Sideway tub racks

I recently ordered my first rack and it's one that has the smaller 15 qt tubs (which go in normally) and a couple 30 qts that'll be sideways (heat tape running down the side...I know it's not ideal, but it's what I need and will only be a few months) and was wondering if anyone has dealt with this setup, and how best to get the heat to dissipate over the smaller length of the tub, or is it even a problem?....just wanna make sure his cool side is cool enough.

Thx

You shouldn't have any issues, you will just need to get your thermostat set correctly. I would start with the thermostat set at 92 degrees then go from there. Wait at least 30 minutes between thermostat adjustments. (so the new temperature can settle in)

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

You shouldn't have any issues, you will just need to get your thermostat set correctly. I would start with the thermostat set at 92 degrees then go from there. Wait at least 30 minutes between thermostat adjustments. (so the new temperature can settle in)

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Thx. Do you think the substrate will make a difference?.....I plan on just using newspaper.

Not really, substrate makes a difference when using Belly heat but not so much with back heat.

I have the 1755 sterilite tub rack from the Boaphile. It is a sideways rack. The tubs are 27qt. It uses belly heat though - not quite sure if yours does. You mentioned the heat tape running along the side - what did you mean by this? Is your rack heated by back heat? Just curious...

Either way, it should be perfectly fine. I use a VE200 t-stat with my rack and the temp is set at 88. My hotspot is 88 and my ambient is 78. The room temp is about 72. This setup works well for my baby boas (who like slightly cooler temps than BPs). And I use disposable cage liners as substrate and its perfect. :gj:

No reason why a sideways rack can't be a good permanent setup. It does depend on the snake - make sure your snake has plenty of room as it'll have a slightly shorter distance for thermoregulation. I think you just need to take particular care with adjusting the temps, but you should do that anyhow, lol!

No, it's belly heat, sorry for the confusiion. By tape running along the side I meant what would normally be the side but still belly heat.

Ah! I see. Ok, that's exactly how mine is. Mine has 4" flex watt and I wouldn't do anything wider than that otherwise you wouldn't have enough room for the snake to move off the flexwatt. But 3" or 4" should be just fine. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

Ah! I see. Ok, that's exactly how mine is. Mine has 4" flex watt and I wouldn't do anything wider than that otherwise you wouldn't have enough room for the snake to move off the flexwatt. But 3" or 4" should be just fine. :gj:

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Thx. That's a relief. Mine has the 4" tape, so all should be good. Now I can't wait for it to get here so I can get more snakes :D

Sounds like yours is just like mine! :D Did you get yours from Boaphile too?? If so, be ready for a looong wait.... I can forward you the link to my experience with Bophile if you want, but I didn't know if that's who you ordered from so I didn't want to get into it if you went somewhere else. ;)

I like mine - its really easy getting the tubs in and out. I would probably choose the "normal" rack next time around as I like to have more of a thermal gradient, but the baby boas do well in the sideways rack since they don't really need a hotspot more than about 88. Of course, my babies won't be babies much longer and I'll have to figure out bigger enclosures for them.... :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

Sounds like yours is just like mine! :D Did you get yours from Boaphile too?? If so, be ready for a looong wait.... I can forward you the link to my experience with Bophile if you want, but I didn't know if that's who you ordered from so I didn't want to get into it if you went somewhere else. ;)

I like mine - its really easy getting the tubs in and out. I would probably choose the "normal" rack next time around as I like to have more of a thermal gradient, but the baby boas do well in the sideways rack since they don't really need a hotspot more than about 88. Of course, my babies won't be babies much longer and I'll have to figure out bigger enclosures for them.... :rolleyes:

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Yeah it's the one from Boaphile. I heard some stories about them being slow, but everywhere else had long wait times too so I decided to roll the dice with the Boaphile rack (I did see some stories of good dealings with them). I plan on changing it over to all small tubs once I get my bigger racks....this is just a temporary thing I need for now.

What did happen with your experience with them and when was it?

Here's my experience with them. I ordered my rack on November 16, 2011.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...light=boaphile

My biggest problem with them was the lack of communication. There's no excuse for that imo... But the product is well-built and all's well that ends well. I doubt I'll order from them again though. Not when I can get 5 star customer service from AP or Reptile Basics.... :gj:

Yeah, I saw your post before I ordered, I remember now. I took it into consideration, then checked on Fainas BOI board and it was about 50/50 there (with the same complaint), but rather than go with AP for this one, I just wasn't comfortable assembling my own rack at this point (along with the only 3" heat tape they use). I'm very likely gonna get my next rack from RBI, but they just didn't have what I needed without buying 2 racks, and I just couldn't afford that. Like I said, it seems to be about 50/50 with their delivery times (AP and RBI weren't perfect either) so I'm just gonna take my chances.....getting a quality product was my biggest concern and rhat seems to be pretty universal with them.

RBI, as long as you order the black ones, only has a 1-2 day lead time on most racks. Just for future reference. :D

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Originally Posted by Brion99

Yeah, I saw your post before I ordered, I remember now. I took it into consideration, then checked on Fainas BOI board and it was about 50/50 there (with the same complaint), but rather than go with AP for this one, I just wasn't comfortable assembling my own rack at this point (along with the only 3" heat tape they use). I'm very likely gonna get my next rack from RBI, but they just didn't have what I needed without buying 2 racks, and I just couldn't afford that. Like I said, it seems to be about 50/50 with their delivery times (AP and RBI weren't perfect either) so I'm just gonna take my chances.....getting a quality product was my biggest concern and rhat seems to be pretty universal with them.

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Oh no problem! As I said there and here, there's nothing wrong with the product - the rack itself is fine and I'm very happy with it. If you don't mind the lack of communication - or if you're prepared for it - Boaphile will do fine for you. I would've been ok with everything if I'd known how it would be. I just like to know ahead of time, lol.... :gj: