exo terra heat mat temp

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Originally Posted by francojs

I can put the ceramic bulb in any normal desk lamp socket?

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I wouldn't. Most regular desk lamps aren't meant to hold up to the heat bulbs. I'd get a lamp/dome specifically intended for use with these bulbs (made for reptile use).

hang on

changing my answer

ok

i will do some more research

i need to see what wattage i need to buy

There's a huge difference in how hot the heat mat can get depending on what is on top of it and underneath it. If there's a thick layer of substrate over it, it can get really very hot. With a thin bit of newspaper over it, it won't get as hot because more heat is lost through the newspaper.
As a corollary, it will heat the air in the enclosure more if there's thinner substrate above it, and good insulation below it. Picture two tanks with the same heat mat on the bottom against the glass. One tank is sitting on top of a piece of foam insulation; the other tank is sitting on one of those metal stands that only holds the rim of the tank. The heat mat with the metal tank is exposed to the air underneath, and will lose a lot of heat that way - it's heating the air under the tank as much as it's heating anything inside the tank. The heat mat sitting on the foam insulation will lose little heat underneath, and all the heat it puts out will go into the tank instead.

Some people do mount heat mats on the side of the tank, where they aren't covered with any substrate and can heat the air more effectively. But ultimately, a huge and important difference between a heat mat and a ceramic heat bulb is the wattage. The heat lamp is in the 60-100 watt range; your heat mat is 16 watts. Even if your heat lamp loses a lot of heat to the air surrounding the fixture, which is outside the tank, you're comparing a 100-watt heat source with a 16-watt heat source. Guess which one makes more heat?

For humidity, start by covering the screen top with something impermeable and see where you are. I like aluminum foil because it won't burn or melt if it touches a heat lamp (you need to leave a hole for the lamp to 'shine' through though).

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Originally Posted by francojs

Ok ok i got it!!!

I can put the ceramic bulb in any normal desk lamp socket?

I know what you mean neal about the screen top it is harder to keep heat and humidity... Well newbie mistakes hehe

I also have a humidity problem as you probably noticed from the picture lol

Thanks a lot for the help

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Please, please do not use a normal desk lamp socket, it'll melt it. Reptile ones are specifically made using a ceramic socket for this.