Temp Question

[anthony marshall]

ok i bought a themometor/hygrometer from radioshack that does two spots.

what should the humidity be in the cage?where should i put the temp probes at? depending on where i put the probes i get different readings. there is deffinantly a hot and cold side now. the uth seams to be putting out more heat than the 60w light bulb thats on 12hours a day i am thinking about changing it to one of those ceramic heater elements to get the right temps zones. what should i do to get the temps right in a 20 gal tank with a mesh top? what is my best course of action to make a perfect habitat?

[Smulkin]

ok i bought a themometor/hygrometer from radioshack that does two spots.

what should the humidity be in the cage?

Shoot for 50% when not in shed and bump up when shed is impending.

where should i put the temp probes at?

Go for one on hot side one on cool side

depending on where i put the probes i get different readings. there is deffinantly a hot and cold side now. the uth seams to be putting out more heat than the 60w light bulb thats on 12hours a day i am thinking about changing it to one of those ceramic heater elements to get the right temps zones. what should i do to get the temps right in a 20 gal tank with a mesh top?

Cover it with plastic, clear ConTac shelf paper or the like. Leave the corners or two strips on the short end open for air exchange. This will help with the lights/emitters leeching humidity out. Once you have that set up then you can tweak for temps. Since heat rises covering the lid will significantly effect the temp balance in the enclosure and the humidity IS important - hence the recommendation to tackle the issues in that order.

what is my best course of action to make a perfect habitat?

Keep reading, use the search function to trickle through relevant threads and make sure you check out the caresheet. There's a welth of information to be had here and a ton of willing and very capable folks here to help you out.

Welcome aboard!