Heating substrate question

[bshmerlie]

I am heating my Stolzmanni's tank with side mounted heating pads and the I am keeping the tank around 80-82 degrees pretty consistently. But when you poke a finger into the soil in is noticibly cooler. Everyone says not to put heatmats under the tank because they bury themselves and could get burned but what do you do to heat the soil? I have the tank sitting on the carpet in my room so it is not just sitting on a cold surface. Any suggestions?

[Kevin1]

These frogs usually bury to escape the heat.

[bshmerlie]

What temp is your soil at?

[Kevin1]

Right now it's between 65 and 72

[PeteS]

I installed a liner in the bottom under the substrate to prevent any burning of the pacman and I have a reostat to control the heat of the pad that is installed under the tank. This creates a gradient of temperature in the soil that the pacman can move closer or farther away from depending on his or her preference. My pad is at one end of the tank. He moves back and forth depending on his mood.

[jelkins]

I was hesitant to use under-tank heat-mats for a period due to the issues you mention...However, I think they are a good option for providing heat for this species of frog. I've been using them with no issue for quite some time now. As long as the tank is large enough to provide a gradient the frogs will move accordingly for their temperature needs.