With the two cheaper ones they default to on if something goes wrong. I'd continue to use your cheaper thermostat as a backup just in case.
01-21-2012, 10:30 PM
RestlessRobie
Re: Keep heat in
OOOOO I really need to make a post for a sticky on this one :)
So here is what I did and it works great.
First I covered 3 sides of the tank with aquarium background (the only good item I have found from Petsmart) just to make it look nicer for me to look at.
Second I took some cardboard and cut it to fit the 3 covered sides. Then I taped one side of the cardboard with foil tape to reflect heat back into the tank and taped the cardboard to the 3 coverd sides of the tank as seen below.
As for the screen top I purchased a peice of plexi from HomeDepot and cut it to fit just inside the slider top for my tank. Drilled a few holes in it for ventilation and one large hole for the CHE. Taped a portion of it with foil tape and left the back untaped for the tank light. I do like to see my snake when she is out :)
Heat is supplied from a 60W CHE and Flexwatt 11 taped to the bottom. The CHE is set at about 50% on a lamp dimmer from HomeDepot (plan to get a dual T-stat for it in the future) The Flexwatt is set on a Vivarium VE 300 T-stat set to 96F. This keep my hot spot at 91f and ambient at 78-81 as room temps fluctuate a little. My Snake seems to love it she just got a great checkup from the vet and is eating like a pig. Hasnt refused a meal yet. As you can see in the photo below room temp was about 68f and tank temps were exactly what I wanted them to be :) Hope this helps out and feel free to ask me any questions you might have.
