Heating a 1 gallon?

[thekinetic]

Ok first off let me tell you I am not keeping a fish in this tank!

Now what I am keeping is snails. But I know even snails need warmth as well as the plant in it so I need to know how to heat it. It is a 1 gallon acrylic hexagon tank so what ever it is it can't be hot enough to melt it or boil the occupants.

I thought mabey a reptile mat but I've heard these can get quite warm and I've also looked into a 7.5 watt "betta bowl" heater. But neither of these can be controlled. I've also tried a simple desk lamp and so far can get the temp up to about 77-78 degrees but I have to shut it off at night, and then is when I need it most.

Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated! ^_^

[shellieca]

What kind of snails? Not all of them require tropical temps. There are adjustable heaters for up to 5g but they seem to take up quite a bit of room. I know Petco had them when i looked at heaters, i don't remember the brand. Also most snails have a big bio load & I know mystery/apple snails require a min of 2g per snail.

[thekinetic]

No, they're just small snails that I'm keeping to feed my assassin snails. So probably pond and perhaps some MTSs, Both I know for a fact don't get very big and breed like rabbits and can be kept in temps up around 80 degrees, seeing as how they're the reason I bought the assassin's for my 5 gallon betta tank.

I've been to petco and saw some of their smaller heaters but none seem to have a thermostat. Reviews have been mixed for these everywhere from not warm enough to boiling.

[shellieca]

The smallest adjustable heater I'm finding online is a 50W & 7" long, kind of big for a 1g. When I've had the 1g tanks I used the Betta bowl slim heater & just checked it regularly it kept the temp 78-80 but i only use it short term for treating purposes. Hopefully someone will chime in with a suggestion.

[shellieca]

Found this on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-THEO-Sub...quarium+heater
The reviews are really good on it, the smallest tank I saw it used for though was a 2.5.

[thekinetic]

Yeah it's hard to figure out but thank you for trying. ^_^

I did hear someone used one of those pre-set temp heaters with a timer to turn it on and off but I'm not sure about it.


Edit: That looks like it might work, I'll have to measure the tank and see how it might work.

[Kitty Whiskers]

This is the one I am going to buy for my 1 Gallon tank...
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

Here is another little one too...
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

Mini mat Betta Heater...
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

[Oldfishlady]

I use the preset Tetra brand 25w heaters in my 1gal-to-5gal Betta tanks. The temp can vary 5-10 degrees more or less depending on the room temp, however, my adjustable heaters can vary by 5 degrees more or less based on room temp too.

Never had any problems with them or keeping water temp warm enough for even the more delicate Betta fry.

With my common snails, ramshorn, pond and trumpets....they seem to tolerate both extreme high and low temps. I had some survive outside in buckets with 2 inches of ice for several days and heat well over 120F......but this is my common snails...

[thekinetic]

Wow thanks for all the suggestions! I just wanted to keep the snails happy and breeding, until I feed them to the lions that are my assassin's.....man that makes me feel like a schmuck! O.O

[Freyja]

I have two pond snails in a one gallon bowl and already have an egg cluster. My MTSs are in the community tank and are controlled in numbers so far. I think I also have a ramshorn but I'm not sure lol.