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  1. #1
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    Using paper towel substrate questions

    Hey,

    Sarah is happy and healthy and doing well but I just switched from Aspen shavings to paper towels as substrate and though I've seen paper towels recommended a lot I haven't found great instructions specifically on how to use them as substrate, so I have a few questions.

    -Do I just lay them flat on the bottom of the tank? I have 2 layers on the hot side (that gives her a hot spot of 92ish degrees) and more in the areas were there's no UTH. How should they be placed in the tank and how many layers are recommended?

    -How do I go about cleaning? She peed today and obviously the paper towel is absorbent but it still soaked through to the glass. What's the best way to thoroughly clean when using paper towels?
    I ended up just taking her out, removing all the paper towels, cleaning the bottom of the tank with water and a little bit of blue dawn, then spraying with a 250:1 F10 solution, then wiping down with water, drying, and placing new paper towels. This is guesswork for me so if anyone with experience using paper towels can give me some guidance I'd appreciate it!

  2. #2
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    Yes, you just lay it flat.

    I'd remove one of the paper towels so you only have one towel, and adjust the thermostat accordingly. For there to be 2 paper towels layered and the hot spot is 92, it makes me think that UNDER the paper towel against the glass is probably around 98, which isn't safe. (unless you mean the hot spot is 92 under the paper towels)

    When I used paper towels in tubs, I just washed out the tubs with water. I use F10 mix solution once a month.




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  4. #3
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    Re: Using paper towel substrate questions

    Yes you're doing it right. I literally just cleaned out Cleo's tank. Used wipe out cleaning spray from zoo med. then added a layer of paper towels after. I've stopped using substrate for a while now because it just gets messy when you're changing the bedding.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    I don't use paper towels, so I won't b e any help there.

    Your hotspot seems a bit high though. Are you using a thermostat???
    How and where are you getting your temp readings?

  6. #5
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    Re: Using paper towel substrate questions

    Quote Originally Posted by craigafrechette View Post
    I don't use paper towels, so I won't b e any help there.

    Your hotspot seems a bit high though. Are you using a thermostat???
    How and where are you getting your temp readings?
    Yeah I've got a thermostat and I use a good temp gun to measure the surface of the glass over the UTH.

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    Craiga 01453 (07-25-2017)

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    Re: Using paper towel substrate questions

    Quote Originally Posted by redshepherd View Post
    Yes, you just lay it flat.

    I'd remove one of the paper towels so you only have one towel, and adjust the thermostat accordingly. For there to be 2 paper towels layered and the hot spot is 92, it makes me think that UNDER the paper towel against the glass is probably around 98, which isn't safe. (unless you mean the hot spot is 92 under the paper towels)

    When I used paper towels in tubs, I just washed out the tubs with water. I use F10 mix solution once a month.
    Ok I'll go to one paper towel. I can't just use water because that doesn't take care of the smell as well, and I'm pretty careful about bacteria. Is F10 bad to use? A lot of people say they use various cleaning sprays from Zoo Med, etc. What's ideal there? I like F10 because it cleans well and totally takes care of the smell.

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