Best way to insulate vavarium?

[Boss76]

Just after some advise about appropriate insulation for our Stimmies Vavarium, the top is mesh with the one heat lamp on one side and light lamp on the other, the temp is at 28, we have just finally recieved our reptile 1 thermostat and are worried too much heat is escaping from the top, Hubby was thinking about building a wooden box to put the vavarium inside to insulate the glass? Any ideas please? Thanks in advance

 

[pinefamily]

You can either cut a piece of wood to fit on the top, with holes for the fittings, or use the silver heat tape available from Bunnings, and leave just a little mesh uncovered as vents.

 

[pythoninfinite]

If the top of the vivarium doesn't get too hot, you can simply drape a towel over the top to keep the heat in, then when it's hot you can remove it to increase ventilation. Thin polystyrene such as that used under all-glass aquariums makes a suitable insulation for the sides, and it can be painted with water-based paints in whatever colour you want.

Jamie

 

[Boss76]

Thanks heaps for your responses, hubby will cruise up to Bunnings to look at insulation boards tomorrow night till then we will put a towel over the top

 

[pythoninfinite]

Thanks heaps for your responses, hubby will cruise up to Bunnings to look at insulation boards tomorrow night till then we will put a towel over the top

Just make sure that it doesn't get too hot above your heat lamp and set fire to the towel.

Jamie

 

[ronhalling]

[MENTION=42270]Boss76[/MENTION], you mentioned you have a heat lamp on both ends of the Viv, What is it you are keeping??? as having both ends heated does not give any sort of heat gradient, i.e. if it is an Antaresia Sp the gradient would be 34 deg hot end and around 18-24 deg cool end, they need to be able to thermoregulate or they might end up quite sick. As far as insulating your Viv is concerned Jamie has hit the nail on the head with the foam sheeting as has [MENTION=38465]pinefamily[/MENTION] with using a piece of ply on the top, it is easy to fit the ply with a 1inx1/2in bead on underside of ply the same dimension as the inside of the Viv ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) -ronhalling

 

[Boss76]

Only one heat lamp and light lamp on top of the viv, the temp is now at 32 since we chucked a towel over the front top side of the mesh, the lamps are at the back of the mesh side and arnt in contact with the towel.