new to reptiles- tank setup questions!

[ls1goat04]

hello all- ive learned so much on this site firstoff!

Im setting up a 20 gallon tank for a bp. i have an 11x11 UTH for under the hide, and have an identical hide for the cool side.

now do i set my UTH to around 83-85 or do i set it at the 90-93 area?

as for tank heat i think im going to use a light instead of a cme. ill have them on a timer for day/night time. what lights and fixtures should i use for this? do i need a thermostat for the lights? like a dimmer?

now if i set the uth as my hotside and the cool side is under the light, with it really be the cool side? i guess i just have a hard time understanding the purpose of a hot hide with belly heat and a cool hide that will have the light beaming on it.

to check air temp i have a thermometer/hygrometer, a digital one.

to check the substrate temps i have a temp gun. my house seems to be around 50% humidity so no problems there.

any help or tips would be appreciated. im just wanting to buy what i need one time so want to do it right. thanks guys and gals

[jaybird0399]

sounds like you got most of what you need. Set up the hot side with the uth and put it at 90-94 USE a thermostat with the uth repti therm is the cheap option then you have johnson or ranco which are good or you can go all out on a herpstat or helix (herpstat recommended) or at least a dimmer with the uth or you will burn your buddy. As far as the light goes if you need it to provide overall temps in the cage then put it on a dimmer so that the surface of the substrate will be 80-84 just know that light will suck your humidity out.

[ls1goat04]

ive got an emp scorpion right now and they need to be at around 80% humidity so i have a big bag of spagnom moss i use and it works great.

any advice on wattage and lamp clamps or domes? mayb a link to show exactly what i need for day/night?

[dr del]

Hi,

If the light is going to be for tank heat you will want it to be on 24/7 so use a red or moonlight bulb instead of your planned white light.

They will get all the day/ night clues they need from the ambient light in your room most of the time.

So, if you can get away with it with your ambient room temps, you might be able to dispense with the light all together and replace it with a cool end under tank heater if it needs a little boost.

But any heater will need to be controled in some way. In a stable temp environment you might be able to get away with dimmer switches but a thermostat is by far the best solution - it's the one piece of kit you don't want to skimp on as it is probably the most important for the health and happiness of your snake.

You will also want to buy one of the acurite digital weatherstations with probe to get a good reading of the conditions in the tank if you do not already have one.

To help with humidity have a look at the thread on covering the screen top with tinfoil.


dr del

[ls1goat04]

thanks for the advice! i might just run a red light 24/7. i know it wont be warm enough without it. i found a fixture with a built in dimmer, and i have the temp gun and the hygrometer/thermometer(digital). thanks again!