Using heat mats with a thermostat or rheostat

[susannwv]

Hey guys, I have never used a heat mat with a reptile but from what I have heard from alot of you it is the best thing to use with the bloods. My borneo is in a 40 gallon critter cage. I know you like the tubs better but this is all I have to work with right now..lol...My question is would I need a heat mat on both sides of the tank? Would it be better to connect them to a thermostat or a rheostat to control the temps and what temp should I keep them at so I don't burn her? She always stays burried so she is constantly on the glass. I found a ZooMed Reti Temp 500r thermostat and a Repti Temp Rheostat. Sorry for all the questions I just want to make sure Im giving her the best I can and Im hoping by switching to this heat source I can keep her humidity up better and a constant steady temp. Thanks for all the advice I have gotten. You all have been a great help.

[Alexandra V]

You wouldn't really need a heat mat on both sides if you can keep the room at about 78-80 F. If not, you can do the double heat mat idea with another thermostat/rheostat to keep it at that temperature.

The basking side should be about 88-90 degrees, and you'll want to put the probe of the thermostat/rheostat directly on the heat mat underneath the tank with some aluminum tape, because she likes to be under her substrate, so you'll be controlling the maximum temperature that she can get at.
You really do need a thermostat/rheostat because they can get really hot, and if you only want it at about 90, there's just no way of keeping it there without one.

[susannwv]

The room temp varies all the time depending on outside temps so I will try it with one heat mat at first and see what happens. So if I understand correctly whether or not I use a thermostat or a rheostat connected to the heat mat I can adjust the temp of the heat mat to whatever I need it to be? What does the aluminum tape do?

[Alexandra V]

The room temp varies all the time depending on outside temps so I will try it with one heat mat at first and see what happens. So if I understand correctly whether or not I use a thermostat or a rheostat connected to the heat mat I can adjust the temp of the heat mat to whatever I need it to be? What does the aluminum tape do?

Sorry, I wasn't very clear when I said it before. You can't adjust the temperature output of the heat mat without using a thermostat or rheostat. Thermostats & rheostats control how hot the heat pad can get by turning it on or off, or by limiting the power it gets from the wall. That way you can set the thermostat/rheostat to keep your heat mat at a certain temperature.

The aluminum tape is just used to keep the probe from the thermostat/rheostat touching the heat mat (on the underside of the tank, not inside the enclosure). I prefer aluminum tape to any other tape just because it's heat resistant so it won't soften up and get all melty with time. You just tape the probe onto the heat mat, basically.

[susannwv]

Thanks..Im getting everything ordered today.