Help! Heat down to 72

[grandlinegirl]

Hi,

I've posted before on this but nothing has worked so far

I have a 29 gallon tank with a uth on the back rated for a 50-60 gallon tank. It's insulated with tinfoil on the back and sides. The uth is covered by a sheet of cardboard and then a 1 inch thick sheet of styrofoam that covers almost the entire back. The lid is covered in tinfoil as well. And my heat is still way too low!!

During the day with the light on it gets pretty close to 80 but at night it drops. I just got up and turned the light on and I'm reading 72.

How the heck do I fix this? I really can't afford to go out and buy expensive equipment. Would a heat lamp help? How can I get my heat up? Are my crabs going to die?

[CallaLily]

At this point I think your only option is to add another heat source. A heat lamp should work. What brand UTH do you have? Some of the ones sold in stores are hit or miss. Some seem to work for some crabbers, while others hardly seem to add any heat even when insulated. A very popular brand UTH here is Ultratherm, found online only I believe.

[grandlinegirl]

My only worry with a heat lamp at night is that the tank is right beside my bed and it'll keep me up haha. But I don't want my crabs to die, so...

The brand of uth is Zoomed. That's all they had at the Petstore and it cost me $50. I can't buy another uth AND heat lamp. I just can't afford it. What do you think is my best option? Will they be okay until I get another heat source?

[CallaLily]

A moon glo bulb would bother you less than an infrared. That's what I would go with. Keep the ultratherm brand in mind for when/if you can/want to. What species do you have? PPs should be ok for a short time until you pick up the lamp.

[grandlinegirl]

I have PPs. I'll see if I can pick one up today. Thank you for your help!

[CallaLily]

Your welcome.

[grandlinegirl]

Sorry, another question...

I don't have a mesh lid like most people seem to have. I have an actual fish tank lid insulated with tinfoil. Will a heat lamp melt it? Or, how do I attach it without melting the plastic?

[CallaLily]

If you get a clamp lamp you can clamp it onto something nearby and point it towards the side of the tank.

[CrabbySquirrel]

I have a moon glo heat lamp and I put it into a clamp fixture that I got at Lowes (make sure the lamp fixture is rated at least as high as your bulb....i.e., I have a 60w Zoomed MoonGlo bulb, and the dome lamp fixture is rated at 75w)....I have it clamped to a nearby shelving unit.

I don't have the tank in my bedroom, but if I did, I don't think it would disturb sleep -- it really is a soft, low, glow.....you might want to give it a try! I can link to exact products if it's helpful....

good luck!

[grandlinegirl]

Yeah, if you don't mind! I have a Lowes right near my house. I never thought of checking places like that out. I thought it had to be a special pet one

[moonbeam]

I know you're looking for heat lamp stuff but I just wanted to add for the future! If you decide to get another UTH later, I'd seriously consider an ultratherm. It just seems like you get much better quality for your money. I have 2 zoomeds that I got before my ultratherm. I spent as much on my big zoomed as I did for my ultratherm plus shipping. The zoomed still required that I get a second one to help boost heat plus insulation for both zoomeds. Not to mention that my ultratherm (cheaper than the zoomed) is twice the size of my large zoomed. Just wanted to share my experience! Hope it helps later down the road!


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[MgnB]

Do you cover your lid? I had a 29 and two uths (large and mini). I put plastic wrap and a towel over it. I ordered my uth from petstore.com and it was much cheaper than petco.

[Ryry]

If you just use tinfoil you might want to look at using something additional to help hold in heat. I use tinfoil and cardboard. Just boxes that I had lying around. U can also buy insulation at a Home Depot or lowes.

[CallaLily]

Do you cover your lid?

If you just use tinfoil you might want to look at using something additional to help hold in heat.

The answers to your questions are right in grandlinegirl's first post. Just to help clear things up.

It's insulated with tinfoil on the back and sides. The uth is covered by a sheet of cardboard and then a 1 inch thick sheet of styrofoam that covers almost the entire back. The lid is covered in tinfoil as well.

[Ryry]

Lol then I withdraw my statement!