Which one do I get???

[ZEKESMOM]

am going to order my thermostat from reptile basic. Would love the Helix but the purse won't allow it right now. I know I should have had a thermostat long ago.
Okay so here is my question. Do I order the Johnson A-419 or the Ranco ETC-111000. I am going to order the flexwatt and have it prewired.
Another question. I have a 45 gallon tank...do I get the 11 inch flexwatt? And what is foil tape and do I need it?
Looking for quick responses from all of you....come on I know you all have an opinion on this

[Nate]

And what is foil tape and do I need it?

I believe the foil tape can be found at wal-mart for about 1/2 the price. It's just adhesive foil that is great if you're using a rack. It keeps the flexwatt from wearing out.

[lord jackel]

am going to order my thermostat from reptile basic. Would love the Helix but the purse won't allow it right now. I know I should have had a thermostat long ago.
Okay so here is my question. Do I order the Johnson A-419 or the Ranco ETC-111000. I am going to order the flexwatt and have it prewired.
Another question. I have a 45 gallon tank...do I get the 11 inch flexwatt? And what is foil tape and do I need it?
Looking for quick responses from all of you....come on I know you all have an opinion on this

I like you started out with a non-proportional thermostat on went with the Ranco. It was well made, easy to use and lasted for 2 years (before I upgraded to a Helix) and now is my back-up unit...so my opinion is for the Ranco (just because I have experience with it)

From memory a 45 gal is about 36 inch in legth? So a 1' piece of 11" should cover 1/3 of the tank bottom. I would recommend you buy 2' to cover 66% of the tank bottom at worst case you can cut a foot off if it raises the temp too much...but you can't easily add more if it isn't enough (without more wiring)

Yes you will need foil tape to attach the flex to the underside of the tank. Rich has it or you can go to Wal-Mart and buy if for about $6 a rool. In fact I got 2 rolls yesterday for $1 on clearance.

Hope this helps.

[ZEKESMOM]

I like you started out with a non-proportional thermostat on went with the Ranco. It was well made, easy to use and lasted for 2 years (before I upgraded to a Helix) and now is my back-up unit...so my opinion is for the Ranco (just because I have experience with it)

From memory a 45 gal is about 36 inch in legth? So a 1' piece of 11" should cover 1/3 of the tank bottom. I would recommend you buy 2' to cover 66% of the tank bottom at worst case you can cut a foot off if it raises the temp too much...but you can't easily add more if it isn't enough (without more wiring)

Yes you will need foil tape to attach the flex to the underside of the tank. Rich has it or you can go to Wal-Mart and buy if for about $6 a rool. In fact I got 2 rolls yesterday for $1 on clearance.

Hope this helps.

Okay so I will get foil tape at wallie world. Should I really cover over half of my tank with flexwatt and keep it at 92? I thought it was just one third of the tank that was kept "warm"

[mxrider42]

I have the Ranco. I also have another Ranco that should be here tomorrow from Reptile Basics. The tape is just like duct tape except it can handle the high temps.

[lord jackel]

Okay so I will get foil tape at wallie world. Should I really cover over half of my tank with flexwatt and keep it at 92? I thought it was just one third of the tank that was kept "warm"

It isa guideline..BUT only if it is enough to keep the ambient temp in the high 80's. My experience with glass tanks is that they transfer the room air temp to the inside of the tank...and in most cases this is too low so you need to somehow raise the temp.

It is a catch 22...and you won't know till you get it all hooked up. An extra foot of flex is cheap and if in the end you don't end of needing it you can just cut it off.

FWIW...my first tank had flex covering the entire bottom as my room temp was too cool. One half of the tank was on a Ranco set at 93 the other half on another Ranco set at 85.

[JLC]

Yeah...how much of the bottom of the tank is covered by the UTH depends a lot on your ambient room temps and the overall setup. So long as you allow for the ~10 degree temperature gradient. (Don't cover the WHOLE bottom of the tank...you must leave enough to have a "cool" zone and hopefully some temps in the middle.)


What you might try is just setting the tank on the flexwatt and firing it up to see how it behaves...then adjust as necessary until you get as close to the ideal temps (with your substrate and everything in place) as you can. THEN once you know how much coverage you need to work...tape it down.

If you HAVE to attach it to test it...try just using tiny bits of tape until you're sure you have it right...then secure it with more tape.

[ZEKESMOM]

It isa guideline..BUT only if it is enough to keep the ambient temp in the high 80's. My experience with glass tanks is that they transfer the room air temp to the inside of the tank...and in most cases this is too low so you need to somehow raise the temp.

It is a catch 22...and you won't know till you get it all hooked up. An extra foot of flex is cheap and if in the end you don't end of needing it you can just cut it off.

FWIW...my first tank had flex covering the entire bottom as my room temp was too cool. One half of the tank was on a Ranco set at 93 the other half on another Ranco set at 85.

Okay Thank you...another 1 ft of flex is not gonna break me lOl just want to make sure I dont go over board! looks like ranco is in the lead!

[JLC]

As for t-stats...I have a Johnson and it has worked just fine so far. (Almost a year now.) I think you'll be happy with either.

[ZEKESMOM]

Yeah...how much of the bottom of the tank is covered by the UTH depends a lot on your ambient room temps and the overall setup. So long as you allow for the ~10 degree temperature gradient. (Don't cover the WHOLE bottom of the tank...you must leave enough to have a "cool" zone and hopefully some temps in the middle.)


What you might try is just setting the tank on the flexwatt and firing it up to see how it behaves...then adjust as necessary until you get as close to the ideal temps (with your substrate and everything in place) as you can. THEN once you know how much coverage you need to work...tape it down.

If you HAVE to attach it to test it...try just using tiny bits of tape until you're sure you have it right...then secure it with more tape.

Thank you Judy