Which one of the three is the best one.... or is there much of a difference? I am looking to get one for a 10 gallon tank and it looks like all three of them are slightly different sizes for their 10-20 gal tanks models. I was leaning towards the T-Rex UTH, but I am not sure. Any recommendations? BTW, this will eventually be an enclosure for a Leopard Gecko.... yeah, I know I will need a thermostat too, but I've already decided on one of those. Thanks.
personally, i am a zoo med fan. In my experience, and in my customers experiences, zoo med has better all around products. They all put out roughly the same amount of heat. I dont beleive that the T-rex one has an adhesive on it, so you would have to tape it in place. I have Zoo Med UTHs on all of my tanks.
I like the ZooMed UTH better than my ExoTerra. Puts out more heat, seems to be put together more robustly, and the cord is attached in a much more convenient fashion. I haven't used a t-rex personally, but I've heard good things about them from other people that have.
I've used both the ExoTerra and the ZooMed UTHs. As far at heat output, they seem much the same. The ExoTerra, however, has a strange cord attachment. But I haven't had problems with the operation of either one.
I use a Exo-Terra desert 11x17 in my 20L,under my tiles and it's works flawlessly. And for the 18$ it cost at a Country Max it's a steal. I use it without a therm it's on top of shelf liner with cloth barrier between the top and tiles. It maintains a constant temp of between 89.7 and 90.6, across 95% of the 11x17 area. I spot check it with a temp gun. It heats 1/2 the tank and creates a perfect temp gradient. Keep the Humid hide very moist and warm. My Leo's stay in the humid hide 80% of the time. Heres a Link for a good deal on UTH's
Re: RE: Zoo Med vs. T-Rex vs. Exo Terra UTHs... This is what I read a lot from people on the forums here and I am a bit confused by this. Are you saying that you don't adhere the UTH to the bottom of the tank? What you are describing here sounds like you are actually placing the UTH on the inside of the tank. Can you explain what you do with this in more detail?
RE: Re: RE: Zoo Med vs. T-Rex vs. Exo Terra UTHs... No problem. Yes I place the UTH on the inside of the tank. Above shelf liner(I do this cause when I tried directly on the Glass surface, like adhering it does, it started to stress crack the glass) which I have over the glass on the inside bottom. Then to get the correct temps I used 11x 17 pieces of cloth.(cut up thin blanket cloth, from a blanket/pillow making kit), on top of the UTH, between it and the ceramic tile flooring. I'm sure you could use paper towels for this also. Think it took 3 layers of cloth to get the desired temp. So it goes, Shelf liner, UTH, Cloth(temp barrier), then substrate(tiles, etc). All inside the tank. Nothing gets hot enough to be a hazard. Works great for me and my Leo's love it. Plus I didn't have to buy a Thermometer. Hope that helped.
RE: Re: RE: Zoo Med vs. T-Rex vs. Exo Terra UTHs... Yeah, that's a bit better of an explanation and I understand what you are doing now... Just out of curiosity though, did you think you would need a thermostat if you were to place the UTH on the outside, bottom of the tank?
Re: RE: Re: RE: Zoo Med vs. T-Rex vs. Exo Terra UTHs... Did you use the little feet that come with the UTH to raise the tank up 1/4" or so? If you don't do that and provide proper airflow under the tank that's exactly what happens. But I've never heard of cracking happening on a tank that was set-up properly and didn't already have some type of fault. TempestGarden, yes you still need a thermostat if you put the UTH on the outside of the tank like it's designed to be used. UTHs can easily exceed 100F if not regulated. The ZooMeds have been known to hit 120F! Waaaaaay too hot for a leo. Putting the UTH inside the viv isn't the safest thing to do, but isn't the worst thing you can do. Unless you're using a proportional thermostat you're subjecting your gecko to pretty abrupt hot/cold swings when the UTH is clicked on and off by the thermostat. In addition, there is the electrocution risk of mixing electricity with various liquids that are in the viv (water, urine, etc). And if there ever is a defect in the UTH your leo has no buffer b/t itself and the UTH. So unless there are some unusual circumstances where you cannot use the UTH as it was designed, you really should stick it to the outside bottom of the tank.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Zoo Med vs. T-Rex vs. Exo Terra UTHs... I don't need to as my stand provides a open bottom for airflow. The stand braces the tank by it's side, on the plastic border/edging. And yes I did read the package the UTH came in. Personally I see the manufacturer's recommendations as guidelines not strict rules. Exo-Terra writes that on their packaging to protect themsleves legally against a lawsuit, there is room for interpretation. *DISCLAIMER*I wasn't recommending anything I was simply posting details on my personal setup. Here's a picture of my open tank bottom.
