Question about heating a tub

I think I've decided on a 41 Qt tub to house my first Ball Python. I've got a friend who is giving one of his temp guns and a water bowl and hide, etc. I think the only other thing I need now is some way to maintain the proper temps in the tub.

The room I plan to keep the tub in drops into the low 60's at night and might get into the low 70's during the summer. I'm just wondering what are some ideas to keep it heated at the right temps?

Thanks!

You could go with a foot of 11" Flexwatt which would cover approximately 1/3 of the bottom of the tub. You would generally have to order that online. You could also go with a medium Under Tank Heater that you can pick up at a local pet store, but those are generally going to be more expensive... Either route you go, you will NEED a thermostat to control the heat, or it will get TOO hot for the snake... But I strongly recommend that either one be attached to the bottom of the tub (outside) with aluminum tape that will cover the entire bottom of the tub... That will allow the heat to radiate through the aluminum, keeping your cool side warmer than room temp as well as creating a gradient across the length of the tub...

Well i can tell you one thing, your ambient temps are probably going to be a little low. Now are the temps during the day this low? Cuz if they are you might run into problems...I'm not saying you are FOR SURE but I have heard temps that low can cause issues. I live in a cold climate as well, during the day and at night, and I have my snakes in a room with a little space heater. It managaes to keep ambient temps at 75+. I think low 70's are something you should shoot for just to be safe. I actually have a video posted on youtube of my snakes and my setup check it out for a reference!

YouTube - Ball Pythons and Care Information

yeah you gonna need to heat up the room to the high 70s. i just went from a tub to a tank because the ambient temps were low. with the tank i can put a che and be done with it. good luck

I have put 3 or 4" flexwatt along the side of the tub to help with ambient temperatures. For my boa i used to have a huge christmas tress storage tub and i cut a square hole and covered it with hardware cloth. then i put a heat lamp pointed into the tub through that. kept ambient temps up pretty good.

Well, heating the entire room to the mid-70's isn't really an option.

Adding another piece of flexwatt to the side might take care of the ambient temps inside the tub? Could I plug the second piece of flexwatt into the same thermostat?

Given that the room can get into the mid-60's at times, might another type of enclosure be a better choice than the tub?

Get a one foot section of 11" flexwatt for the warm side. Plug that directly into the thermostat. Set it at about 93-94.

THEN, go to Home Depot and get a Lutron Credenza dimmer(plug and play, no wiring) for $11.

Plug a 2ft section of 11" flexwatt into the dimmer, and then plug the dimmer into the thermostat. Dim it down until you reach the low 80s.

All you have to do is leave it alone once you find the right temps The thermostat will take care of it for you. Be sure to tape the dimmer in place so it doesn't get bumped.

I have used this method on alot of tubs if they were in QT and the room wasn't heated. Works awesome.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Plug a 2ft section of 11" flexwatt into the dimmer, and then plug the dimmer into the thermostat. Dim it down until you reach the low 80s.

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Great tip. :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Get a one foot section of 11" flexwatt for the warm side. Plug that directly into the thermostat. Set it at about 93-94.

THEN, go to Home Depot and get a Lutron Credenza dimmer(plug and play, no wiring) for $11.

Plug a 2ft section of 11" flexwatt into the dimmer, and then plug the dimmer into the thermostat. Dim it down until you reach the low 80s.

All you have to do is leave it alone once you find the right temps The thermostat will take care of it for you. Be sure to tape the dimmer in place so it doesn't get bumped.

I have used this method on alot of tubs if they were in QT and the room wasn't heated. Works awesome.

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That sounds pretty reasonable. So pretty much the entire bottom of the tub would be heated?

I think this will be fun once I get everything set up. I just didn't realize it was so complicated.

Ok, thinking it over, I'm kind of confused about something. The heat tape doesn't actually plug into the thermostat, does it? I thought the thermostat just had a probe that read the temps? Like I said, I've never used any of this stuff, so it's a little confusing.

(caps are just for emphasis so nothing is confused)

Yes, the flexwatt has to be plugged into the thermostat for the thermostat to be able to control the temperature. You cannot just plug flexwatt into the wall as it will catch fire and melt.

Once you get everything in the mail, you will turn the tub over and tape the flexwatt onto the bottom of the tub(preferably long ways). Wal-Mart has foil tape for about $6 a roll.

You will then tape the THERMOSTAT probe IN BETWEEN the tub and the flexwatt. Turn the tub right side up and secure your THERMOMETER probes to the inside of the tub above the flexwatt.

Plug the hot side flexwatt directly into the thermostat power strip.
Plug the cool side flexwatt into a DIMMER and plug the dimmer into the THERMOSTAT. Dim the dimmer down about 2/3's of the way for starters.

Set the thermostat setpoint to 100 or so. This will account for loss of heat and should get you proper temps inside the tub.

Put 2-3 sheets of newspaper on top(or a thin layer of aspen or cypress, whatever you choose to use) Thin layer equals 1/2" to 1".

Let the tub sit for 4-6 hours to settle.

Check the temperatures on the digital thermometers and adjust both the thermostat and dimmer as needed. Once everything is at the proper temps of 92-95 warm side, 82-84 cool side, 10 degree difference between sides, then you can decorate and whatnot.

Make sure to get some bungee cords or some binder clips(office supply section) to hold that lid on or you'll have an escapee! :D

Ok, that makes perfect sense. I wasn't understanding how everything fit together. This picture from the reptilebasic site makes it a little more clear too.

http://reptilebasics.com/image.php?id=18&type=D

Well, I think I'll give Rich a call tomorrow and order everything I need.

Thanks for all the help!

Don't forget to run over to Home Depot or Lowe's and get that dimmer :) It's in the lighting section.

Can the use of the flex watt be used on a glass tank as well? Like the same way, the tape on the bottom and on the side?

what is that foil tape called? I cant find it on walmarts website.
Thanks

The thermostat will have a probe and a place to plug in the flexwatt or UTH. There are thermometers with probes,they only read the temps.