flexwatt, thermostat and rack questions

say you have a rack with like 6 shelves like can you control each thing of flexwatt with 1 thermostat or do you need 1 for each shelf?

and with the racks do you just put the flexwatt down and then put the plastic tubs right on top of it?

and are the thermostats from http://www.reptilebasics.com good or are there better ones or decent ones for cheaper?

and how do the wire and clip sets for flexwatt work?

any extra info yall think i should know would be great :) I'm trying to learn and understand this stuff lol.

Run all together as long as its under the max watts for the thermostat a lot og the thermostats are rated for like 700watt range

thank you!

and oh i forgot a question. which flexwatt should be used for different racks? like i assume you would use a different one on a rack for babies and a rack for adults.

also how would you run them together? power strip thing?

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Originally Posted by sugamama15

thank you!

and oh i forgot a question. which flexwatt should be used for different racks? like i assume you would use a different one on a rack for babies and a rack for adults.

also how would you run them together? power strip thing?

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It depends on the size of the tub, you want the flexwatt to cover about 1/3rd of it for the hot spot. I'm pretty sure the 3" or 5" i'm not sure on the exact size will work for most herps under adult sizes.

Their are various ways to run the flexwatt depending if you want to run each continuously(soldering required, less power cords, ideally one) or if you want to run each separately(one power cord each) then you can run those into a surge protector and plug into your thermostat. I would recommend you let them all cool to the same temperature before plugging in,that way enough power is supplied to all of rack levels evenly and not just the one with the probe.

I run the latter with multiple cords to a surge protector, I am also relatively new to keeping multiple animals in a rack but this is what has worked for me, I have 8. I'm sure people who've been in the business longer or are more innovative than me at this time of night may chime in with better solutions.

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Originally Posted by Ryan Chin

It depends on the size of the tub, you want the flexwatt to cover about 1/3rd of it for the hot spot. I'm pretty sure the 3" or 5" i'm not sure on the exact size will work for most herps under adult sizes.

Their are various ways to run the flexwatt depending if you want to run each continuously(soldering required, less power cords, ideally one) or if you want to run each separately(one power cord each) then you can run those into a surge protector and plug into your thermostat. I would recommend you let them all cool to the same temperature before plugging in,that way enough power is supplied to all of rack levels evenly and not just the one with the probe.

I run the latter with multiple cords to a surge protector, I am also relatively new to keeping multiple animals in a rack but this is what has worked for me, I have 8. I'm sure people who've been in the business longer or are more innovative than me at this time of night may chime in with better solutions.

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Same here, but the rack shelves are covered in the back, 1/3 of the shelf as he said. Also mine is ran in series rather than each shelf being connected to its own outlet. I have a hydrofarm thermostat that was $30 and it can power up to 1000 watts, I have a heating pad also hooked up using a power strip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by sugamama15

say you have a rack with like 6 shelves like can you control each thing of flexwatt with 1 thermostat or do you need 1 for each shelf?

No one t-stat usually can be used to control all of the shelves.

and with the racks do you just put the flexwatt down and then put the plastic tubs right on top of it?

Yes straight on top the tub has a small gap so the flexwatt can vent.

and are the thermostats from http://www.reptilebasics.com good or are there better ones or decent ones for cheaper?

The herpstat series of tstats have the most amount of safety features and all are fully proprtional. They have units that are priced below the proprtional VE and above the most amount of safety is found on the HS1 but all have moes safety features than the VE. The ecozone/herpkeeper although more costly have the best alarm systems so IMO herpstats ecozone and herpkeeper VE or helix last.

and how do the wire and clip sets for flexwatt work?

Solder it if you have the ability.

any extra info yall think i should know would be great :) I'm trying to learn and understand this stuff lol.

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Racks are easier to control and maintain in warmer rooms (cool being below 68ºF) they become difficult to control ambient air temps below this. I would recommend a failsafe T-stat on all racks (questionable if using the HS1 or better with a relay and over and under temp protection) it will protect against a sudden drop in temp and shut off power rather than try to maintain heat. Sudden drops happen when the probe is pulled loose somehow, this can happen sliding tubs over probes.

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Originally Posted by Ryan Chin

It depends on the size of the tub, you want the flexwatt to cover about 1/3rd of it for the hot spot. I'm pretty sure the 3" or 5" i'm not sure on the exact size will work for most herps under adult sizes.

Their are various ways to run the flexwatt depending if you want to run each continuously(soldering required, less power cords, ideally one) or if you want to run each separately(one power cord each) then you can run those into a surge protector and plug into your thermostat. I would recommend you let them all cool to the same temperature before plugging in,that way enough power is supplied to all of rack levels evenly and not just the one with the probe.

I run the latter with multiple cords to a surge protector, I am also relatively new to keeping multiple animals in a rack but this is what has worked for me, I have 8. I'm sure people who've been in the business longer or are more innovative than me at this time of night may chime in with better solutions.

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well i saw people post about keeping hatchlings in 6 quart tubs and when they got to 300 grams moving them to 16 quarts so what size flexwatt would be best for those?

and what size tub would you use when the snake got to big for 16 quart? ive seen people post that they keep adults in like 32 or 41qt tubs. (mainly saw ppl saying to keep big females in 41qt)

and so what size flexwatt would you use for adults?



and thanks for the replies everyone :) very helpful

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and what size tub would you use when the snake got to big for 16 quart? ive seen people post that they keep adults in like 32 or 41qt tubs. (mainly saw ppl saying to keep big females in 41qt)

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I usually keep my females in 41 quarts and males in 32 quarts tubs, time at which they move to said tub depends on the individual itself, I have some animals that move to 41 quarts at barely 400 grams and I have 1000 animals cramped in 15 quarts tubs, depends on how well the animal does in a specific setting.

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and so what size flexwatt would you use for adults?

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All my racks from hatchling to adults come with 3 inches wide flexwatt that runs across the tub.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I usually keep my females in 41 quarts and males in 32 quarts tubs, time at which they move to said tub depends on the individual itself, I have some animals that move to 41 quarts at barely 400 grams and I have 1000 animals cramped in 15 quarts tubs, depends on how well the animal does in a specific setting.


All my racks from hatchling to adults come with 3 inches wide flexwatt that runs across the tub.

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I also use 3 inch Flexwatt. I use 32 quart tubs at the moment and with the 3 inch Flexwatt I have a steady 84-85 degree hotspot and the rest of the tub stays right around 80F, depending on the room temperatures. If you're looking at T-stats to buy, I highly recommend the Herpstat. They're well worth the money and I don't think I will use any other brand.

thank you everyone. :)