Thermostat for single cage

[CritterVet]

I need to get a thermostat for one 15 gallon glass tank that I'm planning on keeping my lesser boy, Ludwig, in eventually (still in the baby rack now). I'm hoping I can get away with just one UTH to provide a nice gradient. Do those of you keeping BPs in glass tanks have any recommendations or any bad experiences with certain products to share? I don't really want to spend a lot for just one tank, but I don't want to waste my money on a piece of crap either. Thanks for any input!

[CoolioTiffany]

I've never had any bad experiences with items I've used in a glass tank. I used to house my BPs in glass tanks and I still use them for my colubrids, the pythons are in tubs. I've never had a problem at all, and it is no different with using a UTH and thermostat on a tank than it is with using those items on a tub. The UTH can't melt the glass without the thermostat, but it can get pretty hot. The highest temps I've seen from a 10g-20g UTH was 124F, so that means that you really need a thermostat for any UTH no matter what type of enclosure you have it stuck onto. LOL.

[CritterVet]

Yeah, I'm looking for advice on brands/ specific products. What specific thermostat/ UTH combo has worked for you?

[Reptile King]

I have two ball pythons in separate glass enclosures. I utilize the Zoo-Med under the tank heater and have zero issues with them. As far as hides go I really like the ones from reptile basics.

[Shortandfat]

I used this one from big Apple for about 6 months. It worked well durring that time, but took some trial and error with to get the

http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-1000-Thermostat

Now i have upgraded to a Johnson Controls Thermostat A-419, and that works really well with alot less messing with, but i also have a helix that is the best of the three.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/johnson...pre-wired.html

http://www.reptilebasics.com/helix-c...hermostat.html

It really depends what your price range is, in my opnion its one of thoes things where "you get what you pay for".

Hope that helps a bit.

[BOWSER11788]

mabye im ou t there but to control my UTH, i went and bought a dimmer from lowes for like seven bucks, and i tkeeps mine about 91-93.4

[Kaorte]

The reptitemp 500r is the cheapest model at around $25. It can control up to two heating sources. I have used this for over a year with no problems.

Next up are the two medium priced thermostats from reptile basics. The Johnson controls and the Ranco. They are both priced at $70 and can control up to 6 heat sources.

Next are the herpstat and Helix thermostats. They are well over $100 but they are awesome proportional t-stats.

If you just need a thermostat for a stand alone setup, go with the reptitemp. It is simple and cheap and it gets the job done.


I have never been a fan of the BAH-1000. I have heard of it failing on many occasions.

[CritterVet]

We use Rancos with the racks, and I've been happy with them, but they seem kind of bulky and awkward for just one little glass tank.

My house temps get down to the mid 60's at night, and are generally in the 70's during the day. I'm worried that with just a dimmer, the tank will get too cool at night, especially since it's going to be close to the drafty floor.

That brings me to another point. I have an Ultratherm heat mat, and the instructions say to insulate the mat with 6 mm polystyrene if using it under a glass tank to make sure the heat goes in the right direction. Anyone do this before? I'm not really sure how to attach the insulation to the heat mat. I'm thinking of just using electrical tape around the outside of both.

[JoshR324]

I have an ultratherm mat and I just foil taped it to the underside of my cage with no polystyrene.

For the original question, I'm using the Repti-Temp 500R thermostat and it works fine. You can't just dial up a temp, set it, and forget it though. It's more or less a fancy dimmer switch. You adjust the power (temperature) by turning a knob to the left or the right rather than setting it for x degree. Once you have your temp dialed in for how you want it you still have to be mindful of things because unless you have a very steady room temperature your cage temps will fluctuate.

[shining apprentice]

rather than make a new topic ill post here... i also need to figure out a good thermostat or rheostat for my tank... it will need to support 2 tanks as ill be getting another ball at the end of the month. Are there any that can be set to a certain temp rather than checking with a thermo probe and adjusting?

thanks