Post by Sach-Crabministrator on Sept 19, 2011 12:15:49 GMT -5
Okay, so here are some tips on helping to heat and/or insulate your tank for cold weather or just to help year round.
Something you can do when first setting up a tank (or with a smaller tank) is to tape cardboard, styrofoam or sheet plastic to the bottom of the tank, covering the back of the tank, and on the ends. When winter comes, I also tape cardboard on the front just as high as the substrate goes. It doesn't look pretty, but it helps & you could always color or add contac paper, wallpaper, tissue paper or pretty pictures if you don't want to look at cardboard all winter. *You can cut apart old boxes, no need to go buy cardboard.
For this same purpose, you can also use insulating foam board, styrofoam or even bubble wrap or padded mailing envelopes.
If your tank is in front of a window, you will want to insulate your tank against the cold air transferred through the glass. You can put cardboard,plastic, blankets, towels, an old sweater, etc between your tank & the window. This also helps even when the tank is near a wall. *Check your manufacturer's information as to whether your heat pad is safe to be insulated.
Depending on what kind of lid you have, you can also put any of these things on your lid. I will lay cardboard or styrofoam on my lids as needed instead of taping it. Obviously blankets and towels will work too; either laid on top, draped over it or even wrapped around the tank. *Never drape anything on, over or near light/heat fixtures.
Now for heat. Obviously things like heaters (called UTHs or Under Tank Heaters) are ideal (these should never be placed under for hermit crabs, but on the end or back instead). But in a pinch, you can use a regular lamp or a clamp lamp & you can use a regular light bulb. You can use natural sunlight (having the tank near a window), but you have to be careful doing this not only because of the magnifying effect of glass, but you don't wanna bake your crabs. I have also found that putting a mirror behind your tank can help reflect both heat & light into the tank instead of letting it escape through the back & it also gives you a view of your crabs you may not normally get.
In a pinch, you can use a hot water bottle, wrapped in a towel & placed in the tank.
Whatever your heat source, the better your lid is & less it's open, the more heat you will keep in.
I hope these ideas help
*Revised 4/10/12
Something you can do when first setting up a tank (or with a smaller tank) is to tape cardboard, styrofoam or sheet plastic to the bottom of the tank, covering the back of the tank, and on the ends. When winter comes, I also tape cardboard on the front just as high as the substrate goes. It doesn't look pretty, but it helps & you could always color or add contac paper, wallpaper, tissue paper or pretty pictures if you don't want to look at cardboard all winter. *You can cut apart old boxes, no need to go buy cardboard.
For this same purpose, you can also use insulating foam board, styrofoam or even bubble wrap or padded mailing envelopes.
If your tank is in front of a window, you will want to insulate your tank against the cold air transferred through the glass. You can put cardboard,plastic, blankets, towels, an old sweater, etc between your tank & the window. This also helps even when the tank is near a wall. *Check your manufacturer's information as to whether your heat pad is safe to be insulated.
Depending on what kind of lid you have, you can also put any of these things on your lid. I will lay cardboard or styrofoam on my lids as needed instead of taping it. Obviously blankets and towels will work too; either laid on top, draped over it or even wrapped around the tank. *Never drape anything on, over or near light/heat fixtures.
Now for heat. Obviously things like heaters (called UTHs or Under Tank Heaters) are ideal (these should never be placed under for hermit crabs, but on the end or back instead). But in a pinch, you can use a regular lamp or a clamp lamp & you can use a regular light bulb. You can use natural sunlight (having the tank near a window), but you have to be careful doing this not only because of the magnifying effect of glass, but you don't wanna bake your crabs. I have also found that putting a mirror behind your tank can help reflect both heat & light into the tank instead of letting it escape through the back & it also gives you a view of your crabs you may not normally get.
In a pinch, you can use a hot water bottle, wrapped in a towel & placed in the tank.
Whatever your heat source, the better your lid is & less it's open, the more heat you will keep in.
I hope these ideas help
*Revised 4/10/12