Q. Please can you give me some information on Exo Terra Heat Emitters?

A. Heating your Vivarium/Terrarium (Ceramic Heat Emitters)

Ceramic Heat Emitters are probably the second most common type of heating in the vivarium. They work by giving out invisible long wave Infra red, so heating not only the reptile and furniture but the ambient air unlike Heat Mats. ValueAquatics sell the Exo Terra Heat Wave heat Emitter lamps that come in five Wattages making them suitable for most vivariums and set-ups from dry desert to moist (not wet) forest set ups. Ceramic Heat Emitters are excellent at creating a hot or basking spot. As in nature giving heat from above making the reptile feel more at home as it would in the wild. This is why ValueAquatics also recommends the use of a UV light source such as the Exo Terra Repti Glo Compact Fluorescent bulbs so creating a more natural light with heat from above.

There is no real rule as to which Ceramic Heater to use as it all depends on vivarium size and what temperature range you require and basking spot temperature. So as a rule of thumb for general use of heating the vivarium to 85°F at the basking spot (heater end) and approximately 70-75°F at the cool end I would suggest the following.

PT2044 40watt Ceramic Heater for a 24”x12”x12” Vivarium.
PT2045 60watt Ceramic Heater for a 30” to 36”x12”x12” Vivarium
PT2046 100watt Ceramic Heater for a 48”x12X12 Vivarium
PT2047 150watt Ceramic Heater for a 60”x24”x24” Vivarium
PT2048 250watt Ceramic Heater for a 60” to 72”x24”x24” Vivarium

Always use with a Pulse Proportional thermostat otherwise they will be heating to their maximum output. This is dangerous as Ceramic heat emitters get very hot and require a thermostat. It will also greatly shorten the life of the ceramic heater if it is just left running not to mention the cost.

Some reptiles like Uromastyx will require a higher basking spot so I would then recommend that you go for the 150w or 250w ceramic.
When fitting the ceramic heat emitters into the vivarium a few rules need to be adhered to.

1. Only use ceramic fittings like the Arcadia or the Komodo ceramic lamp fixture
2. Make sure that the cable is heat resistant cable as in the Arcadia and Komodo fixtures.
3. All ceramic heat emitters are Edison screw fitting as in the Arcadia and Komodo. NOT bayonet fitting.
4. Use a guard specifically designed for the purpose. These heaters get extremely hot
5. We recommend that a minimum distance of 40cm from the reptile
6. Always use a pulse Proportional Thermostat similar to the Habistat Pulse Proportional or the day night model.
7. Not to be used where there is a lot of Moisture as in Turtle or Amphibian set-ups


John

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