How to Setup a Glass Tank (20 long) With Pictures!

100 watt bulb on a dimmer just like he says

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Originally Posted by michael.cser20

And yeah i have the top covered in foil tapehttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...d976b31ce2.jpg

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Is the black area around the heat lamp in the picture part of the screen top? Move your heat lamp to one side, not in the middle. Cover the entire lid with foil then cut out a circle for the heat lamp. On the opposite side of the lid, cut a vent into the foil leaving the foil as a flap about 4 inches long. Reduce your heat bulb to a 75 or 50 watt. Put you water bowl in the middle of your tank and move it toward the heat lamp or away to adjust your humidity. This will take time and trial and error to do because you will need to allow the humidity to readjust everything you move the water bowl. Make sure your water bowl has a big surface area of water. I have a link to a video in one of the posts in this thread that explains all this and about water surface area. Find and watch it to see if it helps.

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So just to understand on these 20L run a UTH with tstat and inferred lamp at 50w with another tstat(at least this is how I achieve the proper temps I've posted). Once the ambient temps reach 80-85ish and the surface temp(taken with IR temp gun) reads 90-95ish and the cool side surface temp is around 75-80ish with humidity around 60-70% is idea? I'm new but trying to get an over all understanding of the 16 pages. I'm In TX and I know once the outside temps start warming up I'll have to cut the light off until next winter and just boost my tstat on my uth just to make sure the basking temps are where they should be. Hope this makes sense.

Here's a pic hope it comes out right. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/webki...f7fa/imagejpeg Crud I'm new to all this somebody help me with a way to resize this pic

I'm have an iPhone using a new pc don't know how resize these pics

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Branches aren't necessary at all. BP's are terrestrial (ground dwelling) snakes and don't climb much, especially as adults. As for shedding BP's can rub against anything in the cage including themselves. All that really matters is that the humidity is high enough.

My BP's are all housed in cages setup like this and I've yet to have a bad shed:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...d.jpg~original

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Apologies for putting another view on things but many keepers have branches in their Royal setups as they will most definitely climb them in the evenings . They will even chill-out in them for a while on occasion and if course climbing is great exercise for them .

I've even got one Royal , my two year old Pastel who strike feeds from the branches and eats up in them - if he's up there when it's feeding time .

Certainly worth a try as they can simply be removed if needed .

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Originally Posted by Katiecat124

So I followed this tank setup pretty closely as far as the UTH and tstat and bought the exact same thermometer, but when I placed the thermometer in the tank as you had it, my BP messed with the cord and drowned my thermometer. I know I can't place any sort of tape in his tank so what should I do to prevent this from happening again in the future? Can I take a hot glue gun and glue over the probe wire in the corners of either side of the tank? Any other suggestions?

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Well I for one use a glue gun very successfully to stick down any probes or wires in my vivs .

Not sure if this has been asked already, if I plan on getting a UTH with a temp controller, do I still need to get the thermostat?

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Originally Posted by MixtSpice

Not sure if this has been asked already, if I plan on getting a UTH with a temp controller, do I still need to get the thermostat?

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A thermostat is a temp controller. You one that if it were to fail it turns off so that it does not start a fire or burn your animal.

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So I got everything and my tank is set up this exact same way, the only problem I seem to be having is the fact that I couldn't get my UTH as flat against the glass as I would've liked. Can I just tape over the whole thing with the aluminum foil tape in hopes that it holds the UTH flat against the glass? or should I just take the tape off and try again?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MixtSpice

So I got everything and my tank is set up this exact same way, the only problem I seem to be having is the fact that I couldn't get my UTH as flat against the glass as I would've liked. Can I just tape over the whole thing with the aluminum foil tape in hopes that it holds the UTH flat against the glass? or should I just take the tape off and try again?

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Hi

Before we start , I'm presuming that the heat mat is going OUTSIDE the tank / Viv- this info will assist others in helping you .

So ... is the heat mat a standard one or is it one of those self -adhesive ones ??




