Heat mats are used to maintain a constant temperature throughout your vivarium.
How to install heat mat in vivarium.
They re a good way to provide gentle warmth and they heat the floor of your vivarium much like the sun would heat the ground in your reptile s natural environment.
The problem with heat mats.
Place the heat mat on the bottom of your vivarium on either the left or right side.
While these are a safe low cost and generally effective way of providing artificial heat they re not without their weaknesses.
This will be the warm side.
This is called a heat mat and is one part of the heating system for this tank.
The heat mat if you look at the floor of the vivarium you will see a black coloured mat.
Undertank heat mats are low wattage heat mats that can be used under the tank as well as on the side of the tank.
Undertank heat mats.
Heat pads are typically applied on the bottom or side of the vivarium.
The ones shown here from zoo med have an adhesive backing and are applied right to the glass of the tank.
Helpful if you own reptiles.
Place your substrate on top of the.
If used under the tank the tank must be raised on the rubber feet provided or some other arrangement.
Connect the heat mat power cable to the heater socket on the thermostat.
When used on the bottom they are more effective raising the overall temperature of the vivarium as they will heat any water standing in the false bottom drainage layer.
The main problem being that they only produce a gentle warmth.
The heat mat should ideally cover one third of the floor space but as this vivarium is quite small and will be situated in a hot area we are covering a quarter of the floor.
Basic diagram instructions for leopard gecko heating setup.
Ever wondered how to install a heat mat if you use a vivarium.
In a plastic glass vivarium heat mats should go outside the cage and the heat will be emiited through the vivarium walls.
When applied to the side heat pads can be an effective way of creating a horizontal heat gradient.
If placed inside the vivarium under some sand or substrate your animal.