Tank Won't Get Hot Enough

[FMHScowboy]

I'm just getting a new tank setup put together and I can't seem to keep the hot spot hot enough. My ambiend is just fine, 79.2F, but my hot spot is only staying around 86F. Its a 20gal long that has a small little 8 watt heat pad that doesn't work very well, a 50 watt ceramic heat bulb, and a 75 watt heaght/black light (both lights in reflector domes). The temp of the room is kept between 72-75F right now. I put cling wrap on a little over half of the screen (just enough so that both domes will fit and not melt the plastic wrap) to try and keep the heat up and it brought it up from like 84F. Any sujestions on what to do? Also what can I do with my tank to make a ball happier?

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[chet1028]

Sounds like you already answered your own question. Replace the "small little heat pad that doesn't work very well" with a bigger, better heat pad.

[FMHScowboy]

Sounds like you already answered your own question. Replace the "small little heat pad that doesn't work very well" with a bigger, better heat pad.

The thing about that is that the heat pad is only like 3 weeks old. :/

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[1nstinct]

return the heat pad. how are you measuring the temp? if your using a thermometer with a probe is it hanging in the air? or are you measuring the surface temp of the cage under the heat sources.

[FMHScowboy]

return the heat pad. how are you measuring the temp? if your using a thermometer with a probe is it hanging in the air? or are you measuring the surface temp of the cage under the heat sources.

The probe is hanging in the air. Like an inck above my substrate.

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[KMG]

Air temp and surface temp is very different. You need to get an IR temp gun to check the hot spot correctly. Replace the plastic wrap with foil. Foil will help hold heat in better and it is heat tolerant. Ceramic heat bulbs are great but if you read the box it will tell you using it in a regular dome fixture will cause it to burn out from the heat backing up into the fixture. They make a wire frame fixture just for those heaters. I use one and it throws heat just fine. Don't think that the dome fixture well be better because its not, but it will end up costing you more money by killing your ceramic bulbs.

Amazon has IR temp guns for as low as $10. Mine was $20 when I got it and is now down to $10 and it has works great. When you get one i bet you find your hot spot is to hot. I use a 75watt in a 40 gallon tank. Also mine is hanging on a light stand giving it a stand off of about 18 inches to give a 90° spot. I use lamp stands on all my heat bulbs because I found laying the fixtures on top created hot spots that were to hot where i didn't want a hot spot. The temp gun will take you to a better level of keeping snakes.

- - - Updated - - -

I bet your 75 watt bulb is way to hot. I use a 60 watt on my cool side in a 40 gallon and it is raised using a stand because it created spots over 90 even though my air temp was good.

[LadyWraith]

OP, I have a similar setup to yours except that my house ambient temp is at 80 degrees so I haven't had any temp issues yet. In fact, my 75 watt infrared lamp is on a dimmer and isn't even at full power right now. And that is currently my only heat source. I don't really understand how you've got so many heat sources but the hot spot is still too low... I followed this article: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tment-Tutorial and it raised the temps enough to turn my lamp down using the dimmer. And you don't have to worry about it melting like the plastic. BTW, I read a post on here somewhere where a guy did this tin foil/duct tape insulation method on 3 sides of the tank as well to keep the heat in. I also agree with the other posters above; invest in a better UTH with a thermostat to regulate it. Can cause burns if it shorts so the thermostat is necessary. Also, it looks like it's on the floor... is that correct? If you could raise it too a higher location, that may help as well since the air near the floor is quite a bit cooler than the air even at the height of like a desk for instance.

[FMHScowboy]

Ok thanks, I will deffinatly invest in a cheap heat gun and a thermostat, what's a reliable t-stat that is inexpensive?

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[KMG]

Many use this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o02_s00_i00

A better one would be a Basic Herstat- $100 or the Herpstat1- $135.

[FMHScowboy]

Air temp and surface temp is very different. You need to get an IR temp gun to check the hot spot correctly. Replace the plastic wrap with foil. Foil will help hold heat in better and it is heat tolerant. Ceramic heat bulbs are great but if you read the box it will tell you using it in a regular dome fixture will cause it to burn out from the heat backing up into the fixture. They make a wire frame fixture just for those heaters. I use one and it throws heat just fine. Don't think that the dome fixture well be better because its not, but it will end up costing you more money by killing your ceramic bulbs.

Amazon has IR temp guns for as low as $10. Mine was $20 when I got it and is now down to $10 and it has works great. When you get one i bet you find your hot spot is to hot. I use a 75watt in a 40 gallon tank. Also mine is hanging on a light stand giving it a stand off of about 18 inches to give a 90° spot. I use lamp stands on all my heat bulbs because I found laying the fixtures on top created hot spots that were to hot where i didn't want a hot spot. The temp gun will take you to a better level of keeping snakes.

- - - Updated - - -

I bet your 75 watt bulb is way to hot. I use a 60 watt on my cool side in a 40 gallon and it is raised using a stand because it created spots over 90 even though my air temp was good.

order placed on heat gun, should arrive July 20-Aug 6

OP, I have a similar setup to yours except that my house ambient temp is at 80 degrees so I haven't had any temp issues yet. In fact, my 75 watt infrared lamp is on a dimmer and isn't even at full power right now. And that is currently my only heat source. I don't really understand how you've got so many heat sources but the hot spot is still too low... I followed this article: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tment-Tutorial and it raised the temps enough to turn my lamp down using the dimmer. And you don't have to worry about it melting like the plastic. BTW, I read a post on here somewhere where a guy did this tin foil/duct tape insulation method on 3 sides of the tank as well to keep the heat in. I also agree with the other posters above; invest in a better UTH with a thermostat to regulate it. Can cause burns if it shorts so the thermostat is necessary. Also, it looks like it's on the floor... is that correct? If you could raise it too a higher location, that may help as well since the air near the floor is quite a bit cooler than the air even at the height of like a desk for instance.

will try this method on my screen