# Ball Pythons > BP Husbandry >  Heating a 55 gallon tank for my bp!!

## wolverineandrew

ok i have already gotten one guys opinion on this but i figured i would see what every one else has to say about this. i have a 2 year old ball about 2 and a half feet long. and i am having trouble heating the cage. i know you think i shouldnt have a 55 gallon but i have to keep it. so what are your ideas to help get it much warmer. i have a heat pad and a safe heat rock and a light on top. but its still too cold in there. PLEASE help. cheaper the better lol

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## Nate

Step 1: Unplug the heat rock and never plug it in again.  They're definitely NOT safe...

do you have a heat lamp on top? or just a fluorescent light?

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Meech (05-12-2016)

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## wolverineandrew

well my cage needs SOME heat. i have one light of each on there

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## waltah!

I would lose the heat rock...never heard of a "safe" one. You can use a heat lamp to warm it up. Remember that it will also kill off humidity in the tank, so covering the top with foil or acrylic would help you with retain heat and humidity. Maybe a pic of the setup would help.
Oh, and welcome to the site!

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## wolverineandrew

actually. i have a 2 uv lights on there. i dont have a che cause i cant find the money for that yet. . . .

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## waltah!

A CHE will really dry it out. Standard heat lamp should help as long as you compensate for the lost humidity.
You can see glass tank setup here http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56846

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## wolverineandrew

just a heat bulb?? i need it WAY warmer then it is now though. . . .

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## wolverineandrew

oh and how do i throw a pic up on here?

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## waltah!

What kind of temps are you getting now, and how are you reading them?
You can use Photobucket to post a pic. Upload there and copy the IMG code here in your post. 
Sometimes people are using analog thermometers which are generally pretty far from accurate.

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## Nate

> well my cage needs SOME heat. i have one light of each on there


of course you need heat  :Smile:   Just solving one problem at a time  :Good Job: 

55gal is big, and may not really be cheap to heat. The best heating methods are usually the priciest. You will need a good Thermostat  to regulate the heat.  Spyder Robotics has some great T-stats, and you can buy some cheaper ones at Reptile Basics.  Reptile Basics also has Flexwatt - for a 55gal tank, I would suggest a pre-wired 1ft of 11" flexwatt.  Or, check out the radiant heat panels and ultratherm heat pads...I've never used those two, so I don't know how affective they are.

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## Nate

> oh and how do i throw a pic up on here?


Check this video out  :Good Job:

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## wolverineandrew

well to kinda answer both of you the brand i have is acurit. its an electronic one. there was a probe i stuck on the warm side then the cord under its matting then the actual device is on my cold side. it measures my cold side warm side and humidity . . . . .

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## wolverineandrew

acurite. sorry thats the brand

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## Nate

A lot of people use Acurites. So you're good there

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## wolverineandrew

ok so if i have a good therm then i do in fact need to raise the temperature!

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## wolverineandrew

ok i just uploaded a pic up my set up into my gallery!

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## thefifthdentist

I got a ball in a 70 gal. last Saturday so I have had to deal with the same problems you will come across. 

So the 1st thing I would recommend is that you insulate the sides of you tank with cardboard and use aluminum tape (or duct tape but it will fall off so you will keep fixing it). I chose to cover 3/4 of the whole tank so that I was still able to see in enough to keep and eye on him. 

2nd thing I would suggest is covering the top of the tank with aluminum foil and the aluminum tape or duct tape. You will loose less heat and hold the humidity much easier.

Now your going to have to spend a buck or 2 because there is really no way around it. You need a UTH which is a good bang for you buck. I am new to this so which UTH is the best I have no idea I just got one from PetsMart that cost me around $25. Along with that you will need to regulate how hot the UTH gets. So HomeDepot has lamp dimmers which are $10 or so that do just fine. 

You can find tutorials for that stuff in the DIY secton of the forum and some other places if you look. So just read read read and look around a bit and you wont have to spend that much to have a good spot for your ball.

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## wolverineandrew

see i have a UTH. but my tank is on my dresser so the instructions said to put it on the side. so i have one thats on the right side of my tank down low. . . . .

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## rabernet

> see i have a UTH. but my tank is on my dresser so the instructions said to put it on the side. so i have one thats on the right side of my tank down low. . . . .


That's part of the problem - heat travels up, not sideways (at least not more than an inch or two). 

Heating a 55 gallon tank is going to cost you a nice bit of change. You say you have to use it, but there are more affordable alternatives, like tubs that aren't so difficult to try to heat. 

I also agree that there is no such thing as a safe heat rock. I've seen far too many burned bellies from heat rocks. Cut the cord off and use it as decoration, but don't use it as a heat source.

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## wolverineandrew

ok! fixed the uth problem its now on the bottom!! rock unpluged. . . . . . need more heat lol  :Smile:

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## pavlovk1025

Andrew, nice to see you've joined the site. Andrew lives by me and was going to buy my 20L tank off of me, went with the 55G instead and Ive been trying to help him get the set up right. I told him to cover the top and sides, gave him a spare fixture&bulb, some sphagnum moss and a terracotta pot to use as a hide. Also advised the Acu-Rite. When my little one gets moved from tank to tub I was gonna sell him my CHE to use with the UTH. Advised against the hot rock.

Andrew, if you wanna head the other route with proper undertank heating, I have a spare sheet off 11" Flexwatt, 12" long already wired up. Thing is you're gonna need a thermostat for it. PM me on here.

