# heating my tewrrarium???



## reptilemadmart33 (Mar 15, 2012)

Hiya all!!!! Im about to get myself some dart frogs and have read in care sheets that a submersible aquarium heater can be used to heat up my terrarium??? Is that true????? I have 25.2 litres (5.5 gallons) of water underneath a false floor in my terrarium so im wondering if I can use an aquarium heater, what temprature I should set it at in order to heat up the floor of my terrarium???? If anyone can help I would be extremely grateful!!!

Many thanks guys

Martin Dean


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

I mean it all depends on what kind of dart you are getting, and the heating requirements it needs. Lets say whatever dart you are getting likes the temp to be low 80s, i would start off putting the temp at whatever the frog needs and monitor the temperature of various parts of the tank to see if you need to adjust the temp. If the temperature is too low, you obviously would have to increase the temp on the heater. If the temp stays constant at the temp you need, then that is what temperature you should keep it at. Another thing to think of would be what if your tank runs low on water? Most aquarium heaters will burn out unless kept fully submersed. I would personally just get an under the tank heater because it is probably around the same price and will be much more effective and you wont have to worry about water levels or the heater not having enough power.
Hope this helps,
Sean

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## reptilemadmart33 (Mar 15, 2012)

Hiya Ill be getting some Epipedobates anthonyi dart frogs and Ill check each day as to keeping the water level high enougth!!! The question I need to know is will a aquarium heater warm the terrarium up??? Plus the water ill be warming up is connected to an external filter which will be pumping the water up and then out into the top of the viv whereas ive placed slates to act as a natural waterfall so will the water be too hot for them?????

Many thanks for your help guys!!!

Martin Dean


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## reptilemadmart33 (Mar 15, 2012)

I need help!!!!!!!!! Someone please help!!!!


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## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

I've never used any heaters at all. Room temp plus lighting heat output has always kept the tanks plenty warm. 

Is your setup going to be someplace cooler like under 60 degrees?


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

Unless you have the aquarium heater already and just do not want to spend any more money, i do not see the advantages of having an aquarium heater. You can get the same effects by just putting an under the tank heater on the bottom of the tank. I do not think the warm water will be bad for the frogs, unless it is waaaaay to hot in which case your tank will be too hot anyway. There is no one solution to this, it is best to just mess around with the temps until you get it right, as all of us do not know what kind of tank you have/ heater you have. Even so it can still vary based upon the temperature in the room/ water level in the tank. I would seriously consider getting an under the tank heater if you are in fact in need of a temperature rise. It will be alot safer for the frogs and a lot easier to maintain. Think about it, which is easier to replace if the heater winds up crapping out, digging up substrate to get to your false bottom and disturbing plants/animals to get to your heater or simply pulling a heating pad out from under the tank. When building my vivariums i like to design it so that replacing failed mechanical parts will be as easy as possible. I used to hide pumps and stuff under my false bottom but when it comes time to service/replace it, not only was it a pain, but it disturbed the animals and i actually had to pull a few plants out because they were rooting above my trap door. Another thing to consider is, in my years of owning fish tanks, i had to replace many submersable heaters (especially cheap ones) they always seem to go bad after a while, and in my many years of owning reptiles i never had an under the tank heater fail. As for having no heating at all, i will have to disagree with that. I do not know where the person lives that posted that, so maybe temps over there dont drop too low, but i live in ny so temps during the winter are usually below freezing. Although my room temp is usually around 71 my light does not produce enough heat to get to the low 80's range i need. Besides that even if i did not need a heater, if room temp does drop for some reason, i would want to have a heater that i can plug in when i need to use it rather then no heater at all.


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## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

I think low 80's is a bit warm for most dart frogs. Mid to upper 70's for the day and a mid to high 60's drop at night works just fine for me. I easily obtain those temps with lighting and ambient room temperature. 

I suggest taking temps before adding the heater and seeing if you actually need it. You might be ok without it.


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

When i say low 80's i mean 82 tops and that is at the top where my light and heater is, i also keep another reptile in there that requires higher temps so the bottom of my 3 foot high tank is about 5 or 6 degrees cooler and of coarse a pretty decent temp drop at night. I was just mentioning this because that suits my needs and wasnt saying thats where he needs to be at. But yes it is a good idea to take temps of where your tank is at now before deciding on how much you need to heat it. Like i said before i dont know what the weather is like by you but i would keep a heater on hand just in case of a sudden drop in temperature. Sometimes my hot water heater will suddenly stop working in the middle of a winter night and i will wake up to a 60 degree room and have to wait till later that day to solve the problem. Its times like that, that having a heater on standby will come in handy.

