New 20 gallon tank setup for my growing ball

looks good! i have to redo the foil on my enclosure yet AGAIN as i have ruined it last night lol

One thing I need to see, is if that damn expensive CHE element is actually doing its job or not. I am half tempted to return it and just use an infared heating light instead. After a few hours it didn't seem like the temps were coming up very much but I'll give it some time. It was at 77 degrees when I went to work today.

And feeding in the enclosure is going to make it a TON easier to feed her actually. So what I just do the zombie dance in front of the door to whatever enclosure she is in and wait for her to strike out of it? I'm just worried I won't be able to tell which hide she is in without moving it and disturbing her. I'll just have to make sure I position the door of one of them so I can see in there...

Looking good... just a few suggestions:

1 - insulate the back and sides of the tank. It REALLY helps with keeping ambient temps up. :) My house stays around 70 in winter but with the foam board insulation my tank ambient temps are around 75, higher with a lamp.

2 - raise that lamp! It's not that the screen would melt (though it may warp with a CHE), but that the direct heat will suck the tank dry. Any lamp used, for temp boosts or viewing, should be raised at least 6" above the top. I hang mine from a hook in the ceiling with chain or cord. :)

3 - get another water dish that's wide and shallow! That bowl is way too deep. If you really need the big dish for humidity, then it should be nice and wide, but no deeper than 1-2".

4 - get a thermostat ASAP. Rheostats are only good when your room temp stays the same all the time. The dimmer for the lamp is good, but you'll want a more reliable control for the UTH.

Since you're getting new hides, everything else seems to be in order. :) Sorry I didn't see this thread till now...

Looks good but I would change hides. :gj::gj:

The UTH is on a repti-temp 500R. I've seen lots of doggie dishes like that in tanks... I guess I can get something different if it is really a problem. I know there are repti rocks at petsmart that fit the bill but they are $20.

The hook with a chain thing is a pretty good idea actually but then the foil is blocking the heat from going in right?

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Originally Posted by sg1trogdor

Looks good but I would change hides. :gj::gj:

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Lol read the thread.

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Originally Posted by ScottyDsntKnow

The UTH is on a repti-temp 500R. I've seen lots of doggie dishes like that in tanks... I guess I can get something different if it is really a problem. I know there are repti rocks at petsmart that fit the bill but they are $20.

The hook with a chain thing is a pretty good idea actually but then the foil is blocking the heat from going in right?

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Ok, the ZooMed stat is a good one to have until you can afford better. :) I have 4 of them and they're still going strong after a year.

As for the dish, cat dishes are better than dog since they're shallower. Also, the plastic drip trays for plant pots work well if you put a nice big smooth stone or other heavy decor inside it to weigh it down.

When hanging the lamp, make sure it hangs right over the opening so the heat can get in. The foil then keeps the heat in the tank from rising out again. Even if ALL the heat from the bulb isn't going directly into the tank, it still heats the area around it, raising the ambient temps. Just don't forget about insulating the back and sides, as that really helps. :)

I'll see about hanging the lamp up soon. After running it all day today and not having misted since noon yesterday the humidity level is still in the upper 60s. I attribute this to the moss. I'll look at cat dishes next time I go by petsmart, I really don't feel like spending $20 for a big repti rock water dish. Maybe I'll look online some more.

Reptile basics hides get here tomorrow and I'm debating on whether I want to paint them with some krylon stone texture paint(all krylon paints are non toxic when dry) or just leave them as is.