ok im going to give you the setup im using. i have got the temperatures perfect now, but now the tank keeps drying out. i have my juvenile BP in a twenty gallon long with a full screen top.
Heat: two 5.5 inch deep domes with 60 watt bulbs. one appropriate sized UTH. i was using a single 5.5 deep dome with 100 watt bulb and a UTH. the 100 wat bulb was making the screen too hot under the dome (they sit directly on the screen.) i was worried about the snake getting burned. also it was a little on the cold side both during day, and also at night when i only used the UTH. now during the day it has 120 wats of light/heat but the smaller bulbs allow the screen to stay cooler. at night only the red one shines and combined with the UTH, the temperature gradient is perfect according to the majority of info i've read, during both day and night cycles.
the snake has a large sized corner bowl on the cool side of the tank, and i am using cypress mulch now as substrate instead of aspen because i was told the cypress will keep the humidity better. now the tank finally has perfect heat, but keeps drying out. i want a humidity between 50 and 65 for my snake, and im having trouble getting it up above 40 to 45 for any extended length of time. if i mist it jumps to 70 or 80 then back to 40 or 45 within an hour. i know my issues are due to the open screen top, so i have tried putting towels over all but the warm end where the domes are, that got too hot, and didnt hold humidity. i am thinking of having plexiglass cut to size and placing on top of the screen top, with some vent holes over the length of the tank, and two 5.5 holes to accomodate the two 5.5 domes above the basking end, but i know this will probably throw off my heating again. if anyone has any sugestions or comments please let me know. this is my first BP, and im kinda getting frustrated trying to find a setup that looks nice but still creates a perfect habitat for my snake, and i really want it to have the best environment possible.
again, if anyone has ANY input or advice, PLEASE share your knowledge with me...
Reply With Quote