Tub owners, how do you keep your cool side temps up?

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Originally Posted by mr~python

get another strip of flexwatt, run it along the cool side of the tub/s and set it to high 70's low 80's if your temps are too low. you dont need to heat a whole room. thatd be a waste and a headache.

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Ditto that. You can use a lamp dimmer with the thermostat. Plug the cool side flexwatt into the dimmer, plug the dimmer into the thermostat. All set!

Mmmm, there are a lot of members on this forum who keep snakes in tanks and would argue that their snakes are secure given that they eat, poo and breed.
That said, I also feel that tanks are tricky to get going so that they are stable; but again, many members are successful with this.
I was speaking of a cage- a reptile cage. I have 6 and they rock!!!

I have an ultatherm 6 by 11 on the way along with a rheostat. I'll see how it goes but it stinks because the rheostat is costing me $25 shipped via amazon.. and the pads was $23 shipped. This is getting really expensive. Overall, I've spent close to $500 on husbandry for 2 snakes.

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Originally Posted by spaceturtle

I have an ultatherm 6 by 11 on the way along with a rheostat. I'll see how it goes but it stinks because the rheostat is costing me $25 shipped via amazon.. and the pads was $23 shipped. This is getting really expensive. Overall, I've spent close to $500 on husbandry for 2 snakes.

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Where did you spend 500$??? That sucks, a tub set up shouldn't cost that much... One thermostat can run 2+ tubs depending on the heating elements.

My snake room ambient temp is only about 70F...

But the hot side is about 94F :)

Lots of options!

^^^ isn't that dangerous for the snake? 70 seems too low to be anywhere inside a BP's enclosure.. or are you saying you found a way to get it over 80 without a 2nd heat source? I've been tweaking my tubs and can't seem to get it right.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Where did you spend 500$??? That sucks, a tub set up shouldn't cost that much... One thermostat can run 2+ tubs depending on the heating elements.

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Well a lot of that was purchasing things in the wrong sizes, purchasing too much of stuff, getting the fancy hides, getting too many thermometers etc.. It can run more tubs but since my other snake is smaller it's in a smaller tub as well. Even using same wattage/size flexwatt in the same thermostat, tub size seems to have an effect on temps. I guess its because of the surface area or something, I dunno.

Before switching to a tub all I had was heat lamp and it got the temp gradient perfectly in line, right out of the box. Humidity was the issue I switched to a tub for. Now the concern is temps. And also humidity if I don't have enough vent holes or air flow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by spaceturtle

^^^ isn't that dangerous for the snake? 70 seems too low to be anywhere inside a BP's enclosure.. or are you saying you found a way to get it over 80 without a 2nd heat source? I've been tweaking my tubs and can't seem to get it right.

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What he's saying is there is more than one way to keep bp's. ;)

Just to give an idea of what a tub set up costs; I just spent $97.01 for my new quaratine set up.

Ranco Thermostat- $69.99
1 foot 11 inch flexwatt- $3.50
1 set of clamps for flexwatt- $5.00
Tax and shipping- $18.52

All I need is a tub which will probably be $3. So grand total I spent $100 for a reliable set up.

I'm a huge fan of tanks. But, I have to caution you. If you can't get a tub to work you will never get a tank to work. It's a LOT harder. I don't pay a lot of attention to cool side temps either. I just regulate my warm sides so that the snake is using both sides regularly. Where is your snake spending most of his time now?

Well, the few tubs I use (mostly for QT) have a UTH on each side for warm and cool temps controlled by separate thermostats. Granted, those t-stats are the ZooMed variety...but they work just fine for QT needs and are cheap enough to allow me to have 5. To raise ambient temps(in winter), I place a lamp about 8-12" above the top of the tub around the middle and use a 40 watt bulb.

With all the heck I've been through with these tubs: getting ventilation right to lower humidity, keeping the temp gradient right... I just really prefer my tanks! However, they are not practical given my limited space...so I'm building a rack that will use 90qt tubs for my adult BPs and I will put up with the endless tweaking to get it right for the extra space it will give me. :) Of course, my corn snakes and my younger BPs are staying in their nice stable tanks. :D