Advise for how to heat my tank

I am going to be going with a 20 gal long tank set up. I am trying to figure out how I should heat my tank. The room I am having the BP in can get cold in the winter. There will be a space heater in the room to help this problem (this heater is for me, not the snake). What I am wondering is how I should regulate temps in the tank. The options I am concidering are:

-A medium Zoo Med UTH and a ceramic heat bulb in a heat lamp housing.

-A medium Zoo Med UTH for the warm side and a small Zoo Med UTH for the cool side. This is the option I feel will work the best. I think it will keep the ambient air warm enough (especially since the top will be covered with plexiglass) and will regulate belly temps much better.

Which option would you all say is the best? Will it be ok with a small and medium UTH? I am suggesting a small because the tank I am looking at already has a small zoomed UTH, meaning I only have to buy one.

Also, I am not sure how the small UTH is attached to the tank. If it is stuck to the glass will I have issues? Can I remove it so I can put it on in a better fashion?

Thanks in advance for replies

It really will just come down to the weather in your area. If you live in a dry climate, then any sort of lamp will have you fighting to keep the humidity up. The space heater will help heat the whole room.

I would start with one UTH and then if you still are having trouble with the cool side, get a second UTH.

It is rather difficult to remove a stuck UTH but there is a sticky on this site about how to remove one. Try the search function.

Just remember, whichever heating method you go with must be controlled with a thermostat to prevent cooking your snake.

Ok, I live in Michigan, so we are humid as hell in summer, but then there is winter... snow, snow, and more snow (especially in Kalamazoo where I will be). I will have everything regulated on a thermostat with a thermometer for monitoring and a temp gun for spot checking. The smaller of the UTH's already comes with the tank. The second UTH (the one I have to buy regardless because the small is too small) would be regulating my warm side.

The reason I ask is because the person I am buying the tank from has two 20 gal long tanks. One has the UTH already stuck to it and one doesnt. The one with the UTH is in a little better shape, but isnt worth paying an additional $20 for the condition alone. However, if I utilize both UTH's then the additional $20 is really only like $5 more for the tank as the UTH would cost atleast $15.

I live in a similair climate and I had no problem with using one UTH. I would say get the tank with the UTH already on it. If you only need the one then great, you have an extra UTH for the next snake you get :P

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

I live in a similair climate and I had no problem with using one UTH. I would say get the tank with the UTH already on it. If you only need the one then great, you have an extra UTH for the next snake you get :P

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Hmm... thats a very good idea. Even if I use it, I can use foil tape so I can still remove it (unless I am misunderstanding how it will work with foil tape) and use it on a second BP. I cant say I have plans to breed at some point as I have never owned 1 BP, but the thought is very much in my mind and also the reason I am getting a pastel instead of a normal.

bump...

I would say go with the dual uth setup over the uth/che.

Yeah, CHE's suck...humidity that is. :P

Remember, if you use 2 UTHs, you need two thermostats, or a dual thermostat.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

Remember, if you use 2 UTHs, you need two thermostats, or a dual thermostat.

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Not exactly true.

What I used for my old 20L tank, since I had to use two UTHs was:
I got a Repti temp 500r and two Lutron 300W dimmers. Plug UTHs into dimmers, set temps to 95 and 85 for warm and cool side, respectively. Plug dimmers into thermostat and set dial to appropriate level. This way, both a warm temp of 93ish and cool of 83ish are maintained. :gj:

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Originally Posted by mrshawt

Not exactly true.

What I used for my old 20L tank, since I had to use two UTHs was:
I got a Repti temp 500r and two Lutron 300W dimmers. Plug UTHs into dimmers, set temps to 95 and 85 for warm and cool side, respectively. Plug dimmers into thermostat and set dial to appropriate level. This way, both a warm temp of 93ish and cool of 83ish are maintained. :gj:

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I plan on using a ReptiTemp 500r but I dont understand why I would need two dimmers. The ReptiTemp will regulate the temps, isnt that the point? I am going to have a thermometer with a probe and a thermometer inside the reading (its the same one most people here use with the digital display).

Hi,

I think he is using the dimmers as a safety feature in that example.

They are inline between the thermostat and the heatmats.

So the thermostat is set to keep the temps at the hot end at 93f.

But the dimmers were originally set when the heatmats were connected directly to the power and dialed down to give a maximum temp of 95f at the warm end and 85f at the cool end.

This should mean that if the thermostat suffers a failure that runs the heaters at full power they still cannot get hot enough to hurt the snake.

Kind of a belt and braces approach.

Someone correct me if I've got that wrong?


dr del

Yes, that's correct.

But, I also used the dimmers to get two DIFFERENT temperatures off the same thermostat. The 500r will only regulate one temperature, usually a warm side temp via UTH. But for those using two UTHs and have only one thermostat, you need to use the dimmers to achieve the separate temperature zones. When both UTHs are plugged into the thermostat with the dimmers, the warm side will maintain 93 and the cool side about 83.

Hi,

Just to point out the temp variation is possible with only one dimmer but that obviously means there is no safety measure if the thermostat fails. :gj:


dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

Just to point out the temp variation is possible with only one dimmer but that obviously means there is no safety measure if the thermostat fails. :gj:


dr del

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True. However, I recommend backing up any thermostat (even a Herpstat) with a rheostat of some sort - the Lutron 300W is perfect.

Haha, damn. I wish I would have seen this before ordering all my supplies. I guess I will jsut go to homedepot and buy dimmer switches. I guess I like the idea of having a backup.

Is there anything I need to look for when finding a dimmer? (rating or wattage or anything?)

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Originally Posted by specialk01510

Haha, damn. I wish I would have seen this before ordering all my supplies. I guess I will jsut go to homedepot and buy dimmer switches. I guess I like the idea of having a backup.

Is there anything I need to look for when finding a dimmer? (rating or wattage or anything?)

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This is the exact one you want.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

It is rather difficult to remove a stuck UTH but there is a sticky on this site about how to remove one.

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Here ya go!

I added that to my Faves, as I'll be adding this thread. Brilliant info here re. 2 dimmers into 1 ReptiTemp! :gj:

Thanks everybody. I will be doing the reptitemp with two dimmers.