tank start up

[ki.bro]

Hey , i am new to this forum and i have read the section on care-giving but i still have some questions.... and here they are .

I have an 8 month old ball python with a hetero clown, i have a pretty make shift tank. it is an old fish tank that we cleaned and made look pretty.... the dimensions of the tank are 32x18x12, and according to the care-giving instructions this tank should last him his entire life... but i have concerns about how big he will get in both length and width.

I right now have a lid that is chicken wire that i fashioned after a trip to the hardware store. I would like to know is this an ideal style of lid or should I invest in a fully enclosed lid like plastic or plexy glass to help maintain humidity.

I was also using a heat lamp that i got from pets mart. turns out that the lamp (not the bulb) blew up and now i am looking for an alternate heat source.. i was using a red heat bulb in it . I read that the ball pythons like the under the tank heaters, and i am wondering with the size of tank that he has... what size of mat should i get? as well.... is it worth it, and if not what is the best way to heat the tank...

I am also not sure on the humidity in the tank... so i would like to know what the cheapest options out there are to 1. achieve the best humidity 2. maintain humidity. and 3. what is the best and cheapest thermometer on the market.

I am on a limited budget so i would like to get the necessities and finish the tank over a period of time...

[The Serpent Merchant]

OK, your tank is indeed large enough. I use 48 x 24 x 12 sized cages but yours should do unless your BP gets huge.

Chicken wire isn't the best wire cloth would be much better or even better yet would be something like this:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...arium-Solution

under tank heaters (which I will abbreviate UTH's) are the best for heating your tank, but they have a few issues that you need to understand.

1. They must be regulated by a thermostat, if left unregulated they can easily get up to 130 degrees which is enough to kill your BP (I will get back to thermostats later)

2. The layer of substrate much be thin. UTH's need a substrate layer of 1/2" or thinner to be effective

3. UTH's do NOT change the temperature of the air in the cage. All they do is heat up the floor of the cage. This means that if your room gets below 75 degrees you will need an additional heat source to keep the air temperatures high enough.

You need to get a UTH large enough to cover approximately 1/3rd of the bottom of the tank

The thermometer that you want to get looks like this, it can be purchased from Walmart for $12. Don't buy the crap from pet stores they don't work well and are overpriced. this unit measures 2 temperatures and humidity so you only need 1



Now back to thermostats. like thermometers don't waste your money on the crap sold at pet stores.

Here are 2 good ones.

The hydrofarm, sold on Amazon for $30 these are cost effective but lack accuracy and safety features. They will work if you are on a budget but should be replaced with a better thermostat when possible.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR..._bxgy_ol_img_b

The herpstat, these are the best but have a higher price tag. starting at $99 these are extremely accurate and have many built in safety features.

http://spyderrobotics.com/


In the long run I think you will find the tank to be harder to keep than you want. tubs and PVC cages are much easier to keep the proper temperatures and humidity in. here is some info on both.

Tubs:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Basics...*DUW*

PVC Cages:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

[Wiggy]

My personal experience with heat lamps has been that they're just a nuisance to deal with if you can avoid it, or unless dry conditions are desired.

They make humidity significantly harder to maintain, and they seem to be far more prone to malfunction than the heat pads.

Essential equipment basically boils down to:
Heat source (preferably UTH)
Thermostat
Thermometer (2)
Hygrometer

A lot of people here like Accu-rite thermometer/hygrometer units from Walmart cause they're cheap and they work well enough, and they cover two pieces of equipment in one. I can't get them here though, so I went with the next recommendation which is cheap aquarium/terrarium thermometers and an analog hygrometer sold for cigars. So far I've found all my equipment measures within its margin of error, so no complaints.

For thermostats, a lot of people feel the hydrofarm units are probably the cheapest but still adequate option.

Loose rule of thumb for heat pads is approximately 1/3 of the bottom.

For humidity on tanks like yours a lot of people seem to like the solution of putting a damp towel over most of the top. No personal experience or comments.

EDIT: Too slow

[The Serpent Merchant]

I just wanted to ask what you are using for heat right now? (since you said that your lamp blew out)

BP's tanks should never get below 75 degrees and they need a constant heat source of 88-92 degrees to survive.

If you get another light, make use it has a ceramic socket and not a plastic one. The Infrared bulbs are great but with all heat bulbs they are hard on humidity.

[ki.bro]

I would like to thank everyone for posting and helping me out... it is 3am here so i am not going to be rushing out to get the stuff now , but in the morning i definitely will.

What is the UTH that through your experience has been reliable as well as inexpensive.

