Under tank heater question

[ACP123]

I have a ball python hatchling in a 10 gallon aquarium and I'm wondering what size and wattage the under tank heater should be to heat half the tank to an adequate temperature. Btw I'm using newspaper as my substrate, if that helps anything.

[The Serpent Merchant]

A Zoo-Med small size: http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2752652

All UTH's MUST be regulated by a thermostat. without a thermostat UTH's can and will get hot enough to kill your snake if they are not regulated. (130+ F) Here are some good thermostats, stay away from the junk sold in pet stores. They are overpriced and do not work well.

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

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

Best: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Keep in mind that UTH's do NOT increase the temperature of the air inside a cage. This means that if the temperature of the room drops below 75 degrees you will need a heat lamp to increase the air temperature (preferably to 80 degrees). I would recomend an infrared heat lamp so it can be used 24/7 without bothering you or the snake.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...uctId=11147193

For more info checkout this thread:http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

And this thread is also a good read: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Welcome to the site!

[KMG]

It should cover about 1/3 of the floor surface.

Do you have a thermostat? Without it and using newspaper will burn your snake.

[ACP123]

All UTH's MUST be regulated by a thermostat. without a thermostat UTH's can and will get hot enough to kill your snake if they are not regulated.

So about what temp should the UTH be? And would it be better to just use an overhead light and not use a UTH at all?

[jbabybulldog]

I have a small UTH on a rheostat, with reptile carpet on top and eco earth substrate on top of that, otherwise it just gets to hot for the snake.

[The Serpent Merchant]

All UTH's MUST be regulated by a thermostat. without a thermostat UTH's can and will get hot enough to kill your snake if they are not regulated.

So about what temp should the UTH be? And would it be better to just use an overhead light and not use a UTH at all?

The UTH should be regulated to the mid to upper 90's. The thermostat will control the temperature of the UTH (The thermostat will have a temperature probe that gets sandwiched in between the UTH and the bottom of the tank. This temperature probe tells the thermostat how hot the UTH is) You need to have the thermostat set so that the floor of the cage is between 88-92 degrees on the hot side. Make sure that the cage floor never gets above 95 degrees. The cool side can stay between 75-85 but 78-82 is ideal.

What the best heat source is for you really depends on a few things:

1. does the room your cage is in stay 75-82 degrees most of the time?

2. Do you live in a humid area?

3. can you afford a good thermostat?

Heat lamps are ok, but generally keep the cage too hot. I suggest the use of a lamp dimmer with heat lamps to help dial them in. Heat lamps zap the humidity out of a cage though. Many people find them very difficult to deal with. UTH's on the other hand don't mess with humidity in the cage. This is why they are preferred... but they require a thermostat to be used safely and if the room is too cold have to be used in conjunction with a heat lamp.

[jbabybulldog]

ball pythons need the UTH for belly heat, since they stay close to the ground, you can use bulbs as well but that is more for basking spots and to keep up ambient temps in the tank, I've noticed that if you do use a over head bulb, don't use to high of a wattage specially in a 10 gallon, it just gets to hot. you can always buy a temp gun (approx $20) to measure the different temps.

[The Serpent Merchant]

ball pythons need the UTH for belly heat, since they stay close to the ground, you can use bulbs as well but that is more for basking spots and to keep up ambient temps in the tank, I've noticed that if you do use a over head bulb, don't use to high of a wattage specially in a 10 gallon, it just gets to hot. you can always buy a temp gun (approx $20) to measure the different temps.

This is a misconception... while UTH's tend to be the better option they are not required. A heat lamp will provide belly heat just as well as a UTH will.

[KMG]

Either can work. Really depends on what is best for your situation.

The hot spot should be set between 90 to 94.

The tstat probe can be mounted between the bottom of the cage and the uth. Then it is suggested that you have a thermometer probe set on the bottom of the tank (inside) to monitor the floor temp.

I keep mine at 91. With newspaper you will not need to put it much higher than where you want it. I would try 91 and see what that gives you.

[kitedemon]

There is no need to add to what has been said. I will just make a comment I would recommend a Ultratherm UTH. They are regulated and designed no to exceed 100ºF it is still too hot to be unregulated but not hot enough to cause burns. They increase the safety margin quite a lot. There are others but I can not recall what brand name it is. Plan for the worst, ask your self what would happen if the T-stat fails? When the answer is the temps might hit 97-100 then you are far safer than the tub will melt, snake die and maybe start a fire answer. (the best answer is the secondary protection kills the power)