Can't get enclosure warm enough
So, I've looked through every similar post, and can't seem to find good answers.
I have a baby who is still in quarantine. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get the levels in his permanent enclosure right. No matter what I do, I cannot get it warm enough. I'm still reading 79 on the warm side and 71 on the cool side. I feel like I've done everything possible to correct this, but nothing's working.
I'm working with a 35 gal tank. Its been covered on 3 sides and top with reflectix and foil tape, with only the lamp area left uncovered. I have a large UTH, hooked up to a thermostat, set at 95. I have a 100w ceramic bulb, connected to a separate thermostat (probe directly under bulb, on top of substrate), set at 89. I have a thermometer with a probe placed close to the back of the warm side, 2 inches above substrate, reading at 79. Another on the cool side, reading at 71. It's only gone up a couple of degrees the entire time I've been playing with it. What gives?
The only things I can think of are:
-Maybe the substrate is too thick
-Maybe the water dish (placed mostly under the lamp for humidity) is absorbing the heat
-Maybe I should put reflectix on the bottom, too? This tank has feet so there's a little airflow underfiberneath
-Maybe I need a second lamp, though I've rarely seen anyone do this
Pictures below. The light you're seeing is just florescent, for daylight. I have 3 hides, one over the UTH. The substrate I'm using is a mix of loose coconut fiber and cypress.
Help?
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Akphai...0-c0c77a98cefb
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Akphai...e-6864553e8ed9
Re: Can't get enclosure warm enough
I'm having the same problem but I can't seem to get mine above 83 in my 40 gallon breeder.
Re: Can't get enclosure warm enough
What are your ambient room temperatures?
As vivi said, make sure the thermostat probe for the UTH is sandwiches between the heat mat and the bottom of the tank on the outside of your enclosure.
For the CHE, hopefully someone who uses those will chime in with probe placement suggestions.
Part of the issue may be that it sounds like you are actually measuring ambient air temps as opposed to surface temps. To measure surface temps you'll want to purchase a temp gun. You can get them for about $15 on Amazon and can probably find one at home improvement stores.
What kind of thermometer are you using to measure your air temps? Is it digital or the stick on kind you find at pet stores? The stick on kind are wildly inaccurate. You want a digital thermometer to measure air temps. A popular one are the Acurite kind, about $8-$10 at most Walmarts.