Best method of heating

[Lewb]

I plan to get my royal within a couple of weeks and want to make sure the setup is perfect before he's here.

I will be using a wooden vivarium.. either 2 foot for a sub adult or if I find an adult 36" or 42" by 18". Should I go for a ceramic heat emitter on thermostat or a heat mat? From my experience with keeping lizards, I thought the heat mat would not produce enough air temperature. The room temperature here is around 70.

One more question.. when people say a hot end of 90-94, is that surface temperature of the substrate or air temperature?

thanks in advance for any help

lewis

[JLC]

Regardless of what kind of heat source you choose...plan on getting a thermostat to help control it.


The "hot spot" is surface temps on the warm side...and you want an overall ambient (air) temp of around 80F.

I'm not sure a UTH would work well through a wooden floor, although I suppose that depends on how you set it up. You might consider Radiant Heat Panels (http://www.pro-products.com/proheat.html) as a way to safely heat the enclosure without sucking so much humidity out of the air.

[Lewb]

So you definitely don't think a ceramic heat emitter would work?

[JLC]

So you definitely don't think a ceramic heat emitter would work?

It certainly might. But with the room temps so cool, you might need two heat sources. I was just offering an alternative to consider.

Your best bet is to get it all set up before you ever put a snake in it...and measure temps for a few days to see if the CHE is sufficient...then consider whether you may need to add a second one, or a RHP or other heat source.

[Lewb]

It certainly might. But with the room temps so cool, you might need two heat sources. I was just offering an alternative to consider.

Your best bet is to get it all set up before you ever put a snake in it...and measure temps for a few days to see if the CHE is sufficient...then consider whether you may need to add a second one, or a RHP or other heat source.

Yeh this is what I plan to do, but I just want to make sure I don't buy something that has no chance of working at all :p

Another option.. a normal flood lightbulb? I know this would get the hot end temp up enough but may not get the cool side up to 80*.

[JLC]

Another option.. a normal flood lightbulb? I know this would get the hot end temp up enough but may not get the cool side up to 80*.

I'd choose a CHE before I chose a floodlight. CHE's can get just as hot, without the added stress of having a bright light shining directly into the enclosure. Just be prepared to use two of them to get a proper gradient. It's likely that if the room is 70*...then ANY heat source for the warm side would have to get TOO hot in order to heat the entire enclosure to 80*.

[Lewb]

I'd choose a CHE before I chose a floodlight. CHE's can get just as hot, without the added stress of having a bright light shining directly into the enclosure. Just be prepared to use two of them to get a proper gradient. It's likely that if the room is 70*...then ANY heat source for the warm side would have to get TOO hot in order to heat the entire enclosure to 80*.

Do you think A heat mat on a stat set to ~80 on the cool end a CHE on the warm end would work? The problem I have found with CHEs is that they project heat at a 180* angle so heat a wide area and don't create much of a basking spot.

[bigballs]

what does the wooden enclosure look like and where are you planning on putting the CHE (inside or on top, etc.)???

[JLC]

Do you think A heat mat on a stat set to ~80 on the cool end a CHE on the warm end would work? The problem I have found with CHEs is that they project heat at a 180* angle so heat a wide area and don't create much of a basking spot.

So why not set the heat mat to a basking spot of ~92...and use the CHE to warm the rest of the tank to ~80?

[Lewb]

Sounds like a good idea

Thanks for the help. I'll purchase the equipment needed over the weekend and then get it set up, and then see how it works out before getting my snake.