# Heat lamp vs. Heat pad?



## Mvalenz (Dec 26, 2011)

Not sure which to use. Are heat lamps ok to leave on all night and day? My house temp is set at 69 degrees. Heat lamp or heat pad?


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## lunarstorm (Dec 26, 2011)

I have both. In my opinion, in terms of effectiveness the heat lamp is superior in every way. A single heat lamp with a 150W ceramic heat emitter sufficiently warms up an entire area and with a timer, one can automate the process. The only thing the pad does is slightly raise the ambient temps of my terrarium (+5 degrees) near the glass pane, which was insufficient for mantids that need more than room temps So the majority of the heat to the terrarium is delivered by an infrared heat bulb in the terrarium's cover.


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## gripen (Dec 26, 2011)

as lunerstorm said, there is no contest. get a heat lamp!


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## agent A (Dec 26, 2011)

Heat lamp all the way!!!


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## Bryce08 (Dec 26, 2011)

ive been wodnering how the matt is...but heat lamp always seems to do great for me


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## Mvalenz (Dec 26, 2011)

Great. I bought a 50 watt infrared spot lamp. I was going to buy a larger watt, but i think the 50 is doing fine.

Thanks. I love this website.


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## Bryce08 (Dec 26, 2011)

yeah nothing too high wattage...i have a 26 watt daylight bulb right now for my terrarium. puts out some decent heat


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## twolfe (Dec 26, 2011)

I actually use two heat lamps and two seedling heat mat. I like both for different reasons. I keep the heat mats on all the time, and it seems to help keep the plastic enclosures more humid than the ones under the heat lamp which dry out more quickly. So, I use them for different species. I also have a desk lamp too. All of the lamps are on timers. The seedling heat mats seem to work better with plastic enclosures instead of glass.


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## jcal (Dec 26, 2011)

I use regular light bulbs. I think they are 37 or some random number. As Tammy menctioned lights do tend to suck the humidity out of the air. I will have to look at seedling mats. Seems like a better soultion for incubating.


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## gripen (Dec 26, 2011)

what does everyone think of heat emitters vs. bulbs?


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## Introvertebrate (Dec 27, 2011)

lunarstorm said:


> A single heat lamp with a 150W ceramic heat emitter sufficiently warms up an entire area.........


How large an area would that be?



gripen said:


> what does everyone think of heat emitters vs. bulbs?


Its not an issue yet, but I tend to wonder how much longer incandescents will be available. Isn't the gov't trying to phase them out? Having said that, Home Depot has 25 Watt red light bulbs for $3.00.


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## gripen (Dec 27, 2011)

im not worried about price (i have been using bulbs for years) i just want to know more of there strengths and weaknesses.


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## meaganelise9 (Dec 27, 2011)

gripen said:


> what does everyone think of heat emitters vs. bulbs?


I like to use bulbs like daylight heat lamps. I can't keep my mantids near the windows, because it gets really cold and drafty, so I like to provide that light period during the day and turn them off at night. I don't have mine on a timer, but I keep thinking that would be cool.


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## Mvalenz (Dec 27, 2011)

I kept my infrared light on all night. It kept my mantis nice and warm. It still looked like she went to sleep at night. When I got home I let her out for a little while. She likes that.


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 27, 2011)

I like the tape, can cut to any length and use in any container.


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## sporeworld (Dec 28, 2011)

Lights for sure. Anyone want cheap heat tape or heat rocks, send me a PM. You can have my unwanted leftovers. 

I've used some ceramic bulbs and holders as lights-out heaters, and as a good way to attract flies AWAY from the top (my mantids all chase the light, not the heat, so if the ceramics are near, or touching the sides, the flies gather there).

I like the seed pads / heat pads, for ooths and cocoons (moths), as a constant source of heat to the enclosure. But those tanks still have lights on timers for day/night cycles. I've always put them on the bottom, but can see opportunities to put them on the back-side, instead.


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## Mvalenz (Dec 28, 2011)

Heat tape? Never heard of it. How does that work?