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Originally Posted by MixtSpice

So I got everything and my tank is set up this exact same way, the only problem I seem to be having is the fact that I couldn't get my UTH as flat against the glass as I would've liked. Can I just tape over the whole thing with the aluminum foil tape in hopes that it holds the UTH flat against the glass? or should I just take the tape off and try again?

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I stuck the heat pad flat against the tank bottom, and then taped the probe on.

http://i.imgur.com/CWjW8ov.jpg

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Hi

Before we start , I'm presuming that the heat mat is going OUTSIDE the tank / Viv- this info will assist others in helping you .

So ... is the heat mat a standard one or is it one of those self -adhesive ones ??




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Yes, it's outside of the tank and a standard heat mat

I just finished setting up my glass tank with partially covered screen top using a 0.5-0.8" layer Eco Earth (coconut fiber) as substrate. Heat is provided via UTH (connected to thermostat) and heat lamp. My temperature gun measures on the hot side 88F for the substrate surface and 93F for the tank bottom surface below substrate. The cold side measures 78F (substrate surface). When I use a temperature gauge to measure the ambient temperature however, I'm getting only 75F on the cold side and 85F on the warm side. When trying to establish the recommended gradient do I go by air temperature as measured by the temperature probe or by surface temperature as measured with my temperature gun?

Quick, yet noob question, does the heat lamp's bulb colour have to be Red?

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Originally Posted by RavenRace

Quick, yet noob question, does the heat lamp's bulb colour have to be Red?

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No but you can leave a red lamp on 24/7 without stressing out your snake. Also starting your own thread will probably get you more responses. This thread hadn't been touched in over two months until now. Welcome to the forum though!


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One thing I'll add is if you're using your heat lamp for ambient go CHE or red to keep night time temps up.

RavenRace thanks for reviving this thread I am just now reading it. The OP's 3yr old pictorial is awesome and deserves to be brought up again from time to time.

3 quick notes:

1) the shape of the bulb you see in the pictorial runs hotter than normal shaped bulbs of the same wattage
2) your question re the red colour (are you in UK? you Brits always spell the word "color" wrong LOL): black bulbs and ceramic bulbs can also be used. The black and red colors don't disturb the snakes. A note re the ceramics - they don't put out any light whatsoever and don't burn as hot as equivalent wattage light bulbs of any shape or color.
3) the pictorial depicts the lamp in the center of the tank, doing so doesn't create a proper cool spot, only 2 spots on either end of the tank wherein both are only slightly cooler vs the hot spot; placing the lamp on 1 side creates more of a gradient

I paged through and didn't see this answered. I know ball pythons like things cozy, so how long do you suppose you can keep a ball happy in this setup?

Thanks in advance.

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Originally Posted by JonahAndAaron

I paged through and didn't see this answered. I know ball pythons like things cozy, so how long do you suppose you can keep a ball happy in this setup?

Thanks in advance.

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Keep them happy? They can live their entire lives in a T8 if that's what you're wodering.

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

Keep them happy? They can live their entire lives in a T8 if that's what you're wodering.

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That looks to be a third again as big so I guess I'll have to upgrade at some point. The ease of cleaning a 20 gallon is a big selling point.

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by JonahAndAaron

That looks to be a third again as big so I guess I'll have to upgrade at some point. The ease of cleaning a 20 gallon is a big selling point.

Thanks.

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Going to have to put on my sheepish face here. I thought this was the T8 setup thread, no the 20L one. My bad!

An average size male BP would be fine in a 20L for his entire lifetime - the footprint of a 20L is very similar to the most common sized tubs used in the business for grow-ups and males. An adult female, however, would likely need an upgrade as she reaches her full potential.

:gj:

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Originally Posted by JonahAndAaron

... The ease of cleaning a 20 gallon is a big selling point. Thanks.

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I agree. From time to time I read threads re pros/cons of x rack vs y tub. Seems some types of plastic clean better than others, but nothing IME cleans like glass. For all the other disadvantages of glass tanks - cost, bulk, heat/humidity maintenance, etc, it sure is easy & fast to completely eliminate even the soupiest waste.

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

Going to have to put on my sheepish face here. I thought this was the T8 setup thread, no the 20L one. My bad!

