Ceramic infa red heater question

[Dreadfrog]

I have a large glass tank I need to find a heat source for .
So my question is .. Do the ceramic infa red heaters heat the top screen or glass up very hot ? Or do they tend to heat the substrate .
I'm mainly asking cause the top of my tank is mostly glass and I don't want it to get really hot . Would a side tank heating pad work better . It's a home made 90 gallon tank 2' x 2' x 3' . The top is mostly glass with a small strip of screen for venting .. Thanks


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[maxQ]

I defiantly recommend a side tank heating pad or UTH, They can get HOT ! I cracked my side glass with one once.

[Dreadfrog]

You cracked your glass with a infa red ceramic heat bulb ?
Damn well that's just what I wanted to know . So that's not for me . Thanks


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[maxQ]

Yes I did, In your situation and set up I def would go with the pad, I do use Red Bulbs as heat also but only with screen tops and with dimmer switches so that it can be regulated.

[NatureLady]

Yep I agree! Those things get way too hot for anywhere near glass. UTH is the best bet

[Louis Charles Bruckner]

Lets make one thing perfectly clear, heat pads or UTH are to be placed on the sides.
and to be controlled by a rheostat or some type of controller.

Even if the enclosure doesn't have burrowing inhabitants.
Because if the glass gets hot even with a UTH and water happens to come in contact
it can shatter the glass or at very least crack it.

The only time I have ever used a UTH under a enclosure is when it is mounted on a ceramic tile
and the tile is placed under the enclosure and not in direct contact with the bottom class
to give a soft indirect heat.

[Heatheranne]

Agreed as well. UTH pads work well on the sides. The ceramic heat bulbs in a dome should only be used over the heavy screen tops. Even an infrared bulb on glass can crack it, especially if you mist the tank with room temp or cooler water. The quick temp change from hot to cold causes the atoms in the glass solid to contract or squeeze together too quickly, causing a break in the glass.

[NatureLady]

Yep agreed as well. The only time a UTH should be used actually under a tank is IF you are housing a herp that requires belly heat to digest food. Since the reason for this heater is to heat the enclosure it should be placed on the sides and should be used with a tempurature control...like Louis Chalres Bruckner said.