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## pavlovk1025

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ghlight=gallon
Last weeks thread.

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## k2l3d4

> ok i have already gotten one guys opinion on this but i figured i would see what every one else has to say about this. i have a 2 year old ball about 2 and a half feet long. and i am having trouble heating the cage. i know you think i shouldnt have a 55 gallon but i have to keep it. so what are your ideas to help get it much warmer. i have a heat pad and a safe heat rock and a light on top. but its still too cold in there. PLEASE help. cheaper the better lol


Lets see here... I am running with a 55 gallon tank for my little 4 month old snake... and the way I am running...Alos I live in the Bay area CA.. so the ambient temps are more condusive for me.... I have a Large UTH under one side of the tank. I have ti hooked into a dimmer because if I let it igo by itself it hits 110 degrees on the substrate... no extra lights. bells  or whistles...

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## pavlovk1025

> Lets see here... I am running with a 55 gallon tank for my little 4 month old snake... and the way I am running...Alos I live in the Bay area CA.. so the ambient temps are more condusive for me.... I have a Large UTH under one side of the tank. I have ti hooked into a dimmer because if I let it igo by itself it hits 110 degrees on the substrate... no extra lights. bells  or whistles...


Uhhh....what?

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## elevenphoenix

I would just cover up 3/4 of the top of the aquarium with aluminum foil or vinyl. Try that and see if that helps your temps at all.  

I have a glass aquarium too and all I do is use the UTH (regulated by a Zoomed rheostat) and cover 3/4 top with foil. I also have a fairly big sized water dish jacuzzi to maintain humidty.

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## sg1trogdor

I had a 55 gallon tank for a long time and never had any issues.  Get yourself a zoomed rheostat or a better one (helix, ranco, etc).  get the largest UTH you can find and that should be good if its really cold where your at maybe a low wattage lamp for the cooler side so its not too cold.  

Make sure that you cover atleast 75% of the screen top to hold in humidity.

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## sg1trogdor

> Uhhh....what?


WHats wrong with that comment?  Other then the snakes age I see nothing wrong.  But if the snake is thriving then who cares.

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k2l3d4 (06-12-2009)

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## k2l3d4

> WHats wrong with that comment?  Other then the snakes age I see nothing wrong.  But if the snake is thriving then who cares.


Thank you... I was not going to respond about that one since I have already mentioned how my tank is set up in many other threads... but with four hides. two water dishes,. house to himself all day and quiet once my son goes to bed... Rios has done quite well in  his 55 gallon tank.... On his first shed since I brought him home a month ago.....And I am guessing at his age (approx Feb/March) since he is only 19.5 inches long and 109 grams.   :Snake:   :Salute:

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## blackcrystal22

IMO a 55 gallon is a waste of time and money.

Not to mention it is difficult to avoid stressing the snake, especially a juvenile.  Hatchlings have problems eating in 20 gallons all the time, what makes anyone think a 55 gallon would be at all beneficial?

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## pavlovk1025

> Thank you... I was not going to respond about that one since I have already mentioned how my tank is set up in many other threads... but with four hides. two water dishes,. house to himself all day and quiet once my son goes to bed... Rios has done quite well in  his 55 gallon tank.... On his first shed since I brought him home a month ago.....And I am guessing at his age (approx Feb/March) since he is only 19.5 inches long and 109 grams.


I dont care what you house your snake in as long as it is eating and isnt stressed. I was more 'UHHHH" about what you wrote. It kind of didnt make sense to me. It kinda jumped around a little bit ya know??




> Lets see here... I am running with a 55 gallon tank for my little 4 month old snake... and the way I am running...*(Where are you running?)*Alos I live in the Bay area CA.. so the ambient temps are more condusive for me.... I have a Large UTH under one side of the tank. I have ti hooked into a dimmer because if I let it igo by itself it hits 110 degrees on the substrate... no extra lights. bells or whistles...*(I choose bells.)*


Kinda threw me off, no biggie.

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## deltaneutral

I set up a 55 gal for my snake a bout 4 months ago and have had no problems.
He has been having clean, once piece sheds (I do bump up the humidity with spraying during that time).
The tank runs a consistent 70 to 80 degrees and around 50% humidity all the time without doing anything (I use aspen now instead of the Repti Bark in the pictures).
Belly temp on warm side runs at 90 degrees as measured by a temp gun.

I covered the glass tank with wood on all sides except the front.
The space between the glass and the wood acts as an insulating barrier (and looks good).

I cut two holes in the top which each have a CHE sitting on a metal grate.
There is a large UTH under the tank that is set up to a Ranco T-stat.
The T-stat is actually wired to a power strip so that anything plugged into the strip (UTH & CHE's) run at the set temp.

I also put a wooden floor grate on top that I can open and close to adjust air flow and humidity.

It took a couple bucks and some time, but I have not had a problem with a 55 gal despite what a lot of people say.
There are lots of places to hide...lots of plants and branches, etc. and my snake has been healthy and happy.
I should mention that my snake is about 1.5 years old...so not a juvie...but not an adult.

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## Faber

thats one sweet tank, and the rule of thumb here is that if they eat regularly and eaily then its a healthy snake?, cause my snake eats 110%, granted he's only eaten probably 4 times and cant always find it right away cause f/t dont make noise it eats and is fine. btw did i mention its in a 110g?

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## mrshawt

> I set up a 55 gal for my snake a bout 4 months ago and have had no problems.


Besides the fact that your tank is ten kinds of ridiculous. In a very good way though.  :Surprised:

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