Finally got my temps consistent...

After a bit of a struggle (and not enough money for a thermostat yet), i finally got my cool side (80 degrees) and warm side (92 degrees) to stay consistent. Uth on the cool side, and a moonlight bulb on the warm side. Cardboard all around (this is a 20g glass tank) and cardboard with foil on top. Before all my temps kept jumping around, but i've left it like this since yesterday afternoon and its still the same now. Even my humidity FINALLY got up to 55%... Hopefully it'll stay there... What do you guys recommend me doing if it drops below 50% again like it was? I already have 2 water dishes (adding the second one helped).

Anyways, just felt like posting cause I'm glad I dont have to keep messing with everything to get it just right. He's actually came out of his hides a little more often now too, and found a nice place to rest wrapped up by the fake plant.

I have a tank also for my BP and I just monitor the temps and humidty, I check them a few times each day, and just mist the tank when necessary to keep humidity over 50%. Do you have a thermometer probe on the glass above the UTH? UTH's can get to be too hot for your BP and can cause a burn if not monitored (thus the need for a Thermostat). I would try to get a rheostat or a dimmer for the UTH while you are saving for a thermostat. They can be relatively inexpensive (from what I hear) and something is better than nothing as far as monitoring the UTH, but I would definately get a good thermostat as soon as you can.
:rockon:

How are you measuring your temps?

My UTH will get up above 100 if I don't have it on a rheostat at least (I got one for $20 at Pet Warehouse). Just make sure you're measuring temps at ground level, and I would definitely suggest the Accurite digital thermometers if you don't have them already.

I live in Missouri, so it's fairly humid (around 60%) most of the time, but during the shed cycle i did have a bit of trouble bumping it up above 70%. I found the thing that worked best for me was to put a damp towel over 3/4 of the mesh top. It will raise humidity 10-15% depending on how damp the towel is.

I'm now being tempted by the tub setup... it's going to be a nightmare keeping temps during the winter for me if I don't switch!