Heating??

[Rich.Harrington]

Andrew you may as well save your money than buy a stat controller for a heat mat, since mats take a long time to warm up compared to bulbs etc. Then the stat would turn it off then when the temp drops it would be back on and off so often it would likely burn out the fuse very fast.

Not sure on the size of your tank, but to give you a rough idea, I have a 17x11 habistat mat (believe all the makes are similar wattage) on the inside back of a viv 24x12x12 and it happily holds temps of around the low 80's. This is including around eight 10mm holes in the top for ventilation.

Though generally you want to aim for a mat that covers about 3/4 of the back of your tank, means you have a 4 way heat gradient.

[Peter Roach]

Then the stat would turn it off then when the temp drops it would be back on and off so often it would likely burn out the fuse very fast.

Nope Never Wont

If the fuse gets blown when the stat gets turned off on off on then there is a fault. Temperature thermostats are MADE to do exacty this without blowing the fuse.
There is also a cheaper type of thermostat called suprisingly a ..... Mat Stat which turn the mat on and off.
Personly I prefer using a day/night dimming stat because this can be used on up to 300W of mats or bulbs and you can fit a timer to it and it will change the temperature from a day time high to a night time low automatically.

[Peter Lacey]

You'll have to show me these things Pete, next time I'm down the shop, although for the most part I don't require any heating.

[Peter Roach]

If and when you come down for a visit, I can show you first hand how it works