temps, cool side/warm side

[TheHabit]

right now I only have 1 accurite, so I put the actual unit on the cool side of the tank and the probe underneath the substrate under the hide on the warm side. Cool side reads 76-79 (fluctuates between day/night) and since I dont have a thermostat right now (ordered one, its on the way) I'm having a hard time keeping the warm side from getting too hot. I put a layer of cardboard under the substrate and that seems to help a little bit, but not really enough. When I see the probe temp getting above 93 degrees I just turn the UTH off for a while. Is the cool side too cold? I'm planning on getting a second UTH once my thermo gets here and just heating the viv with the 2 UTH's, ditching the lights, 'cept for a viewing light. The lights I'm using right now are a 50 watt infrared during the day and a 50 watt blue bulb for night time viewing.
Any suggestions?

[missi182]

Your on the right track! Everything sounds good with exception to the UTH which you have got a thermostat on the way for so thats good. If you are concerned about the cool side being too cool, move the lamp over that side and it will warm up the ambient temps, while the UTH will provide the warm belly heat needed under the warm hide.

A second UTH is a great way to go, I have 2 as well. I have one turned off for the summer though because my tank is warm enough with out it in 20 degrees plus weather. When you get the second UTH, if your thermostat can only control one device then you can use a lamp dimmer on the cooler UTH set super-low.

All in all, as long as you get around 90 for the warm side, low 80s for the cool side and humidity 50-60, however you chose to do that (safely lol) is totally up to you.

[TheHabit]

yeah the thermostat that I purchased can control 2 units so I think two UTH's will be perfect. As for the humidity, I've been keeping the water dish above the uth and have been misting the viv daily.

[missi182]

yeah the thermostat that I purchased can control 2 units so I think two UTH's will be perfect. As for the humidity, I've been keeping the water dish above the uth and have been misting the viv daily.

Awesome. Although I think the 500r you ordered can control two devices, but at the same temp levels. You will need the cool UTH to be set lower than the warm UTH, and I don't think you can do that with that thermostat.

A lamp dimmer will work O.K for a UTH set quite low, the fluctuations are O.K at 80-85 degrees, where as if you used a dimmer on the warm UTH, fluctuations of 90-95 would be a little too high for my comfort level.

[TheHabit]

thx for the input. Is there a certain kind of lamp dimmer I would need to use? When I went to get the Accurite I looked at some dimmers, but they seem to be the kind that would have to be spliced, at least that what my boyfriend said.

[starmom]

Oh boy~ here I go....
Missi has this tank stuff down to a science and so she is great resource for you.
I am here to attempt to pull you to the dark side!!!! Would you ever consider a reptile cage? I have these: http://www.reptilebasics.com/2x3-Cag...h-p-16286.html
These cages are wired with flex watt and so you just need to get a t'stat. They hold their heat and humidity and they are really just plug and play set-ups. It takes away all of the tinkering and futzing around that you have to do with a tank (take that as a testimony to Missi's fortitude) and they are just really great. This size will fit the royal for their lifetime.
So, whenever I read about people running out all the time to tweak (seemingly forever) with their tanks, I just feel compelled to offer the idea of a true reptile cage

[TheHabit]

That looks very interesting, Starmom. thank you for showing this to me. Its a little out of my price range for now, but I will definitely be considering one when Shinobi outgrows the tank he is in now. Perhaps if I'd known about it before I purchased the viv I would have gotten that instead maybe you could post a few pics of your setup?

[mikedahitman87]

That looks very interesting, Starmom. thank you for showing this to me. Its a little out of my price range for now, but I will definitely be considering one when Shinobi outgrows the tank he is in now. Perhaps if I'd known about it before I purchased the viv I would have gotten that instead maybe you could post a few pics of your setup?

I wouldn't go with the 2x3 rbi cage either at this point. Seems way too big for young bp. The mini cage is only $140 and has the same floor space as a 32qt tub. It should take your bp a while to grow out of the mini cage. When I call Rich at RBI about it he said that he has some of his adult males in mini cages but reccommended anything bigger than a 1000 grams or so should go in the 2x3 cages.

My mini cage should arrive today or tomorrow.

[sneakerpro]

thx for the input. Is there a certain kind of lamp dimmer I would need to use? When I went to get the Accurite I looked at some dimmers, but they seem to be the kind that would have to be spliced, at least that what my boyfriend said.

The dimmers that I have I purchased at Wal-Mart, and they are called a Table Top Lamp Dimmer. It really is plug'n'play. There is some tweaking involved, and it can get a little frustrating, but they are only $9. It obviously isn't a substitute for a t-stat, but it is a quick cheap fix. They were in the "small electrical" isle of the hardware dept in Wal-Mart.

[missi182]

Yep any piggy-back plug in dimmer will work, but there is a lot of "turn up the dial, turn down the dial" involved, but still better than an uncontrolled UTH. Hardware stores carry them, and wal-mart should have them too.

Starmom, if I could have afforded the reptile cages (and not put money into what I have already), I would be all over them like snot on a tissue! haha. I'm all for plug in and go! I am proud of all the "tinkering" I have done to achieve my as-close-to-perfect set-up so far, but oh man it would have been nice to just plug in one of those and be good to go from the start

Oh and when LD out-grows this 15 gal, I will almost definitely be going for something from reptilebasics like that reptile cage!