Should I get a CHE?

The warm side of my tank is always the perfect tempereature (92) but my cool side is always at about 72-75 range which is not hot enough for ambient even if I raise the temp in my house.....so should I get a CHE and put it on that side? Does anyone know where I could get a good CHE? What wattage would I need for a 55 gallon tank?
I believe they have them at my local petstore....

for me personally CHE's are a waste of money, also a 55 gallon tank is just too big unless its a full grown BP. there are a lot of cheaper ways to to take care of your BP. i can help you if you want but i need to know how big the snake is and if your willing to take him out of that huge tank. it is a glass tank correct???

I agree. A 55 gallon tank is pretty big, and it's going to be a major pain to heat it correctly.

You could use a CHE, or better yet another heat mat on the other side controlled with a dimmer or another thermostat. You may also want to insulate 3 sides of the tank to help keep the heat in the tank.

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

I agree. A 55 gallon tank is pretty big, and it's going to be a major pain to heat it correctly.

You could use a CHE, or better yet another heat mat on the other side controlled with a dimmer or another thermostat. You may also want to insulate 3 sides of the tank to help keep the heat in the tank.

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:(

i really dont wanna spend another $130 for another t-stat and another UTH :oops:

i figured just getting a CHE on that side of the tank would be the quick fix but i guess not....oy

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Originally Posted by juddb

for me personally CHE's are a waste of money, also a 55 gallon tank is just too big unless its a full grown BP. there are a lot of cheaper ways to to take care of your BP. i can help you if you want but i need to know how big the snake is and if your willing to take him out of that huge tank. it is a glass tank correct???

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my snake is about 2.5 feet and yes it is a glass tank and i really dont wanna get rid of this tank...

I had a 55 gallon a tank. On one side I had the UTH and on the other side a 55 watt heat bulb. My temperatures were just fine.

When your ambient temps drop like that and you've got all the right stuff for the cage, chances are its not the cage setup...it's the room that the cage is in. These questions show up every year around this time when people's houses are colder than during the summer.

Say if you have a 50w bulb/heat pad giving you a 92 degree basking spot in a room that is 72 degrees, you will not still get a 92 degree basking spot if the room drops down to 68. If you are using a thermostat, your basking spot may remain at 92, but theres no way that the heat pad will be able to continue to support the higher ambient temps you need.

So, fix the room temp and your cage with follow suit. Space heaters are a must have for any herper living in a climate with cold winters.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

When your ambient temps drop like that and you've got all the right stuff for the cage, chances are its not the cage setup...it's the room that the cage is in. These questions show up every year around this time when people's houses are colder than during the summer.

Say if you have a 50w bulb/heat pad giving you a 92 degree basking spot in a room that is 72 degrees, you will not still get a 92 degree basking spot if the room drops down to 68. If you are using a thermostat, your basking spot may remain at 92, but theres no way that the heat pad will be able to continue to support the higher ambient temps you need.

So, fix the room temp and your cage with follow suit. Space heaters are a must have for any herper living in a climate with cold winters.

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but my parents arent going to let me make the house really hot for the snake.....

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

Space heaters are a must have for any herper living in a climate with cold winters.

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I second that. I have a 55 gallon tank too. Insulate 3/4 of the sides and the top too.

chekc this out for help:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=32800

I use a CHE for the warm side and a UTH for the cool side. Both the CHE and UTH are controlled by seperate thermostats. All of my temps and humidity, ambient included, are perfect. I've set my tank up the way you'll find it's been setup in the glass tank setup "sticky" posted here in the forum. I think if you do that, use a CHE for the warm side and a (maybe two for a 55 gal.) UTH for the cool side you'll be just fine. But you MUST invest in a [good]thermostat(s) and high enough wattage heating equipment to heat a tank of that size in the winter. It won't be terribly expensive, but it may set you back a bit. It cost me about $160 for two thermostats, a CHE and a UTH. Hopefully you asked for cash for Christmas... :)

Anywho, just my opinion. Good luck.

P.S. I love my CHE

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Originally Posted by rmune0750

but my parents arent going to let me make the house really hot for the snake.....

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A space heater will not make your whole house warm. If in a cold room, the space heater will keep that area of the room a few degrees warmer than the rest, hopefully enough such that your current heating setup can do its thing.

Personally, I think your temps are close enough that I wouldn't worry about it. If you really wanted to make a change, I'd dump the aquarium and get an actual front opening cage or a rack system. My personal opinion is that aquariums make terrible snake cages, wide open on the top, no side ventilation, poorly insulated. All the heat and humidity rises out of the top, while leaving the stale air stuck at the bottom of the tank. Take the money you would have spent on a CHE and stick it in an old mayonnaise jar labeled 'new cage fund'

where can I get a good CHE online?