Advice on my tank.

Hello all.I just got all of the stuff for my BP tank and wanted some advice since I am new with this.
http://imageshack.us/a/img5/8523/img0425i.jpg


If you need more pictures of the tank please let me know.Also does anyone have experience with the ExoTerra Digital thermometer/Hydrometer?

What are your cage temperatures/humidity? how and where are you taking measurements?

Doing readings right now.So far the middle area is at is lowest 85 and highest 87 Degrees and 57-60% Humdity. That is measuring in the middle.I am gonna do the warm side next then the cool side and will gladly give you those readings.

EDIT:I am taking readings with the ExoTerra Thermometer/Hydrometer and starting at ambient temps then warm to cool side.Also my Thermometer is at the bottom of the cage on the aspen.

The exoterra is a decient unit. I my experience is they are consistent to each other and acceptably accurate. (better by a fair bit than the three accurite units I have owned) ideally under your hot side hide will read close to 90degrees and the cool side close to 80 degrees the ambient air temps taken middle of the enclosure and 2-3 inches from the floor can be as cool as 76 and up to 85 for an ideal situation. They can tolerate beyond these figures but this is a good general guideline.


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Alright so the cool side is 84-85ish and humidity is at 64%.Ambient air is 87 degrees and humidity is 63%.Warm side hide is 90 degrees and 61% humidity.

Your ambients are a bit high and cool end, they are usually linked, so a drop in ambient is likely to effect the cool side too. I would suggest reducing this by 4 degrees or so.

Ok so I've turned off the heat lamp and the temps are still too high. Any suggestions on how to lower them slightly?

What is the temperature of the room that the cage is in?

Is the cage directly in front of a window? (Glass tanks can act like greenhouses and trap in the heat from sunlight)

Do you have a water dish in the tank? Something your BP can get into and soak if needed? I find that having this helps with the shedding process. Other than that i think your tank looks great! :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

What is the temperature of the room that the cage is in?

Is the cage directly in front of a window? (Glass tanks can act like greenhouses and trap in the heat from sunlight)

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Temps in my room are reading 84 constant.Have not seen a change in them.Also,no it is against a wall away from a window.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T2theG

Do you have a water dish in the tank? Something your BP can get into and soak if needed? I find that having this helps with the shedding process. Other than that i think your tank looks great! :gj:

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Yeah I do.And thank you!

Well because your room is so hot you are going to have a hard time lowering the cage temperatures. I would suggest replacing your heat lamp with an Under Tank Heater. UTHs do not change the temperature of the air inside the cage so they won't increase the cool side temperature any more than it already is (which is at the limit of where it should be (80-84 is ideal)

Under tank heaters must be regulated by a thermostat, and need the substrate layer to be 1/2" thick or less to be effective.

Your tank is a 20 long correct?

if so this is what I suggest you get:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2752652 (small size)

and one of these 3 thermostats depending on your budget. Stay away from the junk sold in pet stores they aren't even worth looking at.

Budget: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

Mid-Range: http://www.reptilebasics.com/ranco-etc-111000-pre-wired

High End: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Without a thermostat a UTH can and will get hot enough to kill your snake. they are not optional.

You really have 2 options, cool the room to 75-80 degrees, or replace the heat lamp with a UTH/thermostat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Well because your room is so hot you are going to have a hard time lowering the cage temperatures. I would suggest replacing your heat lamp with an Under Tank Heater. UTHs do not change the temperature of the air inside the cage so they won't increase the cool side temperature any more than it already is (which is at the limit of where it should be (80-84 is ideal)

Under tank heaters must be regulated by a thermostat, and need the substrate layer to be 1/2" thick or less to be effective.

Your tank is a 20 long correct?

if so this is what I suggest you get:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2752652 (small size)

and one of these 3 thermostats depending on your budget. Stay away from the junk sold in pet stores they aren't even worth looking at.

Budget: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

Mid-Range: http://www.reptilebasics.com/ranco-etc-111000-pre-wired

High End: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Without a thermostat a UTH can and will get hot enough to kill your snake. they are not optional.

You really have 2 options, cool the room to 75-80 degrees, or replace the heat lamp with a UTH/thermostat.

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Well that is the thing.I do have a UTH with the HydroFarm thermostat.I thought my room would be actually much cooler than what I expected.Those temps were with the UTH and no Heat Lamp.

If the room is 84-85 degrees and the only heat source in the cage is an UTH then the air temperature in the cage should be 84-85 (which is fine) if it isn't I would say that the thermometer you are using is reading a degree or so off. (Which is within the error of the thermometer you are using)

The only other thing you can do is cool room some.

Ok so I've gotten 2 new thermometers(the ACU-Rite Indoor Humidity/Thermometer) and a Temp gun.Now all three are reading my cool side and ambient are in the 83-84 ish.Has not gotten higher than 84 with my humidity at 50-52 degrees.I'm measuring the heat hide now.So so far am I in the good for my tank.

Alright.so the temps are starting to drop.Ambient is at 82 degrees and cool side is 81.As well my warm side hide is at 95.Now here comes the problem.My humidty is off now.Cool side is at 44%,middle is at 35% and in the heat hide it is at 29%.I plan on putting foil on the top of the screen hoping that works with the humdity.But wouldn't I see a rise in tempature if I do that? Also how can I keep the humidity up in the heat hide without sacrificing heat?


Excuse me if double post are not allowed,but I do not see a edit button.

You aren't using the heat lamps at all now correct? UTH's don't effect the humidity in the tank. Heat lamps do.

The hot side hide is actually too hot. It would be better if it was 90-92 degrees. I keep mine at 90.

Covering the top with foil shouldn't increase the temperatures, make sure that you don't cover all of the top. If you do the air will stagnate and that leads to bad things. Cover 60%-75% of the top at most.