I was also wondering i am seeing a lot about the blue day bulb... is that necessary? and what are the benefits to that light? as well if i use the UTH do i need a heat bulb?

I am also wondering how to up the humidity? aside from putting a damp towel on the lid. although good suggestion.

If i am to put in some fake foliage.... would it be a good idea to fasten it to the lid. and possibly make the roof of his home softer and keep in some of the humidity?

If once i get the thermometer in the tank and find that i am not in the optimal zone of humidity.... is there something that i can do or get that will help to achieve the proper levels.

I have also read that there should be a strict night time and day time regime. and as such there has been mention of a blue daylight bulb, is that a must? of will allowing natural light come in through the glass of the windows suffice?



i am very new to this and would like to keep "clown" AKA "snakeface" longer then i did my goldfish....

thanks in advance for any further help as well to those who have already helped....


and aaron to answer your question about heat now.... nothing.. the tank is sitting @ 70f and the apartment is quite warm... so hopefully the night will be ok until we can get out tomorrow....


thanks

[jtomb1510]

You don't really need any other heat source AS LONG AS you can keep the ambient temps in the room where your terrarium is at 78*-80*F. Those temps are more than adequate for a bp but you really need an UTH to provide belly heat.

[RetiredJedi]

I suggest the same thing Merchant suggested and use Vypryz TUB SETUP. The best UTH I've used is the ULTRATHERM UTH from Reptile Basics. The UTH should cover no more than 1/3 of your tub.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I would like to thank everyone for posting and helping me out... it is 3am here so i am not going to be rushing out to get the stuff now , but in the morning i definitely will.

What is the UTH that through your experience has been reliable as well as inexpensive.

I was also wondering i am seeing a lot about the blue day bulb... is that necessary? and what are the benefits to that light? as well if i use the UTH do i need a heat bulb?

I am also wondering how to up the humidity? aside from putting a damp towel on the lid. although good suggestion.

If i am to put in some fake foliage.... would it be a good idea to fasten it to the lid. and possibly make the roof of his home softer and keep in some of the humidity?

If once i get the thermometer in the tank and find that i am not in the optimal zone of humidity.... is there something that i can do or get that will help to achieve the proper levels.

I have also read that there should be a strict night time and day time regime. and as such there has been mention of a blue daylight bulb, is that a must? of will allowing natural light come in through the glass of the windows suffice?



i am very new to this and would like to keep "clown" AKA "snakeface" longer then i did my goldfish....

thanks in advance for any further help as well to those who have already helped....


and aaron to answer your question about heat now.... nothing.. the tank is sitting @ 70f and the apartment is quite warm... so hopefully the night will be ok until we can get out tomorrow....


thanks

Blue daylight bulbs are not necessary. strict daylight/night cycles are not necessary (but are good) this can be accomplished simply by the natural light in the room during the day and the absence of light at night. (DON'T put the cage in the direct light from a window as your tank will overheat during the day from this)

The ZooMed and ExoTerra UTH's are ok, (overpriced in my opinion but the best you are going to get in a store) you can order Flexwatt from this website:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/flexwatt-heat-tape

You can buy it by the foot and if you also buy the wires with the Flexwatt they will wire it for you.

To bump up the humidity you will have to get a spray bottle and mist the cage. there are many threads on this site about bumping up humidity so you can check those out (do a site search from the search bar in the upper right corner of the webpage.

If i am to put in some fake foliage.... would it be a good idea to fasten it to the lid. and possibly make the roof of his home softer and keep in some of the humidity?

I'm not completely following what you mean by this can you clarify?

you can get a humidifier to raise the humidity in the room that your cage is in. these can be costly and require weekly maintenance. And As I said before there are many threads on this site about raising humidity.

I can understand not doing anything at 3:00 AM, but you need to get a heat source for him as quickly as possible. at 70 degrees your snake could die or develop a sickness that can easily kill your snake. this is extremely important. the cage humidity is important but the heat has to come first.

I would just get another heat lamp for now and use the red bulb that you have. it needs to be on 24/7. If your apartment stays cold enough for the cage to be 70 degrees than a UTH will not be enough alone to heat the cage. this is what you need to do (As I said before just get the heat lamp back working for now)

You will use a UTH regulated by a thermostat to provide the hot side temperature of 88-92 degrees then use a Heat lamp on a light dimmer (which I will get back to ) to maintain the air temperature in the cage between 78-82 degrees. (the light will sit in the middle of the tank.)

Back to the light dimmer. these are cheap and can be found at most Walmarts/hardware stores. you want something that looks like this:

http://www.google.com/products/catal...MAI#ps-sellers