I purchased a 500 watt temperature controller made by Zilla and I am a bit puzzled as to how it works with a heat pad.

It is being used on a ten gallon tank with a heat pad made for a ten gallon.
Without the thermostat the heat mat temp is WAY to high.

I need a hot spot of 90 degrees. I suspended the probe on the same side as the heat pad, a few inches above it, and have had a digital thermometer right on the hot spot. I had the temperature at about 90 degrees steadily, but the probe fell and now it is all messed up.

My question is, where is the best place to keep the probe in the tank?

I have heard of people putting the probe right on the bottom of the tank but when I tried this the temp just shot right down.

Any advice on using these things would be very much appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your time.

SB