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heat mat..seedling vs reptile

chibae

An orchid fancier with a CP problem
Hi all. I'm planning on setting up an aquarium as a sarrcenia nursery this fall. I've been doing some research and was wondering if there was a difference between using a seedling heat mat such as hydrofarm's or a reptile heating mat. I've looked for a used waterbed heater but they are too expensive, and I'm not giving up the one from my bed :D

Thanks in advance
 
They function similarly, though the "reptile" mat I had came along with a thermostat; and if i recall correctly, that had to be purchased separately with the "seedling" mat. and was a bit more expensive. The advantage of the latter is that it is more versatile; could be moved around, and was not attached to a tank via adhesive; though either one will work . . .
 
Thanks BigBella. My problem is that the seedling mats come in specific sizes which restrict my creativity in finding a sutiable aquarium. By example, the Hydrofarm single is 9" x 19.5", perfect for a standard ten gallon, while the reptile mats sizes vary. I am still a little confused on the reptile mats..do they get stuck to the underside or inside of the tank? I was planned on using a slightly raised wire rack over the mat to allow for heated airflow. also, since these are not made to cover the entire tank bottom, would doing so hurt anything?
 
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Hi Chib,

Have you considered using a fishtank heater and placing lighting grate inside the tank (you'd need to prop it up with something so that there was a small reservoir of water for the heater to work and keep the seedlings out of said water)? This will provide the growing sarracenia with both heat and humidity.
 
Hi Chib,

Have you considered using a fishtank heater and placing lighting grate inside the tank (you'd need to prop it up with something so that there was a small reservoir of water for the heater to work and keep the seedlings out of said water)? This will provide the growing sarracenia with both heat and humidity.

no i hadn't though of that..I do have lots of lighting grate from when my old job redid their lights.
 
I am still a little confused on the reptile mats..do they get stuck to the underside or inside of the tank? I was planned on using a slightly raised wire rack over the mat to allow for heated airflow. also, since these are not made to cover the entire tank bottom, would doing so hurt anything?

The heater is attached to the exterior bottom of the aquarium, so it is never in direct contact with any moisture . . .
 
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