Advice wanted for my cold climate housing setup. Heat pads etc.

[jacobparker]

Hello, I’ve purchased a 50 gal tank for $50 at petco! I’ve made similar enclosures previously on a smaller scale that were successful. Im currently reusing my 4 heat mats that are only 4-8 watts each. they are mounted on the sides and back of the tank. I’ve used heat tape over them and then laid styrofoam. to be clear, no heat pad is in contact with any t enclosure. Just the housing they all share. i have a poly carbonate front with 13 one inch holes for ventilation. My current temp for the enclosure is steady around 70 degrees, but as it gets colder in CT that will drop. (I don’t run my apartment heat high). I’m looking to replace the heat mats with 2 new 16w mats. Any brand recommendations? i want them to be hot, so will a thermostats be necessary and have a high enough range to allow them to heat up well? the mats are positioned so that each side of an individual enclosure is near its own pad. I’m also going to add more styrofoam inside so that there is less air needing to be heated. My t’s: brachypelma smith ex annitha, Veracruz red rump, and 2 caribena versicolors. I’ve had these t’s for around a year and have previously owned 2 versicolors. Any advice or suggestion is appreciated, thank you!

 

[Lentulus]

I think it would be much easier to have one device for heating the space and a thermostat. A small desk heater or even a ceramic heat bulb could do the trick. Im clumsy and lazy; thinking about all those cords would frighten me and shorten my lifespan.

 

[DustyD]

Hi jacobparker,

As a fellow New Englander (Maine) and tarantula keeper( I have seven) I share in your cold weather concerns.

I too have chosen enclosure- based heating. I primarily use a 15 watt heating cable inside the back of the Exo Terra tank, with my acrylic T enclosures about two inches away. A mirror and the foam insert that came with it are behind the cables. There is room for me to adjust the distance a bit too.

Right now, inside the enclosure temperatures by the cables reach 72-82 F and the opposite side 60-73 F, the lower temps being at night. So there is a temp gradient. Quite a big one I hope will be resolved.

I am still assessing temperatures and like you plan to add some foam to the sides. I do have a screen top with LED aquarium lights providing some heat during the day. ( I have usually turned off the cables during the day. I cover part of the screen at night.

I have only owned tarantulas since late spring. With my baseboard heating and windows on one end of my room and the tarantulas in a quieter part on the other end, maintaining good temperatures has been something I have had to work on.

It does not make sense to me to use an area heater, especially as I work mostly overnight. Although, I have not ruled out a small space heater in the future.

There is only one thermostat governing heat for the whole top floor so bumping up the heat a lot is not a viable option. It likely will warm up more once winter gets into full swing.

I will take a picture tomorrow as now the twilight lights have kicked in.

 

[jacobparker]

I think it would be much easier to have one device for heating the space and a thermostat. A small desk heater or even a ceramic heat bulb could do the trick. Im clumsy and lazy; thinking about all those cords would frighten me and shorten my lifespan.

Haha! Yes, I’ll be down to 2 heat pads or as you suggested possibly 1. I’ll have to see how well they work. I’ve added more foam since, raising the enclosures, as well as limiting the air inside needing to heat up. I bought an infrared temp gun and it’s so handy. The area near the ts is much warmer than other air in the enclosure so they are able to self regulate and find their comfortable spots. I realized that the thermometer isn’t a good indicator for this type of housing because of this. Each enclosure within the winter housing has its own local temp in regards to its proximity to the heat pads. While my temp reads 70 degrees, the enclosures all have areas reaching high 70s.

 

[jacobparker]

Hi jacobparker,

As a fellow New Englander (Maine) and tarantula keeper( I have seven) I share in your cold weather concerns.

I too have chosen enclosure- based heating. I primarily use a 15 watt heating cable inside the back of the Exo Terra tank, with my acrylic T enclosures about two inches away. A mirror and the foam insert that came with it are behind the cables. There is room for me to adjust the distance a bit too.

Right now, inside the enclosure temperatures by the cables reach 72-82 F and the opposite side 60-73 F, the lower temps being at night. So there is a temp gradient. Quite a big one I hope will be resolved.

I am still assessing temperatures and like you plan to add some foam to the sides. I do have a screen top with LED aquarium lights providing some heat during the day. ( I have usually turned off the cables during the day. I cover part of the screen at night.

I have only owned tarantulas since late spring. With my baseboard heating and windows on one end of my room and the tarantulas in a quieter part on the other end, maintaining good temperatures has been something I have had to work on.

It does not make sense to me to use an area heater, especially as I work mostly overnight. Although, I have not ruled out a small space heater in the future.

There is only one thermostat governing heat for the whole top floor so bumping up the heat a lot is not a viable option. It likely will warm up more once winter gets into full swing.

I will take a picture tomorrow as now the twilight lights have kicked in.

That’s awesome! I didn’t even know of heating cables. After reading, I’d still use heat mats for my situation, but good to know. Agreed with the area heater. An unnecessary risk and cost. Also, they dry up the enclosure awfully fast. I’ve tried them in the past. this is what happens when you trust one YouTube source vs. checking multiple reputable guys. and yes, no sense in cranking the heat just for the t’s. In my other reply, I’ve explained the temperature situation in my enclosure. If you have the heat cord then it should apply to you as well. The temp inside the enclosure won’t matter nearly as much as the temp around the individual enclosures. It provides them with the gradient and I feel that if I got the housing temp to “optimal temp” then in reality I’m baking the ts a bit considering the actual temp near them is much higher. thank you for your reply, I’d like to see your setup. i still have to finish my cover latch system, but I’ll show ya my current setup. I also need lights! As you can see, simply moving the thermometer has changed the reading nearly 10 degrees. Highly recommend an infrared temp gun

 

[DustyD]

Ok, so here is my latest setup still in progress. It's a 36x18x12 Exo Terra terrarium. All but my two 1+" slings are housed here and it's a little tight. I am using heat cables in the back and there is sufficient room to keep the enclosures 2-4" or more from the cables as needed. I actually have a 24x18x18 PVC cage on order but there is a wait time of 6-8 weeks. Hopefully that will free up space and allow me to experiment more with live plants.

 

[octanejunkie]

70° is fine if you can consistently maintain it. On a warm day it might rise 10° and you'd still be okay.
Keep it simple.

 

[jacobparker]

Ok, so here is my latest setup still in progress. It's a 36x18x12 Exo Terra terrarium. All but my two 1+" slings are housed here and it's a little tight. I am using heat cables in the back and there is sufficient room to keep the enclosures 2-4" or more from the cables as needed. I actually have a 24x18x18 PVC cage on order but there is a wait time of 6-8 weeks. Hopefully that will free up space and allow me to experiment more with live plants.View attachment 61028View attachment 61029

Looks great man. Good to see the effort. Even though I still consider myself a novice, I see a lot of newer people getting into the hobby without being adequately prepared. granted, you will always learn new things as you go along. think there’s a baseline knowledge someone should have before they get their first t’s. Again, good job man.

 

[DustyD]

Thanks. In an ideal situation I would probably not need to do this, but I think everything is situational.

 

[streety]

Hi folks, I live on the east coast of England so have been having the same concerns, was thinking about a small grow tent it would be easy to create a micro climate in as it is insulated and has adjustabie ventilation with cable access, they are pretty cheap and could accommodate shelves

 

[WolfSpider]

I strongly recommend a ceramic heater if you can do it. Heat pass, if not done precisely will cause T hydreation.