# heat mat vs ceramic bulb



## davesreptiles (Sep 10, 2009)

hi i was wonder what is better to us in a viv and what do people use themselves i have always used heat mat but just recently started to use ceramic and now dont see why anyone would use heat mat instead of ceramic i have noticed that cermaics are around the same price range now if not cheaper last longer and give of alot more heat what are other peoples view on this alot of replies will be great even if its the same things being repeated just want some feedback


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## tremerz97 (Nov 30, 2012)

davesreptiles said:


> hi i was wonder what is better to us in a viv and what do people use themselves i have always used heat mat but just recently started to use ceramic and now dont see why anyone would use heat mat instead of ceramic i have noticed that cermaics are around the same price range now if not cheaper last longer and give of alot more heat what are other peoples view on this alot of replies will be great even if its the same things being repeated just want some feedback


for what animal?? 
for leopard geckos i use a heatmat on a stat as they get their heat from underneath.


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

davesreptiles said:


> hi i was wonder what is better to us in a viv and what do people use themselves i have always used heat mat but just recently started to use ceramic and now dont see why anyone would use heat mat instead of ceramic i have noticed that cermaics are around the same price range now if not cheaper last longer and give of alot more heat what are other peoples view on this alot of replies will be great even if its the same things being repeated just want some feedback


Agree with Tremerz, completely depends on the animal you aim to use it for *and* your setup. I use heat mats with my fatties, I have it hot enough so they don't constantly hug the hot spot, they thermoregulate often, and my setups don't allow for ceramics anyway. They have access to different temperatures both on the hot spot and around the tank, and the ambient temperature is around 80F. As long as you still try to provide a range of temperatures and provide a suitable ambient, personally I feel there is little reason to change.

If we're talking about a species that require very cool temperatures, amount of heat isn't an issue and really you may want a more localised heat spot so that the whole tank doesn't overheat. This is where heat mats may be more suited than a ceramic.

I've never had a problem with equipment cost, heat mats last for ages too and the amount of heat isn't always important (you'll still need a thermostat either way). Each to their own and all that : victory:


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## CPT BJ (Oct 30, 2010)

It does depend on the animal and setup, you would still need to use a suitable thermostat with either option, im a big fan of ceramics myself and run several.


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## alecwood (Apr 3, 2012)

I prefer ceramics generally. I think the issue of whether the animal gets its heat from above or below is more associated with basking bulbs than ceramics which, when used with a pulse stat, provide a more diffuse radiant heating area.

Anyways, any of you tried using ceramic heaters other than the ES "bulb" type. I got a tubular one a while ago and it's worked very well with a pulse stat, and the lack of a socket means one less potential point of failure


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