How to Setup a Glass Tank (20 long) With Pictures!

[kriselattime]

Be careful! UTH's actually can burn your snake and most keepers and vets I've spoken with recommend putting it on the side of the tank with their hide box next to it so they can keep warm and not lay directly on the heat source.

[Zincubus]

This was exactly what I was thinking too but then the problem you run into is that your cold side gets too cold (at least for me). So I've left mine in the center and just made sure that the "hot spot" doesn't get too hot.

It seems to work pretty well otherwise.

That's seems reasonable

[Zincubus]

Be careful! UTH's actually can burn your snake and most keepers and vets I've spoken with recommend putting it on the side of the tank with their hide box next to it so they can keep warm and not lay directly on the heat source.

Surely your scenario applies to ceramic bulbs as well though and they get up to far higher temperatures !

Heat mats work perfectly well on the floor PROVIDING they're regulated by a stat / thermostat .

[PitOnTheProwl]

Be careful! UTH's actually can burn your snake and most keepers and vets I've spoken with recommend putting it on the side of the tank with their hide box next to it so they can keep warm and not lay directly on the heat source.

Thats what a thermostat is for. I would find new keeper and vets with actual experience.....

[SimonPalmieri]

In the guide, I see you are placing the thermometer probe centered on the UTH. You are also placing the hide centered on the UTH. Am I right by assuming we should put our thermometer probe for hot side in the hide between the substrate and the glass and then adjust to 88 - 92? Or should the thermometer probe be outside of the hide between the substrate and the glass?

[tttaylorrr]

In the guide, I see you are placing the thermometer probe centered on the UTH. You are also placing the hide centered on the UTH. Am I right by assuming we should put our thermometer probe for hot side in the hide between the substrate and the glass and then adjust to 88 - 92? Or should the thermometer probe be outside of the hide between the substrate and the glass?

you can't adjust a thermometer, it just reads the temperature.

you should be placing the thermoMETER probe under the substrate of the hot hide to get a reading of the enclosure floor, then adjust your thermoSTAT accordingly. the thermoSTAT probe gets sandwiched between the UTH and the outside bottom of the enclosure.

[Yirra2112]

This is actually my first post on this forum, although I've been poking around for the last two weeks or so. I've already encountered a tremendous amount of helpful information while perusing the shared experiences on this site. I used this guide to help set up my ball python's home. He's my first bp, I've always kept corns before. I'm encountering a problem keeping up the humidity in his enclosure though. I live in the desert, the ambient humidity in our house is about 15%. His enclosure has an UTH w/thermostat, dimming switch heating lamp (w/zoomed infrared 75watt), somewhat large waterbowl located directly beneath it and foil covering 2/3 of the top of the tank, most of the space that isn't dedicated to the lamp. The foil covers both the basking side, and cooler side. Beside that he's got the usual reptibark substrate. two hides, some plastic leaves he seems to like more than the hide and two thermometers, one for each side of the cage.


The lamp seems to actually be drying the air our rather than encouraging the water from the bowl to evaporate and raise the humidity. Before I got the lamp the humidity seemed to hang around 45% (when i wasn't home to spritz the cage, if I'm home I can maintain the 50% -60% ideal). Today was the first time I left the lamp on while I wasn't home and I checked on it on my lunch break and in the 4hrs I was at work the humidity had dropped from 58% when I left in the morning, post spritz, to 35%. However, if I turn off the lamp, the cool side drops to about 78 degrees. I'm not sure what I can do to promote both a steady temperature and steady humidity in the appropriate range. Is there a way for me to keep the lamp on and still get the humidity to rise? Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated as he was already in shed when I brought him home a few days ago and I really want to make sure he can get the last of it off successfully/comfortably.

[SimonPalmieri]

you can't adjust a thermometer, it just reads the temperature.

you should be placing the thermoMETER probe under the substrate of the hot hide to get a reading of the enclosure floor, then adjust your thermoSTAT accordingly. the thermoSTAT probe gets sandwiched between the UTH and the outside bottom of the enclosure.

Hey, I'm sorry if I phrased my question in an odd way, I understand that I have to adjust my thermostat accordingly. I just wasn't sure if I place it in the hot hide, since it'll be a few degrees warmer than if I place it outside of the hot hide. Thanks so much!

[Zincubus]

Hey, I'm sorry if I phrased my question in an odd way, I understand that I have to adjust my thermostat accordingly. I just wasn't sure if I place it in the hot hide, since it'll be a few degrees warmer than if I place it outside of the hot hide. Thanks so much!

I understood what you meant


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[tttaylorrr]

Hey, I'm sorry if I phrased my question in an odd way, I understand that I have to adjust my thermostat accordingly. I just wasn't sure if I place it in the hot hide, since it'll be a few degrees warmer than if I place it outside of the hot hide. Thanks so much!

my bad for misunderstanding. sometimes i just speed read posts and can miss stuff. yes it goes in the hot hide. 😀