RHP wattage recommendation?

Hello,
My room temp is about 70 degrees, my tank is 36x18x18. What reptile basics RHP should I get? Im hoping i can have my snake cozy with a 40 watt but im thinking im going to need the 80.

Thanks!

Edit: I should add that the RHP and the UTH will be the only heat sources. Bulbs are LED

40 watt will be plenty. The 40 watt is recommended for 4x2x1 enclosures, and can act as the only heat source even without a UTH.

awseome. I was reading that enclosures taller than 12 inches in rooms below 75 would need the 80 watt, is this not correct?

From RB site:

Which size do I need?

We have tested the 40 watt panel in several 2'x4' cage designs including our own PVC and various thicknesses of plywood. Participants in this test have also included ARBREPTILES (Clay Davenport), Boamaster (Mark Venhorst) and other private breeders. We have all reached pretty much the same guidelines.

In a 2x4 cage that is 12" tall or less in a room temp of 75° F+ you will see good results with the 40 watt RHP. The taller the cage the more likely you will want to set up basking sites that are elevated and closer to the RHP to give your animals a gradient. Generally taller cages 18" or taller are set up for arboreal use so this is not a problem. If your room temp is lower than 74 F or your cage is 12"+ you may want to move up to the 80 watt.

Cages less than 2'x4' will generally work well with the 40 watt panel. Once again, height and room temp is a determining factor. We have had very good success with several Ball Python keepers in the Northern parts of the US using the 80 watt panel in our 2x3 cages. While normally a bit much for this size cage we have found this combination to work very well in the cooler room temps often found in these areas with the higher temp requirements of these snakes. Make sure you use a thermostat!

If your cage falls into the 2'x4' or 2'x6' range you will want to upgrade to the 80 watt panel. The 120 watt panel is for generally for larger cages 2'x6' or larger, open air enclosures or cool room temperatures. The 160 watt panel is intended for 6' and 8' cages. When in doubt you can move to the next higher wattage, just make sure you use that thermostat!

(A) Call Reptile Basics and get their input. When I called with a sizing question they didn't try to sell me a larger unit than needed.

(B) If you're on the fence, you can go with the larger one, provides it fits, especially if your thermostat is proportional. The thermostat will run it at whatever power rate necessary to get the desired heat.


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Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I can see there isn't any downside to a bigger one than you really need, beyond the space it takes up and the fairly small difference in initial cost, right? If it's bigger than necessary you can just run it at lower power which means lower surface temps anyway, which is also not a bad thing.
Am I missing anything?

Sounds about right, but im setting up 2 entire tanks at the same time, the difference is about $60 for the RHPs. If i can get away with the smaller one and it not be an issue, I would prefer to do it that way. I emailed reptile basics to ask them their opinion.

Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Coluber42

? If it's bigger than necessary you can just run it at lower power which means lower surface temps anyway, which is also not a bad thing.
Am I missing anything?

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Not a lower temperature, you would run it regulated by a thermostat at the temperature needed.

I have a 36x18x18 exo-terra and ask reptile basics the same question and they recommenced the 40 watt and I told them my room temp was around 68 in the winter and 74 in the summer. I can tell you the highest during the winter I have gotten my ambient temps up to was 82 and the low was 76. I have the thermostat set at 92 so the RHP never turns off. The 80 watt would have been better but at 22 inches long that takes up most of your top. I have UTH on the cool side set at 82 and UTH on the warm side set at 92 so not as worried when the ambient temp falls below 80.

Youre right, they did say to use the 40.

Im hoping that covering up most of the top helps, But I will go with the 40, thanks!