrote to get the biggest one that will fit the tank properly as they only give off so much heat...but not to where it would end up below the substrate line.This was true for me as well and then I even ended up adding a small one on one of the sides of my tank too bc the big one didn’t quite get me to the desired temp.

There is a guide on here (in the care sheets I believe) about how many crabs, based on their size, for each tank size. I would use that to determine how many crabs to get...and remember that they will need more space as they grow. Unless you know you’ll upgrade your tank, I personally would get fewer than what it says to allow room for them to grow with plenty of space!

I’m not one of the experts on here, but I’ve learned everything I know from them, lol! Welcome to the HCA and be sure to check out all of their Care Sheets so you can make sure your new little crab family will have everything they need to thrive...especially if they are coming from a pet store! There are often adoptions through this forum too and that’s always a great way to go!

Have fun with it!


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[Cakes]

I’ve read where someone wrote to get the biggest one that will fit the tank properly as they only give off so much heat...but not to where it would end up below the substrate line.This was true for me as well and then I even ended up adding a small one on one of the sides of my tank too bc the big one didn’t quite get me to the desired temp.

There is a guide on here (in the care sheets I believe) about how many crabs, based on their size, for each tank size. I would use that to determine how many crabs to get...and remember that they will need more space as they grow. Unless you know you’ll upgrade your tank, I personally would get fewer than what it says to allow room for them to grow with plenty of space!

I’m not one of the experts on here, but I’ve learned everything I know from them, lol! Welcome to the HCA and be sure to check out all of their Care Sheets so you can make sure your new little crab family will have everything they need to thrive...especially if they are coming from a pet store! There are often adoptions through this forum too and that’s always a great way to go!

Have fun with it!


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Thanks for the info! Will get the smaller one that ends just above the substrate and add another one if necessary

[crabbycasey]

No problem! Hopefully someone else adds to the parts I missed, haha.


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[CrabbyLover77]

The mat usually sits flush with the aquarium, at least the Ultratherm mats do. If there is no adhesive, you will need to tape the uth to the tank using duct tape. Also, if the uth isn't insulated, you'll want to insulate it so it doesn't have to work as hard. You can use cardboard, wrap it in aluminum foil, shiny side out, and then tape that to the uth. I skipped the cardboard and just taped aluminum foil to the outside. But my house stays pretty warm all year, 22-23°C. If your uth has padding, you can't insulate over it, but you can insulate around it. If the uth has adhesive, you can't remove and restick it (the little wires in it can break when being removed and be a fire hazard).
The main goal is to heat the air, so that's why it's recommended to keep the uth above the substrate line. If your house gets really cold, it's ok if the mat goes below the substrate level. It may dry your sand out a little more though. As long as you never put the mat under the tank, only on the back or sides, you should be good to go.

Hope I didn't ramble too much. Happy Crabbing!

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92541

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=119297&hilit=Fleab ... e#p1072369

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[Cakes]

The mat usually sits flush with the aquarium, at least the Ultratherm mats do. If there is no adhesive, you will need to tape the uth to the tank using duct tape. Also, if the uth isn't insulated, you'll want to insulate it so it doesn't have to work as hard. You can use cardboard, wrap it in aluminum foil, shiny side out, and then tape that to the uth. I skipped the cardboard and just taped aluminum foil to the outside. But my house stays pretty warm all year, 22-23°C. If your uth has padding, you can't insulate over it, but you can insulate around it. If the uth has adhesive, you can't remove and restick it (the little wires in it can break when being removed and be a fire hazard).
The main goal is to heat the air, so that's why it's recommended to keep the uth above the substrate line. If your house gets really cold, it's ok if the mat goes below the substrate level. It may dry your sand out a little more though. As long as you never put the mat under the tank, only on the back or sides, you should be good to go.

Hope I didn't ramble too much. Happy Crabbing!

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92541

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=119297&hilit=Fleab ... e#p1072369

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Thanks for your in-depth reply, I also found the links really helpful Here's one I found on ebay and was wondering if it would be ok.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/27454139110 ... 4541391102

[CrabbyLover77]

Thanks for your in-depth reply, I also found the links really helpful Here's one I found on ebay and was wondering if it would be ok.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/27454139110 ... 4541391102

No prob.
That mat looks pretty good to me. It actually looks similar to an Ultratherm. I see it also has a dimmer switch too which is neat. I'd still grab a thermostat too though to regulate the temperature. It will make sure the uth doesn't overheat.

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[Cakes]

No prob.
That mat looks pretty good to me. It actually looks similar to an Ultratherm. I see it also has a dimmer switch too which is neat. I'd still grab a thermostat too though to regulate the temperature. It will make sure the uth doesn't overheat.

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Cheers, I'll get the 25W for now and I'll go from there. It's summer here in Australia so I should be good for now in terms of heat. I'll monitor the temps at night to make sure it doesn't get too low

[CrabbyLover77]

Cheers, I'll get the 25W for now and I'll go from there. It's summer here in Australia so I should be good for now in terms of heat. I'll monitor the temps at night to make sure it doesn't get too low

Sounds like a plan

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