Heating Multiple Enclosures

[kitty_b]

how do you heat multiple tanks?

i currently have 4 tarantulas in 5.5 gallon aquariums, and the rest are in smaller critter keepers. i placed a 45 watt red heat lamp between two of the tanks to heat the B. laterallis colony on the shelf below, and now my B. smithi and G. pulchra are hugging the walls to enjoy the extra heat.

i want to devise a way to provide a little supplemental heat to my critters without having to buy a heating pad or heating lamp for every cage... obviously i want to do something that doesn't involve directly heating from underneath the enclosures...

 

[Brian S]

Heat the entire room

 

[kitty_b]

that's tough for me to do.... my set-up will be in the living room next month, and my fiance is miserable when it's 70+ inside.

i'm personally cold at 68, but me and the spiders can't justify a huge electric bill

 

[ErikH]

You might be able to box in the shelf, and run a piece of flexwatt on the back behind all of your enclosures. You would definitely need a thermostat though to regulate the temperature of the flexwatt.

 

[ParabuthusKing]

Well I had a very similar problem and have found a solution I found to work very well for me (thanks Lucas). go to the BeanFarm at www.beanfarm.com.... they sell heat tape in strips of of foot increments in 3",4", and 11" widths.. I suggest the 4" which is what I use and has the lowest wattage rating for the amount of surface area it covers..Either you can have an electrician install or do it yourself.. I recommend do it yourself and buy the wire clips they sell in addition to tape..(if you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will try to help you not burn your house down) look at the schematic they have posted as an example, and determine how much tape you will need and how many rows of tape(i.e. different shelves) you want to heat.. then wire the whole thing in parallel, attach to a $4 light dimmer switch and walla.. instant adjustable heating with only ONE extension cord and fairly cheap.. I heat 4x 4 foot shelves on a rack I built for about 50 dollars including shipping for the heat tape and 5 dollars for light dimmer and electrical tape.. works GREAT..good luck:evil:

 

[Windchaser]

that's tough for me to do.... my set-up will be in the living room next month, and my fiance is miserable when it's 70+ inside.

i'm personally cold at 68, but me and the spiders can't justify a huge electric bill

If the high 60's is the lowest your temperatures get then there really is no need to add heat. My house over the winter will dip into the mid 60's at night and generally be no warmer than the low 70's. The average temperature is probably about 68 or 69. I have never provided any additional heat and never experienced any problems.

If you must add heat, you are safest heating the air around the enclosures (either the room or some enclosed cabinet) then heating the enclosure itself with a heating mat.