Can you heat a tank through substrate?

[VickiG]

Hi all, I really want to put my snake into an a bio enclosure but she’s currently in a 30x30x30 with a 7w heat mat. Is it possible to heat the closure without a che or buying the overhead heating?

Can I use the mat under a tile (I’m assuming they’re not water proof tho?) or will it heat through a substrate layer under the glass sufficiently enough?

I do have a che but I think the enclosure is too small and its glass.

 

[dragonlover1]

Hi all, I really want to put my snake into an a bio enclosure but she’s currently in a 30x30x30 with a 7w heat mat. Is it possible to heat the closure without a che or buying the overhead heating?

Can I use the mat under a tile (I’m assuming they’re not water proof tho?) or will it heat through a substrate layer under the glass sufficiently enough?

I do have a che but I think the enclosure is too small and its glass.

if you go bio you cannot heat with a mat, it must be overhead

 

[VickiG]

if you go bio you cannot heat with a mat, it must be overhead

Thank you. Is there a way people use them inside the enclosure and keep them away from water?
I just realised she’s almost 8 months old, is a 30x30 floor space too small?

 

[Mack86]

A quick google search gave me this info. Now I know not everything on the internet is reliable but this makes complete and perfect sense to me. Not to mention, with a bio set up I would assume you will need over head lighting anyway to help with plant growth and maintenance?

Sounds very complex if I'm honest, but if you've got a strong plant/ soil/ substrate knowledge and a strong knowledge of the needs of your reptile then by all means to ahead!

Have a read




Heat mats aren’t very compatible with bioactive or naturalistic setups.

Heat mats are traditionally mounted to the underside or bottom of an enclosure to provide heat from below. This is an effective way to create a warm basking surface…until you have several inches of soil or other substrates on top of that heat mat. Even with a thermostat probe placed on top of the substrate, chances are that your heat mat simply won’t be able to produce enough heat to get through all of that substrate for your reptile to benefit from it. The result? A hot heat mat and a cold reptile.

Plus, if your terrarium is planted with live plants, the heated soil can potentially damage or even kill your plants’ roots! It can be hard enough to keep plants alive and thriving in a reptile terrarium — why make it harder for yourself?

(As a side note, the strain of trying to heat through all that substrate can lead to scorching of the surface underneath your heat mat, whether it’s wood or plastic. In extreme cases, it may even cause a fire!)

 

[VickiG]

A quick google search gave me this info. Now I know not everything on the internet is reliable but this makes complete and perfect sense to me. Not to mention, with a bio set up I would assume you will need over head lighting anyway to help with plant growth and maintenance?

Sounds very complex if I'm honest, but if you've got a strong plant/ soil/ substrate knowledge and a strong knowledge of the needs of your reptile then by all means to ahead!

Have a read




Heat mats aren’t very compatible with bioactive or naturalistic setups.

Heat mats are traditionally mounted to the underside or bottom of an enclosure to provide heat from below. This is an effective way to create a warm basking surface…until you have several inches of soil or other substrates on top of that heat mat. Even with a thermostat probe placed on top of the substrate, chances are that your heat mat simply won’t be able to produce enough heat to get through all of that substrate for your reptile to benefit from it. The result? A hot heat mat and a cold reptile.

Plus, if your terrarium is planted with live plants, the heated soil can potentially damage or even kill your plants’ roots! It can be hard enough to keep plants alive and thriving in a reptile terrarium — why make it harder for yourself?

(As a side note, the strain of trying to heat through all that substrate can lead to scorching of the surface underneath your heat mat, whether it’s wood or plastic. In extreme cases, it may even cause a fire!)

Thank you, that makes sense. I’ll just wait until I can get her a bigger enclosure.

 

[dragonlover1]

I have 1 of those 30x30 and use it for small hatchy dragons. It is way too small for a snake, I don't know what species yours is but at 8MO it can't be too small now.
My son has a bio for his brown tree snakes, the substrate is 15cm so half your enclosure is gone already and as Mack86 said the heat wont penetrate