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## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

Aha.. That makes sense. I see how a tank that tall could use an additional heat source. I agree with you about the keep it simple approach as far as using an outside heater. Tearing up vivs to fix things is a pain.


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## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

I'm in Ohio by the way. Our weather is all over the place. 80 one day snowing the next. Summers can be seriously hot at times though and I find myself fighting the higher temps than the lower ones.


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## Rusty_Shackleford (Sep 2, 2010)

I wouldn't use any heater at all. You are risking overheating your frogs. Typically room temperature plus the heat put off from the lights will keep the frogs plenty warm enough. If you are considering E. anthonyi you might want to reasearch them more, I believe they prefer temps that are a bit cooler than other dart frogs. 
Here's a link to their care sheet
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/care-sheets/13157-epipedobates-tricolor-e-anthonyi-intermediate.html


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

Yea in ohio you shouldnt need a heater in the summertime but i would deff pick one up before winter just in case. Im telling you though, it is worth it to just get a heatin pad. It will save you the hastle in the future and it is one less thing you will have to worry about incorporating in the inside of your viv.

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## yours (Nov 11, 2007)

Just so I'm following here, are you or are you not keeping a REPTILE in the same tank as new potential dart frogs?? I'm trying to understand if its in this enclosure or a separate one all together....


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## Erikb3113 (Oct 1, 2008)

I can see keeping a pad under the tank for a just in case situation, can't hurt to be prepared, but definitely don't use it all the time even in winter. Never been a big fan of the intank heater though. Overheating I would say is more real of a threat than under. I have a ceramic heater to keep the whole room from dropping too much in case of emergency, but the only time I've wanted to use it I had no power (reason for no heat). I also live in Virginia so my weather might be a bit less extreme. You would also have to encase it to keep anything from coming into contact with it, but still keep it accessible for maintenance and replacement...and there will be replacement, they burn out.. especially when not fully submerged....Pain in the Bum if you ask me. When my tanks hit 82 i go into near panic mode to MAKE SURE they don't rise any higher. The other day at the beginning of VA's heat wave before I turned the AC on, I went into frog room and it was 80 degrees( 81-83 in tanks depending on size and venting) I found one of my intermedius on his back not moving. A cool mist later and he was ok, but much more time at that heat and who knows.


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## Erikb3113 (Oct 1, 2008)

I'm also curious about the "other reptile" in the tank. If you are creating a basking spot, that should be more than adequate to heat the whole tank.


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

The OP is not keeping a reptile in the same enclosure but i currently am. I do have a basking spot for the green anole and that is the only heater i have (a ceramic one) this also helped keep a good temperature towards the bottom. There hasnt been any problems thus far but I do have plans to create a seperate enclosure for the green anole and actually bought the tank today, So look out for that thread. I was able to accommodate both animals needs with the size tank they are in but i feel they will be better off seperate. *Thread hijack over*

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## yours (Nov 11, 2007)

I assume the green anole(I don't see them offered as cb often if at all) is a wild caught specimen, which you have introduced into your tank with captive bred stock of dart frogs? Horrible idea.
=========
Back to the subject at hand: why are 'we' even considering messing around with anything under-substrate/tank/water heating, and just use a regular compact fluorescent light? What are the temps in your proposed frog room? Normally, the light on top of the tank is going to be enough to 'heat' the tank, though it's more about the light cycle for the plants. If you are at room temperate in that 'frog' room, then you can even switch to LED lighting as I am...which offers superior output and less heat oberkill(removing the need to 'prop' the light bar up off the top of the tank's surface)


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

Actually it was cb but thanks for the input.

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## yours (Nov 11, 2007)

shibbyplustax -- who or what is your source for captive bred stock of Anolis carolinensis, because I'd be very interested in acquiring some animals, albeit separately.


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

My cousin actually breeds them, hes not a member of this site but i can pm you his email if youd like. Where are you located?
I do see your point about mixing hence the reason i am making a seperate enclosure but whats done is done and there is no point beating a dead horse.
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## yours (Nov 11, 2007)

I'm in New Jersey, and you are in New York. 

And I'd hardly think a post or two on a subject is 'beating a dead horse'...


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

Haha i guess not but i knew where you were goin with it. Btw sent you a pm with my cousins email, his name is jon.

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## Erikb3113 (Oct 1, 2008)

back to the owiginal tewwawium we go


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## shibbyplustax (Feb 28, 2011)

Erikb3113 said:


> back to the owiginal tewwawium we go


Lmfao i cant say my r wowds

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