glass tank setup

hi there,
I am setting up my viv' in an old aquarium 30' x 12' (15' depth) and I am just wondering if any of you guys had a similar setup and if so what power(watt) CHE/heatmat/bulbs etc have you used to achieve ideal ambient air temp/ temp gradient etc .... if I can order the internals which have already been proven to be successful in someone's elses setup it will save me the expense of return-shipping equip that isn't giving me correct temps etc ... I'm not too bothered about the brands used just the results
thanks in advance

Personally, I don't use glass. Check out this sticky...I'm sure it would help you out.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=32800

I'm using that sticky to build the viv' but it doesn't say which power rating to use in the component list - there are so many different sizes/power ratings/watt strength of each component on the market its hard to know what to use for optimum results ... if someone else had a similar setup that was tried & tested it is less likely to go pear-shaped on me .. I've the basic build done at this stage & its turned out really well, but now the dollars come into play and esp the UTH's (once used cannot be returned) I'd prefer to get right from the get-go .. thanks tho for taking the time to reply ice-man

That sounds like a 20L tank.
When I had a set up like that I used a 9"x12" heat mat on the hot side and a 5.5" lamp w/ a 50watt red heat bulb and I had each one on a t-stat.
My temps stayed at 82 on cool side and 92 on hot side. Humidity was the problem so I coverd the screen lid w/ duct tape and cut a circle about 1/2' larger than the lamp out and two small corners on the hot side and I did run a Tropic aire w/ a pump for a large tank and my humidity stayed a steady 55

Are you using a thermostat to control the heaters? If you are it never hurts to have a heat source with a little extra power than you actually need on a daily basis in case of emergencies. If your not controling the heat with a thermostat or dimmer then it's obviously an extremely bad idea that could overheat the tank remarkably quickly.


When I'm using "lights" I like to use red spot bulbs (guarded with appropriately sized mesh) to try and deliver the temp to the bottom of the tanks where the snakes actually need it.


dr del

thanks for the replies - I am going to use stats etc ... so basically if I get high powered mats etc and run them off stats I can't go wrong (famous last words !) as can i can operate them at reduced capacity if need be - I should have paid attention in physcics class instead of trying to send the teacher into a nervous breakdown !! thanks again