AP T8 Best Heat Methods??? +GoodQuality/LowPriceThermostat?

Hello! I'm going to buy an AP T8 soon. And I need help finding the best way to heat it.

I'm thinking about getting a UTH. But what could I use if I'd need to get something else to help with the air temp?? And would a RHP work with this model?

Also:
-How good is the ventilation with the T8?
-What's a good quality+low price thermostat?

Thank you! Any help is greatly appreciated!!


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If I were you, I would get a Herpstat 2, an 80w RHP from Reptile basics, and a 2' section of their 12" heat tape.

Is it cheap? Not really.... but owning animals isn't cheap. LOL... What it will give you is an excellent setup in which once you get it set up and dialed in, you really won't have to worry about.

I went the "cheap" route at first because I didn't want to invest "that much money", and was never confident in my thermostat or heat sources. I am now running a T8 with the setup I mentioned and could not be happier.

I use two strips of 12" Flexwatt hooked up to a Herpstat 4 ( http://www.spyderrobotics.com/index....products_id=36 ) which is working extremely well for me.

Before I upgraded all of my racks to Herpstats I was using a Ranco ETC Thermostats ( https://www.amazon.com/RANCO-ETC-111...ature+controls ). It goes for $40-50 on Amazon and always worked well for me while keeping a tight temp range in my tubs/cages.

We have several T8s running with UTH heat strips only, and taller AP cages for the more arboreal snakes with UTH and RHPs. I think UTH alone is fine for a T8 for our BPs, kings, milks, and corn snakes. Our T8s are divided, but we have species on each side with the same temperature requirements, so there's a 4' run of 12" wide heat tape along the back half of each. Ventilation seems fine, and shedding has definitely improved since moving the snakes from glass to AP enclosures.

Nth-ing the suggestion of a Herpstat, either 2 or 4 (if you think you'll use it, get the 4). We also have several Reptile Basics thermostats, and while there's nothing wrong with them, we like the Herpstats better.


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I've got two T-8s stacked with Pro-Products RHPs running on a Herpstat 2 and had them for about two months now. Absolutely love them. I've heard people swear by either Pro-Products or Reptile Basics RHPs and in the end I went with Pro-Products because they're much slimmer than the reptile basics panel. 1" vs 1 3/4". Not much of a difference but it's a pretty short enclosure as is and I wanted to have sufficient clearance between the panel and objects in the enclosure. I've got the bottom cage divided and heated with a UTH at the moment until my SD retic is big enough for the full enclosure and the UTH is heating it just fine. Granted I keep my apartment at about 79* upstairs in the summer, so we'll see if I need additional heat in the winter. Pro-Products was very confident that I would be fine with the RHPs even with my winter house temps being in the upper 60s. Time will tell. I'd also suggest having Animal Plastics install your RHPs because they will route a channel for the power cord to exit the cage at no cost. Just have your panels sent to them. My thermostat probe fits through that channel perfectly and hangs just under the panel about halfway down the height of the cage. I've only used Herpstats so I can't offer an opinion on anything else but I must say that my Herpstat 2 Redline model is top notch and additionally is just a very clean and presentable looking piece of equipment. That's my 2 cents. Hope this is helpful.

I use Reptile Basics 80 watt rhp in each of my t8s. No other heat source and temp gradient is 90 hot sude 80 coll side with 60% humidity.

For the folks using only UTH on a T8, what temperature do you have to get it up to in order to get a good surface temp inside the enclosure?


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depends on the temp in the room. Mine's set to 97* and gets the cage floor to 90*-91*, but FWIW I'm also just using an Exo Terra Desert UTH currently. That's the bottom cage of the two that I've got stacked. Top one is using an RHP

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

depends on the temp in the room. Mine's set to 97* and gets the cage floor to 90*-91*, but FWIW I'm also just using an Exo Terra Desert UTH currently. That's the bottom cage of the two that I've got stacked. Top one is using an RHP

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And like you said, your room is at 79°, so that helps. Someone with a colder room would need their heat tape at a higher temp in order to get their floor temp to 90°. Just something to think about.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by BPGator

And like you said, your room is at 79°, so that helps. Someone with a colder room would need their heat tape at a higher temp in order to get their floor temp to 90°. Just something to think about.


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Exactly. I know others on here have to set their thermostats in the low 100s to get surface temps of 90*ish. Mine fluctuates depending on what the weather is like from day to day. Generally it's somewhere between 95*-103* to get 90* cage floor temps.

Thanks for the help everyone!!

Now I'm thinking about getting an 80w RHP from RB, Flexwatt, and Herpstat 2.

How can I light the place up? I heard about a multicolored light strip, does anyone else know anything about that? Where you can change the color when you want-



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Quote:

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Originally Posted by emmitoot45

Thanks for the help everyone!!

Now I'm thinking about getting an 80w RHP from RB, Flexwatt, and Herpstat 2.

How can I light the place up? I heard about a multicolored light strip, does anyone else know anything about that? Where you can change the color when you want-



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AP will route an LED channel for an 8mm light strip for $10. They offer their own light set up for $40 total but not color changing. Look at the pics in my gallery uploads to see what it looks like. I just had them route the channel and then stuffed a waterproof set of 3528 LED remote controlled color changing lights in it. I got the lights off ebay for I think $15 for a 16' strip. Whatever kind you get, order the size 3528 LEDs, that's the 8mm width that fits the AP light channel.

How can I ask for them to route a channel and install other things I order when I buy from them? Do I have to order through email to do that?


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I would just give them a call. Ali is super nice and way helpful. They'll even let you put down a deposit to get the cage started if you don't want to pay in full at the time of your order. They also don't have any of the LED options on the website yet. I personally hate talking on the phone and it was a totally painless experience hah!

I second calling them on the phone. As said, You'll talk to Ali. I heard from a bunch of people how good their service was. I wanted the LED's in mine and it wasn't on their site, so I called and talked to her. She will be happy to answer any questions you may have as well.

I will say, the quality of their enclosure and their honest and polite service definitely earned my future business. I've even heard that if there is something you want done that is out of the "usual" things they do for cable routing or venting, they will probably try to work with you and accommodate your needs so you get what you want. Not too many places will do that.

Thank you so much for everyone for the help! I'm super excited to hookup my little guy[emoji1]


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