Scorpion Heating

[Emp. scorpion]

I have a 10 gal. tank which I was using a 75 watt red heat bulb on for my emperor scorpion, but I just ordered 34 more emperors and it would cost me a fortune to run 15 or so 75 watt bulbs 24/7, so I bought a zoo med 10-20 gal. 8watt U.T.H. and placed it on the side were it barely covers the very top of the substrate, but it is not heating up the tank even though the U.T.H. is very warm to the touch. Does anyone else have this type U.T.H.? Should I place it lower so it covers more of the substrate? I am open to any suggestions. Thanks!

PS: Please reply as soon as possible.

 

[Galapoheros]

34 ! I put some glass and plexiglass rectangles on top of the screen top to hold in some heat. You can also wrap some or most of the screen top with some plastic wrap.

 

[Thiscordia]

Hopefully you meant 3 scorpions not 34 because if its 34 ....I don't think they might fit inside a 20 gal tank.

-.Raul

 

[Thaedion]

... so I bought a zoo med 10-20 gal. 8watt U.T.H. and placed it on the side were it barely covers the very top of the substrate, but it is not heating up the tank even though the U.T.H. is very warm to the touch...

You can try to deflect the lost heat back into the tank. Take a sheet of aluminum foil (longer than the length of the wall) and fold it up like an accordion or fan, slightly unfold it now to create peaks and valleys. Tape this to the walls, on the outside over top of the U.T.H. you can do this to all of the sides you want to direct alot of the lost heat back into the tank. Try this along with "Galapoheros" suggestion:

"I put some glass and plexiglass rectangles on top of the screen top to hold in some heat. You can also wrap some or most of the screen top with some plastic wrap.

I think he really meant 34... He stated he would need 15 or so more heat lamps (34/15=2.2666, equalling 2 to 3 emps per 10 gal) more power to ya.

 

[Emp. scorpion]

Thanks for your suggestion. Does it matter how much of the substrate is covered by the U.T.H. because soil holds in heat better than air? What would happen if I put the U.T.H. on the bottom of the tank so it heats the water and the overall temp. of the tank?
Thanks!
PS: I meant 34, but I am selling 8 right away, so I will only have 26 plus the 1 I had so 27. I am not going to house them all together.

 

[Deolok]

Just one question....Why so many?

 

[Emp. scorpion]

Just one question....Why so many?

Reasons (1) emperors are really facinating (2) cheaper in bulk (3) I want to breed them.

PS: Any other suggestions about the placement of U.T.H.s or another cheap way of heating several tanks. Open to any suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[dazbuzz]

heat tape or heat cable maybe?

 

[Galapoheros]

You can try to deflect the lost heat back into the tank. Take a sheet of aluminum foil (longer than the length of the wall) and fold it up like an accordion or fan, slightly unfold it now to create peaks and valleys. Tape this to the walls, on the outside over top of the U.T.H. you can do this to all of the sides you want to direct alot of the lost heat back into the tank. Try this along with "Galapoheros" suggestion:

I think he really meant 34... He stated he would need 15 or so more heat lamps (34/15=2.2666, equalling 2 to 3 emps per 10 gal) more power to ya.

Yea, I figured he really meant 34. Kind of looks like you meant to grab someone else's quote(?), but, doesn't matter.... You know I've always wondered about the foil and it holding in radiant heat. I can see it reflecting light back to things and those things absorbing heat but what about something like these radiant heat mats. It just makes me wonder. When I was a kid, my mom would wrap a coke in foil to put in my lunch, but I always thought it was just conducting the heat into my coke! I thought it would be better to wrap in in a paper towel or something. If it didn't feel cold on the outside, heat wouldn't be getting to it was what I was thinking. So if the foil on the outside of the tank behind the heat mat is getting warm, seems like it'd mean it's be conducting heat away to the outside instead of it being insulated. Would a less heat conductive material be better like a rag or some kind of insulating foam stuff be better? Yea, what about that spray on foam insulation stuff you can get at hardware stores? That stuff that expands. I've never done that though so, I'm just guessing here:? . Maybe you could spray a little on the mat and spread it around and overlap the edges of the stick-on mat? Like I said, never tried it but I kind of like the idea.... so far. I guess it should be heat resistant since that's what it's made for.

I thought about it a little more. What about a sheet of foil on the outside and then a thin coat of the insulating foam on the outside of the foil? Ha, turning into overkill maybe. Good luck with it.

 

[Thaedion]

...PS: Any other suggestions about the placement of U.T.H.s or another cheap way of heating several tanks. Open to any suggestions...

I would not put the mat under the tank, the emperors burrow by instinct to get away from the heat and if the heat is down there it defeats the purpose. Also if you are using a false bottom tank, and the water dries up and you put in more water on the now hot glass it probably will crack.

As far as heating several tanks cheaply... do you have a spare room or a closet? Just put a space heater in there with a thermostat to regulate the temps. Be mindful that all mechanical items will fail, so have an alternate means of regulating the temps if one fails.

Along the lines of Galapoheros' suggestion you could put that polystyrene board around the tank. I had a gecko I inherited and it's tank had that around it on three sides and the temps were raised by 10 degrees F.

 

[P.jasonius]

The foil should work. It's the same idea as a radiant barrier on roofs of houses; heat is radiant in waves, and the foil acts as a reflector and an insulator.
As far as moving the pad to below the level of the substrate, it is my understanding that this will only reflect more heat away from the tank.

 

[Galapoheros]

I thought about that too. The foil is insulated on one side with foam material, and the foil is situated to the inside of the house, according to my neighbor. My neighbor is building his house by himself! It's two story and brick. He even made his own bricks out of molds and concrete! He almost has it all bricked now. It'd be nuts for me to try something like that. Anyway, he really looked into the "insulation" thing. I still wonder about the foil side on the inside of the house and not the outside... the hot side. Any contractors/construction people here that can explain that?