HCA: Hermit Crab Association

As I live in Florida currently, weather is usually warm. During the spring and summer I have no issue keeping my 20 gallon long at 80-84 degrees Fahrenheit. Every year when winter comes temperatures in the tank end up at 70 degrees I know that this is too low. With my heating lamp I can turn it on and off a few times during the day to get my tank at a steady 74ish. I have ordered a 6x11 ultra therm heating mat which I will place on the side of the tank. I am wondering if there are any other measures I can take? Also where should I place the mat should I place it on one of the shorter sides of the rectangle tank or half of a long side on the back? If there are other products that could help please let me know money is not a problem. I will be upgrading to a 40 gallon breeder before summer so I'd like to be able to automate my tank heating more. Humidity stays for me around 85% is this too high?

Place the mat on the back.
6x11 might be a bit too small though, needs to cover as much of the back above the sub as possible. I have an 11x23 on my 20H.

85% humidity is fine.

I have a new 20 gallon tank and was wondering what brand of heater you have for yours that is 11x24 inches. How warm is it in your tank. I currently am using a heating pad and it keeps a 10 gallon at 83 degrees but only 79-80 in the 20. Want to get a good heater but don't want to break the bank. Thanks

For a 20 gallon tank you'd need one big 40-60 gallon UTH that covered the entire back so it was heated evenly. The reason being that UTH are designed to create one small hot spot for basking reptiles, who control their temperature by moving off to a cool area of the tank when they get too warm. We're sort of using UTHs off-label to heat the entire tank, so it takes a lot more power, especially if the room is cooler or there's a draft.

Ultratherms by far are the highest rated UTH out there but can only be ordered online. Even with shipping, it's almost exactly the same as a pad or a heat light set up from a pet store, and there's no need to keep buying replacement bulbs over time. I personally like Flukers' pads - they cost about the same but can be found in some pet shops. The jumbo size should be a good fit for a 20 . Both of these brands can be safely insulated if more heat is required.


That's response is from Wode in another post

That should hopefully help with heating

Crabymom wrote:I have a new 20 gallon tank and was wondering what brand of heater you have for yours that is 11x24 inches. How warm is it in your tank. I currently am using a heating pad and it keeps a 10 gallon at 83 degrees but only 79-80 in the 20. Want to get a good heater but don't want to break the bank. Thanks

Heres my exact one:
http://beanfarm.com/product_info.php?cP ... ts_id=5580

My room is usually at 65ish during the winter, and this gets it up to 80* on the front (therefore far) side of the tank.

I didnt bother insulating it. I have the back of the tank pushed up against the wall which helps.