UTH Questions

[TeeRiddle]

Hi all,

I have a couple questions on using an UTH to supplement heat for my pacman frog terrarium. The daytime temps are not quite warm enough IMO so I was thinking about adding a small UTH to the side of the glass terrarium.

I currently have some Zoo Med cork bark backgrounds on the side of the terrarium to give the little guy some added security. Can I add the UTH to the side with the cork bark tile in place, or will I need to remove the tiles? I'd really like to leave them in place but am worried about getting the cork bark too hot. Will the UTH get the glass warm enough to cause any issues with the cork bark? My biggest concern is safety. I don't want to come home from work one day with a burned down home lol

I also have an Exo Terra Monsoon mister that mists water every few hours. I was planning on putting the UTH on the opposite side of the enclosure from the misting head. The mister does spray a little water onto the glass where the planned UTH would be. Could this cause an issue with the glass possibly cracking and such?

One more thing, should I mount the UTH near the top of the terrarium, near the bottom, or at the height of the substrate level?

Just some added info - I currently have a 12x12x12 Exo Terra terrarium and the UTH I was planning on using is a Zoo Med mini which measures 4"x5". I need to raise daytime temps about 2° - 4°F. I know it's not much, but I think that little bit of an increase would really be helpful.

If you have any other suggestions please feel free to share.

Thanks!

[GrifTheGreat]

The cork bark will absorb the heat and probably not raise the temp. You could place another UTH on there. Where is the first UGH? Any UTH used for a Pacman needs to be on the side or back side of the tank. Never on the bottom. On the side of the tank just above the substrate.

[TeeRiddle]

The cork bark will absorb the heat and probably not raise the temp. You could place another UTH on there. Where is the first UGH? Any UTH used for a Pacman needs to be on the side or back side of the tank. Never on the bottom. On the side of the tank just above the substrate.

Hi Grif, thanks for the reply. I'll ditch the cork bark on the side I plan on placing the UTH. I don't currently have a UTH in use at the moment.

Do you think having a UTH on the side opposite of the mister head cause any issues with the glass possibly cracking? I've heard stories that if the warm glass from the UTH is suddenly sprayed or gets wet that it will cause the glass to crack.

Thanks!

[GrifTheGreat]

Hi Grif, thanks for the reply. I'll ditch the cork bark on the side I plan on placing the UTH. I don't currently have a UTH in use at the moment.

Do you think having a UTH on the side opposite of the mister head cause any issues with the glass possibly cracking? I've heard stories that if the warm glass from the UTH is suddenly sprayed or gets wet that it will cause the glass to crack.

Thanks!

The glass shouldn't crack as long as the misting water isn't very cold. See Hot glass+cold water=crack. As long as the misting water is warm or room temp it should be fine. Is the misting head on the same side as the water dish??

[arielgasca420]

Hi Grif, thanks for the reply. I'll ditch the cork bark on the side I plan on placing the UTH. I don't currently have a UTH in use at the moment.

Do you think having a UTH on the side opposite of the mister head cause any issues with the glass possibly cracking? I've heard stories that if the warm glass from the UTH is suddenly sprayed or gets wet that it will cause the glass to crack.

Thanks!

This may be true with bigger heat pads on glass, but yours sounds like a 5-10 gallon UTH. I always make sure the water is room temp before spraying.
If the glass is so hot that you cant touch it without burning yourself than I wouldnt have water sprayed on that side.

[GrifTheGreat]

This may be true with bigger heat pads on glass, but yours sounds like a 5-10 gallon UTH. I always make sure the water is room temp before spraying.
If the glass is so hot that you cant touch it without burning yourself than I wouldnt have water sprayed on that side.

Or that UTH shouldn't be used for frogs at all. If the glass is to hot to touch them the UTH is too powerful for your enclosure.

[TeeRiddle]

The glass shouldn't crack as long as the misting water isn't very cold. See Hot glass+cold water=crack. As long as the misting water is warm or room temp it should be fine. Is the misting head on the same side as the water dish??

Yes, the misting head is on the same side as the water dish and on the opposite side of where the UTH will be. Is that good placement?

[TeeRiddle]

This may be true with bigger heat pads on glass, but yours sounds like a 5-10 gallon UTH. I always make sure the water is room temp before spraying.
If the glass is so hot that you cant touch it without burning yourself than I wouldnt have water sprayed on that side.

Hi arielgasca420! Yes, the UTH I plan on using is a Zoo Med ReptiTherm mini, which measures 4" x 5" in size and is 4 watts. I am pretty sure it wouldn't get that glass warm enough to burn. Just wanted to make sure I didn't crack that glass on the terrarium and wasn't sure how much heat it would take to do that. I feel pretty comfortable with it now after your responses.

Thanks for your time!

[GrifTheGreat]

You should be fine.