Tank finally done! Got some pics and advice.

[earthwormjim]

I have a 20 gallon tank that I have been working on. It is finally at the point where I want it, minus a thermostat because it has not come in the mail yet. For those of you interested in keeping a glass tank here is my set up.

Overall shot of the tank.


Front view.


Top view.


Warm side.


Cool side.


Lid.


Side.


Dimmers for UTH and Lamp and UTH probe and hygrometer display.


So, I have a UTH that covers a third of the bottom on a dimmer. The probe sits above it inside the tank under the substrate. I have the tank raised using felt pads. The sides and back of the tank are covered in thick black board paper. It has a screen lid and four lid locks. I have a piece of cardboard wrapped in tin foil that has a piece of the black board on top to make it look better. The hole is big enough for the lamp and leaves about a half inch of space for ventilation. I use a 75 watt infrared bulb that is also on a dimmer. On the front the two dimmers and thermometer are attached with velcro tape for easy removal.
Inside the tank:
Fir mulch
Two identical hides
Water dish
Two identical shrubs
Two identical vines
Large grapewood stump
Two stick on digital thermometers

I also keep iodine, non pain relief neosporin, spray bottle, and runber gloves, and a clipboard that I use to monitor feeding, weight, health things, and major changes in behavior and temp/humidity underneath the tank. I am planning on moving him to a 40 gallon in a couple of months, same setup just a bigger tank.

Let me know what you guys think!

[Borgpython]

Looks good except , are those tape stuck inside the tank ? Wouldn't recommend it if they are . Tape is a big nono Inside enclosures .

Also so put some holes on the top for ventilation if there's none .

[trailblazer295]

Nice looking tank, one question is the ambient room temp consistent?

[Sauzo]

Nice set up but looks like a pain to clean every month Like the others said, make sure your ambient temps are good and personally I would switch the UTH to a T-stat instead of a lamp dimmer. I'm using a Hydrofarm T-stat on my BP cage as I'm debating getting a Heprstat 2 redline or regular or another Herpstat 1 redline or regular since I already got a herpstat 1 on my red tail boa cage. The Hydrofarm works decent and keeps decent temps as checked per my temp gun. the only downside is it clicks when it comes on an off but you get used to it. And yes any tape inside the cage is a nono as snakes seem to find a way to always get stuck by the tape.

[earthwormjim]

Nice looking tank, one question is the ambient room temp consistent?

No, it is winter here so at night the temps drop a lot. The heat lamp does a good job on the dimmer tho, I turn it up a bit at night and down in the morning and it keeps my temps perfect. I never have it all the way on though.

[earthwormjim]

Nice set up but looks like a pain to clean every month Like the others said, make sure your ambient temps are good and personally I would switch the UTH to a T-stat instead of a lamp dimmer. I'm using a Hydrofarm T-stat on my BP cage as I'm debating getting a Heprstat 2 redline or regular or another Herpstat 1 redline or regular since I already got a herpstat 1 on my red tail boa cage. The Hydrofarm works decent and keeps decent temps as checked per my temp gun. the only downside is it clicks when it comes on an off but you get used to it. And yes any tape inside the cage is a nono as snakes seem to find a way to always get stuck by the tape.

Thanks for the tape info, I will take it out. I just ordered a hydrofarm and a temp gun. Gonna be here in a few days.
It really isnt too bad to clean, It takes a while but I enjoy it.

[earthwormjim]

Looks good except , are those tape stuck inside the tank ? Wouldn't recommend it if they are . Tape is a big nono Inside enclosures .

Also so put some holes on the top for ventilation if there's none .

I will remove the tape, thank you for the heads up. The cardboard has a decent gap all the way around it and the light area gap is bigger than it looks. I take the lid off daily to change water and spot clean and such.

[tbowman]

the only downside is it clicks when it comes on an off but you get used to it. And yes any tape inside the cage is a nono as snakes seem to find a way to always get stuck by the tape.

I believe any non-proportional thermostat will click when it turns on and off. I have a Ranco thermostat and a BAH - 1000 thermostat and both of them click on and off.

[Sauzo]

The gap looks good to me. That pretty much looks like my top except I didn't go fancy with black paper on top and my CHE dome is mounted in the center. Mine looks like cardboard on top with wrapped ends of tin foil being held by tape Tape on the cardboard is fine as long as the screen is between it. You just don't want your snake direct access to the tape. My top also has about a 1" gap around the dome which gives good airflow.

[trailblazer295]

No, it is winter here so at night the temps drop a lot. The heat lamp does a good job on the dimmer tho, I turn it up a bit at night and down in the morning and it keeps my temps perfect. I never have it all the way on though.

That's exactly why I asked, it's winter here too. My landlord has the heat set to 65f overnight. The basement can drop as low as 64f but usually 66f and can rise to 70f or a bit more afternoon. The daily swing is why I have a UTH and pro products RHP on independent stats to control the heat. Even with my RHP on a stat when the temp drops overnight my cold side temps drop overnight but hot side is stable. You can't possibly be checking often enough to keep playing with the power adjustment to maintain constant temps. I'd suggest hooking them up to stats. I personally use ranco because I wanted a UL certified control. I'm an hvac mechanic so I wired a power bar into it. You can buy them prewired in the US if you're not comfortable doing the wiring yourself. Yes they make a click when they turn on and off. You're talking about a fraction of a second sound that isn't really that loud. They were made to maintain industrial hvac equipment and set up is easy and takes 30 seconds. My snake is in the living room so it's a non issue but even still it's not enough to disturb your sleep.