An average size male BP would be fine in a 20L for his entire lifetime - the footprint of a 20L is very similar to the most common sized tubs used in the business for grow-ups and males. An adult female, however, would likely need an upgrade as she reaches her full potential.

:gj:

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Lol gotcha. That's a relief. The thought of getting at T8 up the stairs to the bathroom for a cleaning is pretty daunting with my nerve pain. A 20L is doable for my Firefly male.

Thanks!

Thanks for this post! It helped tremendously. I have a few questions on some stuff I already purchased. I have the ZooMed UTH so it doesn't have a slot for the temperature probe (I got the Hydrofarm Tstat). Should I place it in the tank on the bottom?

ZooMed supplied little rubber feet (along with the UTH) to attach to the bottom of the tank to lift it, but I have it on a wooden surface and I'm afraid that won't be enough airspace. I don't have racks since I only have the one snake. Is it a fire hazard in general and/or with this setup to use a UTH? Fire hazards are my worst fear and almost kept me from getting a BP but she was so darn cute I couldn't help it :)

Thanks!

I've got our new BP in a 20 long and I'm having a hell of a time controlling the humidity with a heat lamp so I am setting up a separate 20 gallon on it's side, insulated and with thick plexiglass attached to the front (what was the top) with a sliding door and a double lock. I wish I'd seen this thread sooner, I did not place the probe between the glass and the UTH, but I have also gone in a bit of a different direction using a low powered UTH and getting a piece of glass cut to the size of the heater, placing the whole thing inside the tank as a did on my BRB Vivarium two years ago. I have no easy way to attach the probe on top of the glass nor between the glass and heater since it would require tape and I know it's a no no to put tape inside the tank. I also realize it's unconventional to put the UTH inside the tank. I spoke with Zoo Med about this a few years ago and they cautioned against heat encapsulation, which can cause burns/fires. they did mention that their smallest UTH is the least likely to cause issues inside the tank. for my BRB, i heavily insulated the enclosure and put an LED grow light and the UTH inside on a thick piece of glass to dissipate the heat and it was plenty to heat the whole enclosure, so that's the direction I'm going with this one. In this case, I'm getting it all dialed in before moving the BP from the tank with the heat lamp. heat lamps just seem so energy consumptive and drying and generally not a good match for a BP. looking forward to be done with the tedious phase.

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Originally Posted by Slither Seeker

a low powered UTH and getting a piece of glass cut to the size of the heater, placing the whole thing inside the tank as a did on my BRB Vivarium two years ago.

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I would like to inform you that this is a bad idea. You don't want your thermostat probe inside the enclosure AND I would not put the heat source inside either. Not to mention using a heat source that is too small. Urine and water bowl overflows will tamper with your settings and they can cause your temperature to get too hot. Aluminum Foil (true duct tape) tape can be used outside the enclosure and is safe to your on heat sources.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

I would like to inform you that this is a bad idea. You don't want your thermostat probe inside the enclosure AND I would not put the heat source inside either. Not to mention using a heat source that is too small. Urine and water bowl overflows will tamper with your settings and they can cause your temperature to get too hot. Aluminum Foil (true duct tape) tape can be used outside the enclosure and is safe to your on heat sources.

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thanks for the input, to place it all on the outside I'll need to redesign the bottom... currently the entire tank accept the front is covered in thermax with foil taped seams.

I called Zoo Med to see if they had any input on the placement of a probe between the glass and the UTH. I'm not putting this out there to say anyone is wrong, I realize there are many ways of doing things and that everyone has to make a judgement based on their unique circumstances and sense of appropriateness vs what the manufacturer recommends but I did think it would be worth sharing what I was told just for perspective. the person I was passed on to through zoo meds customer service phone tree seemed relatively technically savvy. they stated that the UTH is engineered to be fully and evenly adhered to the glass, so that the glass can distribute the heat without excessive heat build up anywhere on the UTH. they mentioned that when the UTH traps a large air bubble under it, that heat encapsulation can occur, changing the heat distribution from what the materials were designed for. they said that eventually, this can lead to a runaway thermal situation and be a fire hazard. in terms of placing the probe between the glass and the UTH, they said that the probe is not designed to handle that much direct heat and that they have seen this lead to a melted probe. they didn't recommend having it even within direct contact of the glass above the heater, inside the tank. I figure that to the extent to which I am going to go outside the manufacturers recommendations, that I would at least like to know what problems to look out for.