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## Introvertebrate (Dec 29, 2011)

hibiscusmile said:


> I like the tape, can cut to any length and use in any container.


hibiscusmile, would you happen to have a picture of how you're using it inside containers?


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## CoolMantid (Dec 29, 2011)

I wish I read this first! I just bought a heat matt for my Ghost!


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## lunarstorm (Dec 29, 2011)

Hertarem45 said:


> I wish I read this first! I just bought a heat matt for my Ghost!


No worries! The heat mat/pad will be fine, many have kept p. paradoxa at room temps without issue. Regardless, I suspect it will still be fun and beneficial to experiment and determine temperatures under various conditions (e.g. what's the average temperature inside a small plastic container, 32oz cup, glass terrarium, etc.?)


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## CoolMantid (Dec 29, 2011)

I just dont want it to melt the enclousure. Its a plastic one.Ugggh! im getting nervous


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## lunarstorm (Dec 29, 2011)

Hertarem45 said:


> I just dont want it to melt the enclousure. Its a plastic one.Ugggh! im getting nervous


Unless it's a very powerful mat and a very thin, low grade plastic I wouldn't worry about it. Tammy keeps her mats on all the time and uses plastic enclosures.



Tammy Wolfe said:


> I actually use two heat lamps and two seedling heat mat. I like both for different reasons. I keep the heat mats on all the time, and it seems to help keep the plastic enclosures more humid than the ones under the heat lamp which dry out more quickly. So, I use them for different species. I also have a desk lamp too. All of the lamps are on timers. The seedling heat mats seem to work better with plastic enclosures instead of glass.


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## CoolMantid (Dec 29, 2011)

Oh good. But my ghost has passed on. Now im incubating a ooth.


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## Mvalenz (Dec 30, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your ghost.

I noticed that i can regulate the temp in my enclosure easly by adjusting the distance between the light and the enclosure. Not sure if i could do that with a heat pad. I also noticed that since my enclosure is more tall than wide it heats up better when i place the light on the side instead of on top. I place a temp strip about 2/3 to the top since it spends most of her time up there. I keep it at 82-85 degrees. Is this a good temp for a little budwing?


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## sporeworld (Dec 31, 2011)

Yeah - I'm able to get temps nearly 80F (at the top) just from mounted flourescent tubes. Distance is they key.

As for the heat mats, if you're worried about the plastic, you can put a sheet of glass between the enclosure and the mat to protect it.


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## Psychobunny (Feb 1, 2012)

Ultrtherm UTH's from Bean Farm for enclosers 12'' high or under.

If stacking 12'' net cubes, I have the lower one on the UTH (set to 100F) and a 60W

heating element (no light) about 4 inches from the top cube.

You can buy fixture stands that which are height adjustible for pretty cheap at Amazon to

attach your lamp fixture and raise it as high as needed.

The 60W heating element (for reptiles) gives me more heat then a basking light bulb.

But just about all my containers are on Ultratherm heat pads, which are the only ones

on the market I like and are only sold through Bean Farm.

Also, it helps to keep the room temp on your home thermostat in the mid 70's.

I also VERY highly recommend one of these (or one like it):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QVP6QC/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details

Need to find one that has adjustable emissivity.

This way, you can monitor the temps in any location inside or outside your pet's encloser.


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## Chivalry (Feb 1, 2012)

I picked up a UTH (Zoo-med I think) and it says to only use it on glass enclosures, or for the little model I got, a critter keeper type enclosure. I have mainly deli cups and a few larger but all plastic enclosures (recycled jars and the like), and one net cube. Can this still be used somehow?


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## Termite48 (Feb 1, 2012)

I use heat lamps, a space heater for raising the ambient room temp, and a couple of heat mats. I think that all heating devices have a certain use. We all know that a high wattage lamp can dry out the contents of a container in no time at all. I have lost untold numbers of mantids learning this lesson. I felt the outside of a 32 oz. deli-container after it had been touching one of my light fixtures mounting and the container was very warm. Luckily the mantid inside likes it warm and was not touching the plastic at all. I will not allow that to happen again. Be careful using the heating lamps, as they are very effective and can kill things.


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