My tank setup, humidity and temp no longer a problem

[VooDooDoc]

Seems like a lot of people have issues with their tanks, especially with humidity. I did at first but now seems like its all working out. My biggest problem was the UTH didn't do anything to keep the ambient temps up. Rather than go through the rigmarole of what it took to get where I'm at I just wanted to show my setup and explain what it is. Maybe it will help out someone else trying to set up a fish tank for their snake.



To give some added privacy I "blacked" out the back and sides. Could have used one of them expensive murals from the pet store but figured plain black is just as good. I bought some black felt sheets form WalMart, like 20 cents each. Perfect size, just hot glued them around the top of the tank.

Keeping the lid on securely is easy. I bought those black straps from WalMart, the section they sell bungee cords in. 5 bucks for the pair. They come 12 foot long just snip off the excess. Leave enough to loosen without taking the strap out of the buckle.

For heating I have an UTH which does really little to no good. It's on a Hydrofarm thermostat to keep it from getting too hot. Probe is hot glued to the glass under the substrate right on top of the UTH so I know my snake can't get burned. Like I said does nothing for ambient heat but gives him some belly heat if he wants it.

To keep ambient temps up I have 2 heat lamps. Both have built in rheostats and are also on a thermostat. I put the probe for the thermostat on the hot end. One lamp is a 100 watt and the other is a 75 watt, these are both infrared bulbs so they don't disrupt the day-night cycle as they cycle on and off 24x7. This is what gives me the temp gradient. Use the rheostats to fine tune the difference between the two.

Temperature is never a problem when using heat lamps it seems the problem is humidity. This is solved by making a cover for the screen top.

I bought plexiglass and drilled 2 rows of 9 holes each 3/8", this made humidity shoot way up, almost 80%. So I tried drilling more holes and shattered the plexiglass, not only is that stuff expensive its hard as heck to work with.

So while walking down the aisle at lowes ready to waste another 20 bucks on plexi I seen these plastic sheets that one would use for florescent ceiling lights, $6.00 for a large sheet. This stuff is cheaper and infinitely easier to work with. I drilled 5 rows of 9 holes each 5/8" (I think).

Turns out to be perfect for ventilation. Tank does not smell and humidity stays 50-60%, mist maybe twice a week, depending how much I open the tank.

Oh and don't trust the read out on the thermostats, use a good thermometer or temp gun and adjust accordingly.

It's also worth noting that the temp has varied a lot lately. Whether its 30 degrees or 70 degrees outside, rain or not, high or low humidity, my tank stays the same.

[pigfat]

I still think I'm going to give up on the tank for at least the winter months, but that is a pretty great idea!

[Rusky]

A tip for anyone working with plexiglas, don't just drill into it. Use a soldering gun with a small tip to make the initial hole, it cuts through plexiglas like butter. Then use a drill to widen the hole and clean it up. I did this when modding my tank and I didn't have a single issue.

Here's a pic of the holes