from a previous conversation with them two years ago, with respect to mounting the heater on a piece of glass and placing the entire heater inside the enclosure they said that they could not recommend that but that if I was going to do it, that the lowest wattage heater was the least likely to cause thermal runaway issues. in my current 20 gallon, I went with two of the smallest heaters, side by side on a 1/4 inch piece of glass that I had cut and edges ground. the tank is heavily insulated, the thermostat probe is placed on top of the substrate showing a temp of about 88-90 f. the cool end of the tank is at about 78. our two BP's go from one hide to the other as needed and are eating and shedding well. the enclosed system is holding a constant humidity of 50-60% pretty well with some holes for ventilation and occasional misting. The person I talked with on the phone two days ago said that the only documented cases of snakes getting burned from UTH's that they knew of were cases where the rest of the tank was much too cold and that the snake couldn't regulate it's temperature properly, huddling too close to the UTH heater out of desperation. Again, I'm not saying this is the end all be all only correct information, or even that it is correct information, I'm just passing on what I've been told from one source.

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Originally Posted by Slither Seeker

in terms of placing the probe between the glass and the UTH, they said that the probe is not designed to handle that much direct heat and that they have seen this lead to a melted probe. they didn't recommend having it even within direct contact of the glass above the heater, inside the tank..

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This single statement tells me that the person you were speaking with really doesn't know or understand the purpose of a thermostat to regulate a heat source.

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Originally Posted by Slither Seeker

the thermostat probe is placed on top of the substrate showing a temp of about 88-90 f..

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You do know that your snake can burrow and I can guarantee that the glass under the substrate is above safe temperatures.

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Originally Posted by Slither Seeker

The person I talked with on the phone two days ago said that the only documented cases of snakes getting burned from UTH's that they knew of were cases where the rest of the tank was much too cold and that the snake couldn't regulate it's temperature properly, huddling too close to the UTH heater out of desperation.

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This right here makes me never want to buy or recommend another Zoomed product of any kind. You would think that they would know and understand a little something about reptiles considering it is their main business.......... I cannot believe they would have someone this stupid representing their product.

SMH........

The problem with those product reps is that they can tell you what their products are supposed to do but have very little practical experience with using them. Same thing with vets. You see comments all the time about someones vet says this or that about husbandry practices when they have limited practical experience outside the lab. Not ragging on vets here. lol The methods in those stickied care threads are tried and true methods based on years of real world experience.

yeah, I don't doubt that the person I talked with had limited real world experience. it would not surprise me if their priority is product liability and not so much with reptile health, mainly not wanting to ever get sued for someone's house burning down.

that said, I have followed their caution with my Brazilian Rainbow Boa, using the smallest UTH. I set this up two years ago and didn't use a thermostat. I have the UTH attached to a piece of glass as described before. in the two years that the BRB has lived in this enclosure, it has been in perfect health, and never burrowed up against the heater, at least not that I can tell, never once showing signs of getting burned. maybe I've just been lucky but it does seem that when given adequate warmth with an appropriate thermocline that at least a BRB has the good sense to regulate it's temperature adequately.

I am curious if anyone here has had a Ball Python burn itself on the smallest version of Zoo Meds UTH. If you are uncomfortable speaking out openly, feel free to send me a message. thanks!

Go plug in one uncontrolled and check it after a few hours with a heat gun. I'll bet it's plenty warm enough to cause burns on a snake. All heat sources need to be controlled and frequently monitored, it's literally the most important issue to your snakes health, correct stable temps and humidity. I wouldn't use a zoo med product if it were free and I sure wouldn't take advice from them.

Hi, the other thermostat links are broken (besides the cheap one). I've heard that a herpstat is the best option to avoid heat jumps etc. Does anyone have other recs? On amazon there are a lot by a brand called
'ink bird', any reviews?

thats just damn genius!

