Anyone know how much if any heat is given out by a uva/b bulb?

jenok · Post by **jenok** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:25 pm

When I got my new tank (isn't set up yet) I also got a uva/uvb bulb the round kind not the long kind. I'm trying to figure out if I need to get another heat source to go with my tank. The way I have my 10g set up it stays around 80 but i'll be using the same set up switching it to the 20g just adding the light.

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Sun May 03, 2015 5:52 am

The kind of bulb your referring to is either an incandescent or a CFL "curly" bulb, if its a basic incandescent it will put off some heat due to the filament used but a CFL bulb is designed to mitigate as much energy loss through heat dissipation as possible so it will be much much cooler in comparison.

jenok · Post by **jenok** » Tue May 05, 2015 4:23 am

I'll have to look at it but i'm pretty sure I avoided the "curly" bulbs since I know they don't give off heat.Better question is for the 20 gal long tank do you think it will raise it a couple degrees or not? If its the regular bulb.Or do you think I would be better off getting one of those other kind of mat heaters that you and one of the other members were talking about last year. I'm drawing a blank as to what they were called though. It wasn't a normal uth from the pet store you had to order it online. If memory serves correctly they were a little cheaper and put off more heat/more efficient than the uth at the pet store.I just found an old email where I was looking at them last year. I guess they're called ultratherm heaters and the Bean Farm is where I was looking at. If so what size do I need?

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Tue May 05, 2015 6:14 am

Any incandescent bulb is going to put off a good bit of heat and the UV variants are no different, a sixty watt bulb will heat a twenty gallon up to well over ninety degrees which could end up cooking your crabs.I would strongly suggest using the Ultra-Therm heat pad, the 6x11 is for ten gallons and under, the 11x11 is for twenty to thirty gallons and the 11x17 is for forty to fifty gallon tanks, this version of pad doesn't come in a large enough size to be usable on tanks over fifty gallons.

jenok · Post by **jenok** » Wed May 06, 2015 6:33 am

I remember seeing 13watt on the box this morning but I forgot to look to see if it was the curly kind.Edit: It is a 13 watt curly kind so I guess i'm just going to have to get one of the ultra therm heaters. So for a 20g long I need an 11x11 right? Crabber I was reading something in an email they sent me saying to use a thermostat with it (I think). Do I need something to turn it on or off to control the temp or just use it like the regular zoo med uth pads? Or would I be better off getting a normal zoo med uth ?

jenok · Post by **jenok** » Sat May 09, 2015 10:45 am

Or any other suggestions would be helpful.

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Sun May 10, 2015 2:30 am

The Ultra Therm pads utilize infrared heat distribution so they tend to heat up faster and warmer than standard coil pads like the Zilla or Zoo-Med and are safer.The only reason you would need to use a thermostat or even a rheostat on one of these units is if you were trying to use it inside a frog habitat where the pads heat output may need to be fine tuned but for our purposes just tapping the pad to the outside of the enclosure and plugging it in will do well enough.I have the smallest one they make on my forty gallon breeder and it puts out a heat cone of ninety degrees for about six inches away from the wall of the tank its mounted on and the pad cools nearly instantly when unplugged and heats up just as fast, its the closest to having an instant on action out of all the types of pads I have used.The reason why their is no adhesive backing on these pads is because the manufacturer meant for them to be easily moved and they laminated the pads to make them water resistant so that they can be used inside vivariums and reptile habitats like heat rocks.This kind and brand of pad is the most versatile and safest one I have found so far.The 11X11 is sufficient for twenty and thirty gallon tanks and on twenties you really shouldn't need another heat source until the winter.