Undertank heating

[Helium_Junkie]

http/www.faunology.co.uk/shop/customer/home.php?cat=260

Would these be suitable for a small fish tank? Say, for Betta's?

 

[Aquascaper]

I don't see why not. Are they internal? If not i'm not sure how effective they would be, or how energy efficient

 

[Helium_Junkie]

Hmm, hadnt considered that! Will try and find out.

 

[MAM]

these are made for lizard tanks basically. the point of them is to be located on one side of the tank to create a warm area allowing the other half of the tank to be a cool area. lizards need the heat to help them regulate body temp. that being said, i don't see these working on fish tanks as they heat up an area.....but with all the substrate, you may not notice it working. also, even if it did work, you'd have to be careful of bottom dwellers getting too hot. just go with a nice small heater, they CAN be found. and if its just for you betta, as long as room temp doesn't get to low, you really don't need a heater for a betta......

 

[appleblossom]

I use one of these heat mats for my betta bowl and it does the job perfectly. Its only 14 watts so i leave it on 24/7 with no thermostat and it keeps the water just right. (about 25-26'c) It works using infra red heat so it conducts heat, but doesnt radiate it. (in other word heat gets passed through glass, gravel, water etc but it doesnt heat the air where the mat is exposed around the bowl)

I have found it to be an ideal solution to cold nights in my house and my betta, and adfs are very happy in there

 

[rollntider]

, or how energy efficient

Electricity heaters are 100% efficient.
Formula to calculate how efficient your heaters are Watts x 3.412 = Btu per hour

 

[Aquascaper]

, or how energy efficient

Electricity heaters are 100% efficient.
Formula to calculate how efficient your heaters are Watts x 3.412 = Btu per hour

I think you'll find that the comment i made was in regards to the heater being under the bottom glass. I don't see how efficient a heater can be if it is heating the glass and substrate before it's even started heating the water (see definition a.).



BTW: Dictionary definition of Efficient

Acting directly to produce an effect: an efficient cause.

a. Acting or producing effectively with a minimum of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort.

b. Exhibiting a high ratio of output to input.

 

[Helium_Junkie]

I use one of these heat mats for my betta bowl and it does the job perfectly. Its only 14 watts so i leave it on 24/7 with no thermostat and it keeps the water just right. (about 25-26'c) It works using infra red heat so it conducts heat, but doesnt radiate it. (in other word heat gets passed through glass, gravel, water etc but it doesnt heat the air where the mat is exposed around the bowl)

I have found it to be an ideal solution to cold nights in my house and my betta, and adfs are very happy in there

Fantastic! Thanks!!!

 

[Fish Buddy]

Ok this might not all make sense but let me try:
I was thinking of placing a hagen heat mat to the bottom of my 20 gallon aquarium. This, I was hopeing, would replace my normal aquarium heater and also prevent stagnation in the sand. The reason why I haven't yet is because I am worried about frying my plant roots (unsure if it is an unessicary worry- need to do more research). The temperature would be controlled by my 'heat regulater', a probe that senses heat and transmits that to the dial unit which is plugged into the heat mat.
Other reasons why I haven't set it up yet is because once the mat is on the tank, it's on (unless I can find another way to stick it) and the probe is not suppose to get wet (maybe I can put a plastic bag around it?) Anyway, happy research with your idea.

 

[Helium_Junkie]

Wonder if the heatmats are waterproof.........

 

[Fish Buddy]

The heat mats stick on the outside of the tank-not in the water