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How to Heat your Tropical Terrarium
A complete guide covering the pros, cons, and practical tips for selecting the most efficient and reliable heating method for your terrarium!

Proper heating is essential for maintaining a stable and healthy environment in terrariums, especially for species that thrive within specific temperature ranges. Each heating method has its strengths and weaknesses, as well as varying levels of efficiency and energy consumption. Below is a comprehensive guide to the most common terrarium heating methods, their applications, and considerations to help you make an informed decision.
Before choosing a method, one should consider following factors:
Energy Consumption: Efficiency matters, especially for those with multiple enclosures. Some methods work great for a single tank, but if you own multiple enclosures the energy consumption ends up being too high.
Species Needs: The choice of heating method depends heavily on the species’ natural environment. For example, basking reptiles benefit from heat lamps, while burrowing species may prefer substrate heating.
Safety: Always pair heating devices with thermostats and monitor temperatures regularly to prevent overheating or burns. Ideally, install multiple sensors to ensure that one device malfunction won't lead to the death of your animals and plants.
That being said, we put together a list of all the heating methods known to us, and tried making a easy to understand overview!
Aquarium Thermostats
This is our go-to method for tropical terrariums, but unfortunately it is only efficient for terrariums that have a water feature. The bigger the feature, the more efficient this method gets.
Principle: An aquarium thermostat is placed in the water area, and it automatically keeps the water at the desired temperature. The heat from the water rises, and keeps the terrarium at a stable temperature. If the water is moving, it works even better! Tanks with waterfalls tend to be really easy to heat with this method. We like to place the thermostat into the sump and pump water to multiple terrariums, which allows us to heat multiple terrariums using only one thermostat!
Advantages: efficient for tanks with a large water area, ideally with moving water. Good at keeping a stable base temperature in the tarrarium. One thermostat allows for the heating of multiple tanks.
Disadvantages: very inneficient for tanks with no water area. Require the use of pumps to move the water, which slightly increases power consumption. If using one sump between multiple terrariums, increases the risk of cross contamination.
Cost: a 50W thermostat costs around 20€.
Heat Mats
Heat mats are one of the most popular heating solutions for terrariums. These slim devices emit heat and are usually placed under or on the side of the enclosure. We tend to use them to heat our grow-out tanks.
Principle: the heat mat is placed under the terrarium or on the sides, close to the desired heating area.
Advantages: Heat mats are affordable, easy to install, and consume relatively little energy (4–24 watts). They’re ideal for species that require warmth at the substrate level, such as ground-dwelling reptiles and amphibians.
Disadvantages: Despite their utility, heat mats are ineffective at significantly raising ambient air temperature, making them unsuitable as a sole heating method for most setups. Improper placement can lead to uneven heating, and without a thermostat, overheating can occur. For terrariums with backgrounds, a lot of heat is lost in the isolation provided by the background.
Cost: Heat mats typically range from €10–€30, making them a budget-friendly option.
Heat Cables
Heat cables are flexible and versatile heating tools that can be wrapped around or placed beneath enclosures. For eurostyle terrariums, they can be spun around a wooden or metal bar that fits within the front vent. This way you get a concentraded heat source at the front of the terrarium that keeps the front glass free of condensation! You can also add rocks close to the heat cable, and they will help disperse the heat inside the terrarium.
Advantages: Heat cables allow for custom heating configurations and are relatively inexpensive to operate. They are great at keeping the front glass panels clear.
Disadvantages: They require careful placement to avoid uneven heating, and securing them safely can be difficult. They are also not efficient at raising the air temperature in the terrarium.
Cost: Heat cables are priced at €15–€50, depending on length and wattage.
Ceramic Heat Emitters
Ceramic heat emitters are bulb-like devices that produce infrared heat without emitting light, providing an excellent solution for maintaining ambient air temperature. We have tested using them in our frog terrariums, and have found they heat small terrariums too fast, so they should primarly be used for larger enclosures (unless the animal you are keeping requires higher temperatures).
Advantages: They are durable and versatile, suitable for species that require consistent warmth without the disruption of light. CHEs work well with thermostats, offering precise control.
Disadvantages: CHEs consume more energy (50–150 watts) and can dry out the terrarium environment if used excessively. They’re more expensive than heat mats, both initially and in terms of running costs.
Cost: Ceramic heat emitters are priced between €20–€50.
Heat Lamps
Heat lamps serve a dual purpose, offering both heat and light. These are particularly effective for basking species. If you choose the proper wattage, they can also be used for heating frog enclosures.
Advantages: Heat lamps are quick to heat specific areas and are available in a range of wattages and styles, including UV-integrated options. They’re particularly beneficial for reptiles that rely on heat for digestion and UV light for vitamin D synthesis.
Disadvantages: They tend to have a shorter lifespan than other heating options and can lead to overheating if not carefully managed. Their energy consumption (25–150 watts) is higher than some alternatives.
Cost: Bulbs cost around €10–€40, with fixtures adding €15–€30.
Radiant Heat Panels
Radiant heat panels are mounted on the ceiling of terrariums and emit infrared heat to warm the enclosure evenly. We recommend these only for basking species!
Advantages: These panels provide consistent, evenly distributed heat without drying out the terrarium. They are energy-efficient (40–100 watts) and ideal for larger enclosures.
Disadvantages: The initial cost of radiant heat panels is relatively high, and they require precise thermostat control for optimal safety. Installation can be challenging in small setups.
Cost: Radiant heat panels cost between €50 and €150, depending on the size and brand.
Hot Rocks
Hot rocks are artificial rocks designed to provide localized heat. We do not like using these since they often disrupt the aesthetic of the terrarium, and require wiring inside of it.
Advantages: we do not think there are any!
Disadvantages: Hot rocks are generally unreliable and unsafe, as they can cause severe burns if animals rest on them for extended periods. They are not suitable for amphibians or delicate reptiles.
Cost: Hot rocks are relatively inexpensive, costing €20–€30, but their drawbacks outweigh their utility.
Room Heating
Instead of heating individual terrariums, some keepers prefer to control the temperature of the entire room. This is only recommended if you own a large amount of terrariums, and if the volume of the room is relatively small compared to the amount of terrariums in it.
Advantages: This method ensures uniform heating across multiple enclosures and eliminates direct heat sources inside terrariums, reducing risks.
Disadvantages: Room heating consumes significant energy (~750–1500 watts for space heaters) and lacks precision for individual setups.
Cost: Space heaters cost €20–€150, with higher operational costs for extended use.