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

thats just damn genius!

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Sorry .... what is genius ??


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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Since the stickied thread on how to setup a glass tank no longer has any pictures that still work I figured I would post a new one.

This thread will cover how I setup a glass tank. It isn't the only way to do so, but it is what I have found to work the best for me.


Materials and Tools Required:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

I will provide links to recommended products, and pictures whenever possible.



1. Glass Tank (I will be using a 20 long, but the process will be similar for any glass tank. Larger tanks will be harder to heat & maintain humidity in)

2. A Screen Top for the tank.

3. A UTH (Under Tank Heater) Your UTH should cover about 1/3 of the bottom of the tank.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

4. A Thermostat to control the UTH

Budget: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S
Mid-Range: http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermos...stat-prewired/
Best: http://www.spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

5. Aluminum Foil Tape (this is for use on the OUTSIDE of the cage only NEVER use tape inside a reptile cage)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

6. A Heat Lamp (Make sure you get one with a ceramic socket as shown below. Also make sure you get a lamp that is rated for a higher wattage than your Heat Bulb uses)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

7. Zoo-Med Infrared Heat Bulb (75-100 watts)

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

8. A Lamp Dimmer

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lutron-Cr...0#.UiKoMRZ2aOI

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

9. 2 Hides:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

10. A heavy water dish

http://www.reptilebasics.com/water-bowls

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

11. A probed thermometer

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...ndingMethod=rr

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

12. Some sort of substrate. (I will be using Aspen. Other good choices include: Paper towels/newspaper/corrugated wrap/Eco-Earth/reptibark/Cypress mulch. Stay away from non kiln dried pine/cedar/reptile carpet)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

13. Something to cover 3 sides of the tank with (I use white printer paper, but there are many options)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

14. Scotch Tape (this is for use on the OUTSIDE of the cage only NEVER use tape inside a reptile cage)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

15. Scissors

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

16. Aluminum Foil

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step by Step Instructions:

Step 1: Turn the glass tank over so the bottom the the tank is facing upward. Place the probe from your thermostat towards either the left or right side of the tank. Using a small piece of foil tape attach the probe to the underside of the tank. (Don't put the tape on the probe itself. Stick it on the probes cord)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 2: Take your UTH and place it on the underside of the tank. center it on the thermostat probe:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 3: Using foil tape secure the UTH to the bottom of the tank. Make sure to keep the UTH pressed down against the glass. The tighter down it is the better the UTH will heat the cage.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 4: flip the tank over so it is now standing on one of it's sides. Cover the exposed side with paper. When covered use scotch tape to attach the paper:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 5: Turn the cage over 180 degrees so the other side is facing up. Repeat step 4.

Step 6: Turn the cage 90 degrees so the back of the cage is facing up. (The side where your UTH and thermostat probe cords are sticking out)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 7: Cover the back of the tank with paper and use scotch tape to attach it like before:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Flip your tank right side up. Your tank should look something like this now:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 8: Place your thermometer probe inside the tank centered on the UTH:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 9: While holding the thermometer probe in place put your substrate into the cage. Make sure to keep the layer thin. No thicker than 1/2" thick:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 10: Place the thermometer unit itself into the tank on the opposite side from the UTH:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 11: Place your 2 hides into the tank. One centered over the UTH, and one on the other side of the cage:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 12: Place your water dish into the center of the cage:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 13: Screw the heat bulb into the heat lamp fixture and plug the heat lamp fixture into the lamp dimmer. The lamp dimmer will eventually be plugged into the wall:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 14: Place the screen top onto the tank and then place the heat lamp onto the screen. Center the heat lamp over the tank:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 15: Rip off 2 sheets of aluminum foil. Place a sheet on each end of the screen top. Wrap the edges around the lip of the screen top. You can use tape to secure the foil if you want. Just keep the tape on the outside of the tank:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Step 16: Plug the UTH into the thermostat, then the thermostat into the wall. Plug the lamp dimmer into the wall as well.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Your cage should now look something like this:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Adjusting your thermostat and lamp Dimmer:

At this point the cage itself is done, but that doesn't mean you are ready to put a snake into it yet. First you need to get your temperatures and humidity to the proper ranges (88-92 hot side, 78-82 cool side, 40%-60% humidity)

The process of adjusting your heating system involves using your probed thermometer to read the current cage temperatures and either increasing the amount of heat added to the cage or reducing it.

