heat mat question

[Lee Hoggarth]

Hi all,

I am a little bit o.c.d when it comes to electricals and have a fear of setting my house on fire, i want to use a heat mat on the outside bottom of a glass tank, don't know what to put it on though, is it safe to have it just on carpet?

[Craig Mackay]

Hi Lee, you should put the heat mat on the side of the tank (outside) rather than underneath. Putting it underneath would heat the substrate which is where the spider would choose to hide if it gets too hot. You can put polystyrene on the back of the mat which acts as a good insulator and would transfer all the heat to the tank. Hope that helps