New to the forums, and BPs, help please!

I have a new problem now- The cooler side of the tank is at 78 degrees, and the most I can get it to go up to is 80, while the warmer side is at 92 degrees.

I'm only using the UTH right now- but once again, there's technically 5 layers for her to be on- the 2 layers of paper towel, 2 layers of newspaper, and 1 layer of repticarpet.

Should I take the carpet away, or one of the other layers or what?

My main concern is her getting burnt if I take too many layers away, or if I take the carpet away that she might find a way under the papers and burn.


Also- in my attempt to get the cooler side hotter- (It dipped down to 72 degrees, which I dont get how, considering we have our AC set at 78) I covered up the top a little more with foil and duct tape, so now its, in terms of dividing the the tank in to 6 parts (two left, two middle, two right), 5/6s covered with insulation, and 1/6 open to let the necessary air circulation through.

Hi,

Is the UTH connected to your thermostat? Also whan you talk of the tank being insulated do you mean the back,bottom and sides as well or only the top?


dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

Is the UTH connected to your thermostat? Also whan you talk of the tank being insulated do you mean the back,bottom and sides as well or only the top?


dr del

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Yes, the UTH is currently the only thing connected to the Thermostat.

And by insulation, I mean the top has 3 layers of tin-foil under the mesh, and 1 layer of Duct-tape above it, covering 5/6 of the top and 1/6 for the light every now and again, just to warm it up a little more in case it's still not warm enough, but mostly for ventilation.



It's all right now at 82.8 percent in the cool hidey hole, 91.2 percent in the warm hidey hole, and 58% humidity ambient.

She's in her cool hidey hole right now.

Thedotw, I dunno if this will help you or not, but my screen is set up the same way as yours (foil/duct tape), and I had a similar problem. What I do is cover the opening up with a thick washcloth (dry of course), like martha stewart quality. This helps insulate it a bit without blocking air flow. At night, I use a regular fluorescent light bulb and set it directly on top of the wash cloth, which helps keep heat in the cage without sacrificing humidity. Like I said though, you have to make sure its a heavy duty washcloth so no light gets through. I use a thick dark blue one, and it keeps it warm and dark at night. The heat signature is similar to that of a UTH, except its on the top of your tank :)

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Originally Posted by chz

Thedotw, I dunno if this will help you or not, but my screen is set up the same way as yours (foil/duct tape), and I had a similar problem. What I do is cover the opening up with a thick washcloth (dry of course), like martha stewart quality. This helps insulate it a bit without blocking air flow. At night, I use a regular fluorescent light bulb and set it directly on top of the wash cloth, which helps keep heat in the cage without sacrificing humidity. Like I said though, you have to make sure its a heavy duty washcloth so no light gets through. I use a thick dark blue one, and it keeps it warm and dark at night. The heat signature is similar to that of a UTH, except its on the top of your tank :)

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thanks CHZ, I'll definitly try that!

I'd becareful with that. It sounds like a bit of a fire hazard to me, if I'm understanding right.

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

I'd becareful with that. It sounds like a bit of a fire hazard to me, if I'm understanding right.

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I was thinking the same thing...

;)

right now, I have the 50 watt heat lamp on, as well as the UTH on opposite sides, both on low.

the UTH is the hot hidey side, and it's at a warm 93 degrees, and the heatlamp is on the cool hidey side, keeping it at just above 80 degrees. and Humidity has been at 59% for a while now, so I think I got it all under control finally :)

Thanks for all your help guys, I truly appreciate it, and I guess I'll just post in here if something develops.

Thanks again!

We're all about keepin' the kids healthy and happy! And big kudos to you... for your willingness to learn, your willingness to change things up to make sure your girl gets that!!!:rockon:


Welcome to the forums... pull up a comfy seat and stay awhile.

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Originally Posted by Thedotw

I have a new problem now- The cooler side of the tank is at 78 degrees, and the most I can get it to go up to is 80, while the warmer side is at 92 degrees.

I'm only using the UTH right now-

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I was having a similar problem in my tank. 20L tank with a UTH that ended up being plenty powerful enough to get the warm side way too hot, but none of the heat was transfering over to the cool side, or at least not enough heat. I already had insulated 3 sides and most of the top of the tank, and the UTH on a rheostat so it is never on full strength.

I put down 2 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil in the tank right on the glass on the bottom. This helps keep the warm side from getting too hot, and transfers some of the heat to the cool side. I'm sure part of what is happening is I'm bouncing heat back out of the cage and it is costing me a little extra electricity, but it got me a step closer to perfect steady temps.