You want your thermostat set to whatever temperature makes the probe on your thermometer read between 88-92 F.

You want to adjust the lamp dimmer until the cool side thermometer reads between 78-82 F.

To adjust humidity in the cage you can mist with a spray bottle and warm water. If your cage has too much humidity you can remove some of the foil on the screen top.

You want your thermostat to be placed/mounted where it is easily accessible and visible:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

Once you have your cage temperatures and humidity in the proper ranges you can introduce your snake to it's new home.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...jpg%7Eoriginal

How it all works:

The UTH is used to generate the hot side basking temperature. Since UTH's don't change the temperature of the air in the tank the heat lam pis required to maintain the cool side/air temperatures in the cage. The substrate needs to be thin for the same reason. UTH's only heat surfaces they come into direct contact with. If the substrate layer is too thick the UTH will be completely useless. The foil on the screen top is used to reduce airflow in the cage to help maintain high humidity levels. You don't want to cover all of the screen top though as your snake still needs fresh air.



Threads on other types of cages:

Tubs: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-Basics-*DUW*

Professionally made PVC reptile cages: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

Ball Python Care sheet: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

More info on cage heating methods: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers


If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or improvements feel free to post them below, or send my a private message. I'll be happy to help in any way that I can.

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1) where in the tank should be located
- i see in your examples it is under the substrate will this provide the most accurate temp and humitdity?

2) i have 2 biometric thermometers/humidity in my tank as well, are they any less accurate than the digital ones?
- same for humidity

Hi there, first off thanks so much for making these instructions! They helped me out a lot.

One thing I have noticed is that due to the lamp placement, the middle of the tank tends to get warmer (surface temperature). I then also have a random hotspot next to the lamp where the heating pad starts. It then gets cooler as I go away from the lamp (even on the hot side). Is this okay?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SimonPalmieri

Hi there, first off thanks so much for making these instructions! They helped me out a lot.

One thing I have noticed is that due to the lamp placement, the middle of the tank tends to get warmer (surface temperature). I then also have a random hotspot next to the lamp where the heating pad starts. It then gets cooler as I go away from the lamp (even on the hot side). Is this okay?

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That's something that crossed my mind ...

Wouldn't it be better to have the lamp placed above the heat mat ?

That way you'd be able to set things up so you have the correct warm temps at that end and the heat from the lamp would disperse along to the other end providing a decent heat gradient ??

Any experts out there ??


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

That's something that crossed my mind ...

Wouldn't it be better to have the lamp placed above the heat mat ?

That way you'd be able to set things up so you have the correct warm temps at that end and the heat from the lamp would disperse along to the other end providing a decent heat gradient ??

Any experts out there ??


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This was exactly what I was thinking too but then the problem you run into is that your cold side gets too cold (at least for me). So I've left mine in the center and just made sure that the "hot spot" doesn't get too hot.

It seems to work pretty well otherwise. :)

Be careful! UTH's actually can burn your snake and most keepers and vets I've spoken with recommend putting it on the side of the tank with their hide box next to it so they can keep warm and not lay directly on the heat source.

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Originally Posted by SimonPalmieri

This was exactly what I was thinking too but then the problem you run into is that your cold side gets too cold (at least for me). So I've left mine in the center and just made sure that the "hot spot" doesn't get too hot.

It seems to work pretty well otherwise. :)

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That's seems reasonable :)

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Originally Posted by kriselattime

Be careful! UTH's actually can burn your snake and most keepers and vets I've spoken with recommend putting it on the side of the tank with their hide box next to it so they can keep warm and not lay directly on the heat source.

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Surely your scenario applies to ceramic bulbs as well though and they get up to far higher temperatures !

