20 Gallon Tank Setup.....HELP!!!

[Kaorte]

So do I need to have a heat lamp to heat the air AND a UTH to provide heat on the substrate?? and how much of the tank should it cover?? I have the 10" by 11" size; is that sufficient for heating the tank??

Also, what is "blacking out the tank"?? Is this putting some kind of background on the back (to help retain the heat/prevent extraneous heat transfer)??

And which type of thermostat works well (as inexpensive as possible)

These aren't necessarily my questions; my mother is convinced that having thermostats and other "fancy" electronic controls are too sophisticated for amateur snake keepers like myself. She says "You're not gonna breed the snake; You're not doing research on him...snakes aren't that finicky."


Sorry, didn't realize @kaorte had posted here...Thanks for clearing up some of this

Lol @ your mother Thermostats aren't fancy at all! And yes, they can be quite finicky if their temps are completely out of whack. If its too hot, they will cook, if its too cold they won't eat.

Pet stores don't really tell you that you need a thermostat, but you really do. Otherwise you have no way of controlling how much heat your snake is exposed to. There have been tests done by users here on the forum that prove an unregulated UTH will exceed 110+º which is very dangerous for your animal to be laying on.


If your ambient room temps are above 75º then you don't need a heat lamp, just the UTH will be fine. The size UTH you have sounds fine. It should just cover less than half of the tank. Basically you just want a spot where the snake can lay to get warmed up, and then another spot where he can go to cool down.

Blacking out the tank just means covering the back and sides with something to not only make the tank feel more enclosed, but also to help retain heat. I like to use foam core board panels. They provide a little bit more insulation then just plain paper. You can find a sheet at any drug store like CVS or walgreens.

The Hydrofarm thermostat that others have mentioned is the cheapest. You can buy it from amazon.com or check with your local plant nurseries, indoor growing stores to see if they carry it. I found one at my local hydroponics store while I was picking up stuff for my plants.