# ProRep heat mat question



## GrumpySteve (Sep 1, 2012)

this might sound like a silly question, which way round does it go? i've just taped one to the side of my cresties viv and it doesn't seem to be warming up. i originally put it with the copper strips facing outward for aesthetic reasons, then wondered if they had a specific way round and found a thread on here somewhere saying they should be copper strip inward, so i turned it round.... now the outside (with out copper strip) is warm to touch but the viv doesn't seem to be warming up at all??


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## mrduff13 (Nov 18, 2012)

it emits infro red from both sides, it wont always feel warm to touch, if you was to stand a hide on it the hide will feel warm, and usualy the mat does too as the heats trapped there. 
infro red heat works by warming everything in its path. its not the same as a radiator


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

You will find the side of the glass will be warm. Heat mats don't heat the air so if you're measuring the ambient temperature then you're not going to notice a huge difference. 

That's why it's generally better to get a ceramic bulb instead.


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## mrduff13 (Nov 18, 2012)

to say they are better is silly, its down to personal preference. 
pluss heat matts will heat things in the tank which will warm up the air.


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

mrduff13 said:


> to say they are better is silly, its down to personal preference.
> pluss heat matts will heat things in the tank which will warm up the air.


Not silly at all. It's a fact. A Ceramic bulb will heat the air significantly more than a heat mat ever could. And create a much more suitable thermal gradient.


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## Rawwwrchazli (Mar 16, 2012)

Jesterone said:


> Not silly at all. It's a fact. A Ceramic bulb will heat the air significantly more than a heat mat ever could. And create a much more suitable thermal gradient.


I agree here, we have switched out Iggy and Burm to a Ceramic heating source and I was planning on doing it for all the Leos at some point, but I'm not sure how effective it would be in a 3ft viv. I'm going to look into it.

Heat Mats seem to use less electricity though...well than spot lights...


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## mrduff13 (Nov 18, 2012)

im not saying either is better. i said its unfair to say that. 
whenever i see a thread about heat, heatmatts seem to be atacked by the same person. 
alot of people use heat mats with great succes, 

i would also need to research how much "gradient" you would get in a 3 foot viv with a ceramic bulb. 

if we are talking about a big viv then i would agree cerramic but this guy could be tallking about a 2foot tank for all we no. 

so the need to always state the heat matts are insuficient seem very unnescery


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## Jesterone (Sep 30, 2012)

I'm not anti heat mat. I use one with great success. But I use it for a Leo because the heat it produces suits it's needs perfectly. 

The OP said crested gecko, one would assume 3 foot or 2 foot it's an arboreal orientated terrarium. So a ceramic on a stat will create a thermal gradient with no issues whatsoever. 

Heat source doesn't depends on the type, it depends on the species.


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## GrumpySteve (Sep 1, 2012)

it's an 11" x 11" heat mat in an exo terra 30cm x 30cm x 45cm viv. i live in a basement flat which is cold most of the time, to say the least! i'm starting to think the mat on it's own wont be sufficient to keep a decent temperature, especially at night. so i was wondering about a ceramic bulb, don't suppose anyone knows if there are any on the market that would fit straight into the hood?

thanks a lot for all the answers, sorry if i caused a debate


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