UTH on the side of tank...

[EasternGirl]

I have some UTH mats that I bought for my tanks and now that I have had to rearrange everyone and move one snake into another tank...well...space is tight to say the least. So...the places that I have to set the tanks at this point are limited...two of the tanks are on top of furniture that does not allow for me to put the mats under the tanks. I noticed that the Zoo Med instructions said to put the mat on the side of the tank in this type of situation...and I just saw a pic that Richard posted with a mat on the side of the tank. So I'm assuming that it is safe to do this? Sometimes the snakes lie on the side of the tank against the glass so I was worried that they might get burned. What about for the baby albino? Would it be safe for him? Thanks for any advice on this!

[infernalis]

I have personally never tried it.

[Stefan-A]

It works, but it's a small area that it heats.

[d_virginiana]

I have my frog's heat mat on the side. Don't worry about it burning the snake, but like Stefan said it won't make the overall tank much warmer, just the one spot.

[EasternGirl]

Well...this may be a dumb question then...but what exactly is the point of it then? I mean...will it make the left side of the tank area warmer?

[chris-uk]

It's more appropriate for climbing species, or animals that spend time in trees (like frogs). It will make the left side warmer but won't radiate across as far as a third of the tank that is ideal, whereas if you have the right size mat it would cover around a third of the bottom of the tank.
I'm assuming that your tanks don't have feet that raise them of the surface? What is it that is stopping you attach the mat under the tanks? Let us know and we can help come up with a solution. :)

[EasternGirl]

Thanks Chris...okay, well basically the tanks are sitting on top of towels on top of antique furniture. One tank is on top of a piano, and one tank is on top of a roll-top desk. The little feet that came with the mats do not raise the tanks up enough on the towels and I have to have the towels to protect the furniture...everything in this house is antique so there isn't really anywhere else to put the tanks right now.

[snakehill]

Maybe it's time to get a tank stand! :p

[EasternGirl]

I wish I could afford one...especially with Christmas and being unemployed and in school I am trying to do the best with what I have right now. The whole "Selena is male" threw me as I had to provide another tank and more space. I did talk to Steve and am going to go to Home Depot soon and look at plastic storage shelves...the super sturdy kind that you use in the garage to store heavy things...to possibly use as a unit to store at least two tanks on...they are relatively cheap. But until I get that set up...I was trying to get the mats on for the cold nights.

[chris-uk]

Could you raise the tanks up a bit more using a couple of batons of wood/MDF/chipboard etc? something that my dad would describe as "four by two" would be ideal as it's four inches wide and would raise your tanks up two inches. You just need a couple of strips the depth of the tank, I'd go with a strip each end and one in the middle. Our vivs only have about 5mm clearance under them so you should get away with something like 5 or 8mm MDF to raise them up. One of our vivs is on a chest of drawers (not antique though) so I have a layer of packing insulation under that one. If you need more clearance you could just use two layers of wood.

[EasternGirl]

That is exactly what I was thinking. I think I will make a trip to the hardware store in the next couple of days...I will either go ahead and get the shelves and try putting the tanks on those or I will get the wood and boost the tanks up with the wood. Thanks!

[snakehill]

Wow the shelves are cheap! Saw them online for $26.87! May have to get one myself!!

[EasternGirl]

Right? Steve says they work well to hold tanks. I figure I can make a nice set-up for at least two of my tanks.