Heat mats work perfectly well on the floor PROVIDING they're regulated by a stat / thermostat .

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Originally Posted by kriselattime

Be careful! UTH's actually can burn your snake and most keepers and vets I've spoken with recommend putting it on the side of the tank with their hide box next to it so they can keep warm and not lay directly on the heat source.

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Thats what a thermostat is for. I would find new keeper and vets with actual experience.....

In the guide, I see you are placing the thermometer probe centered on the UTH. You are also placing the hide centered on the UTH. Am I right by assuming we should put our thermometer probe for hot side in the hide between the substrate and the glass and then adjust to 88 - 92? Or should the thermometer probe be outside of the hide between the substrate and the glass?

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Originally Posted by SimonPalmieri

In the guide, I see you are placing the thermometer probe centered on the UTH. You are also placing the hide centered on the UTH. Am I right by assuming we should put our thermometer probe for hot side in the hide between the substrate and the glass and then adjust to 88 - 92? Or should the thermometer probe be outside of the hide between the substrate and the glass?

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you can't adjust a thermometer, it just reads the temperature.

you should be placing the thermoMETER probe under the substrate of the hot hide to get a reading of the enclosure floor, then adjust your thermoSTAT accordingly. the thermoSTAT probe gets sandwiched between the UTH and the outside bottom of the enclosure.

This is actually my first post on this forum, although I've been poking around for the last two weeks or so. I've already encountered a tremendous amount of helpful information while perusing the shared experiences on this site. I used this guide to help set up my ball python's home. He's my first bp, I've always kept corns before. I'm encountering a problem keeping up the humidity in his enclosure though. I live in the desert, the ambient humidity in our house is about 15%. His enclosure has an UTH w/thermostat, dimming switch heating lamp (w/zoomed infrared 75watt), somewhat large waterbowl located directly beneath it and foil covering 2/3 of the top of the tank, most of the space that isn't dedicated to the lamp. The foil covers both the basking side, and cooler side. Beside that he's got the usual reptibark substrate. two hides, some plastic leaves he seems to like more than the hide and two thermometers, one for each side of the cage.


The lamp seems to actually be drying the air our rather than encouraging the water from the bowl to evaporate and raise the humidity. Before I got the lamp the humidity seemed to hang around 45% (when i wasn't home to spritz the cage, if I'm home I can maintain the 50% -60% ideal). Today was the first time I left the lamp on while I wasn't home and I checked on it on my lunch break and in the 4hrs I was at work the humidity had dropped from 58% when I left in the morning, post spritz, to 35%. However, if I turn off the lamp, the cool side drops to about 78 degrees. I'm not sure what I can do to promote both a steady temperature and steady humidity in the appropriate range. Is there a way for me to keep the lamp on and still get the humidity to rise? Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated as he was already in shed when I brought him home a few days ago and I really want to make sure he can get the last of it off successfully/comfortably.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

you can't adjust a thermometer, it just reads the temperature.

you should be placing the thermoMETER probe under the substrate of the hot hide to get a reading of the enclosure floor, then adjust your thermoSTAT accordingly. the thermoSTAT probe gets sandwiched between the UTH and the outside bottom of the enclosure.

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Hey, I'm sorry if I phrased my question in an odd way, I understand that I have to adjust my thermostat accordingly. I just wasn't sure if I place it in the hot hide, since it'll be a few degrees warmer than if I place it outside of the hot hide. Thanks so much!

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Originally Posted by SimonPalmieri

Hey, I'm sorry if I phrased my question in an odd way, I understand that I have to adjust my thermostat accordingly. I just wasn't sure if I place it in the hot hide, since it'll be a few degrees warmer than if I place it outside of the hot hide. Thanks so much!

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I understood what you meant :)


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Originally Posted by SimonPalmieri

Hey, I'm sorry if I phrased my question in an odd way, I understand that I have to adjust my thermostat accordingly. I just wasn't sure if I place it in the hot hide, since it'll be a few degrees warmer than if I place it outside of the hot hide. Thanks so much!

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my bad for misunderstanding. sometimes i just speed read posts and can miss stuff. yes it goes in the hot hide. 😀