Quick and urgent solutions for a bp lover on a budget!

Thanks, next time I use aspen I'll use only a little bit. Another question. I'm having a really hard time regulating temperatures, and it just accidentally got up to 100, but my bp moved to the middle of the tank (yay, s/he has common sense). The cool side of the tank is all the way down to 69 though. Should I have two heat pads and light dimmers to try and keep the proper temps? It's really frustrating.

Bump, cause no one replies if I don't.

You are quickly learning the hard way what a short cut in equipment gets you, sorry. I have been there done that, so I am speaking from experience. The dimmers are nothing but trouble (I gave up on mine after 2 days). You REALLY need to have a thermostat to avoid those spikes in either direction. A cheap on/off thermostat is available at Petco and Petsmart for around $30-40, and will serve you much better than what you have now. It's better to get what you need now, as it will be less expensive than buying a new snake when this one dies.

As for the cool side, you can use a second pad and thermostat (a dimmer on that side will be just as frustrating) or you can use a ceramic bulb above the tank (the ones that don't emit light). That will help bump up the ambient temperature, especially if the rest of the top is covered.

Fluctuating room temps will cause the UTH to fluctuate in temperature, when your using a dimmer. Thats why you need to monitor it several times a day with your temp gun. With a thermostat, you don't need to monitor it as much. I would suggest thinning out the aspen as much as you can, so that the heat can transfer through. But make sure it doesn't get any higher than 95

To answer your other question, you can use another UTH, but just one UTH is enough to drive me crazy, so I use a heat lamp. This is another device that will need a dimmer. It can get too hot, depending on the wattage you use. It's a useful tool in bumping up your cool side, warm side and ambient temperatures.

My suggestion, go buy a thermostat like Otter said. And go buy a heat lamp, and bulb and use the dimmer you already have on it.

Good luck

Yeah, I'm actually about to buy a hydrofarm thermostat on amazon. The pet stores that were nearby didn't have anything I would be willing to use long-term (I didn't look very close, but there may not have been anything), which is why I got the lamp dimmer. I'm not going to let the little guy sit in a 60 degree tank for a few days while I wait for a thermostat to arrive, and I'm not going to let him cook in 150 degrees. I'll also pick up a CHE and lamp when I can. For now I got the temps stable between 93 and 88 in the warm end, and I check every hour or so, even at night. One more question, with the thermostat, would I be able to achieve the proper temps throughout the terrarium with just the UTH? Or do I need a heat lamp? This is the thing that's been confusing me to no extent. I could get a heat mat a size larger than the tank, so it would spread the warmth further?

It totally depends on the ambient temps of your room. If your house is on the warm side, you may be fine, but if it gets cold and/or you like to blast the air conditioner, you will need something else to get the temps up.

Okay, thank you. My questions are answered... for now.