Couple Questions

[Luiiizy]

Im about to get a ball python in September , having already a bunch of reef aquariums and crested gecko im no noob to research i try to do everything right the first time but its always a learning procress ! ahah

so i have pvc enclosure roughly about 22x22 for the bottom surface area.

anyways im running some THG heat tape controlled by a v100 thermostat. also going to keep some coco husk for substrate.

anyways im going for 90 degree on the hot side and 80 on the cool side correct? anyways how high can i run the heat tape so ensure that the temperatures are correct as obviously if i put 90 on the thermostat the temp gun reads significantly lower. so what temperature can i set the thermostat safely? i got a 2 feet by 6" wide heat tape as that's what was suggested but im thinking of going maybe 1.5feet lenght by 12" wide heat tape to cover more area.

any suggestions? my basement gets a little bit cold in the winter but im going to get a whole room heater and keep the heat tape instead of getting a radiant heat panel unless i realize that i have no option but to get one but we shall see.

[jasonmcgilvrey83]

To be honest it would be better to get the rhp if it's in a room that gets cold. Instead of buying a heater for the room it's going to be in. The rhp is energy efficient and gives natural kind of heat in the tank. Less expencive and last a long time. That's just my suggestion tho lol. The place I have my snakes gets cold in the winter cause of tile floors and sense I got the rhp I haven't had any trouble with heat. Plus it doesn't suck out humidity like the bulbs do lol

[Tbrown806]

We keep our house fairly cool year round (68 winter to 72 summer). I run 11" x @ 18" flexwatt along with a RHP controlled by a herpstat 2 in a PVC cage (48x24x15). I've been very pleased with this combo maintaining great temps and humidity. Love that the RHP does not seem to effect humidity and keeps my ambient temps 80-85. Warm side floor 88-90, cool side floor 78-79.

[Luiiizy]

To be honest it would be better to get the rhp if it's in a room that gets cold. Instead of buying a heater for the room it's going to be in. The rhp is energy efficient and gives natural kind of heat in the tank. Less expencive and last a long time. That's just my suggestion tho lol. The place I have my snakes gets cold in the winter cause of tile floors and sense I got the rhp I haven't had any trouble with heat. Plus it doesn't suck out humidity like the bulbs do lol

ya i know but i actually live in that basement as in its where i sleep and spend most my day so the heater for the room is for me and i guess the snake aswell ahaha. but i see what your saying maybe im better off getting the RHP would 40w be enough? or would 80w be a better bet? cage is i believe 24x24x16 now that i went to check. also with the ve-100 i can either use the UTH or RHP but not both at the same time? where would one place a probe for the RHP?

[Tbrown806]

If using both uth and rhp, i think 40 would be sufficient. thats the wattage i'm running on my 48x24x15 with flexwatt. just make sure both are attached to a stat, one capable of controlling 2 devices like a herpstat 2 or similar.

[Luiiizy]

hmmm im going to look into just using a RHP since i dont really want to buy another thermostat im happy with the ve-100.

no one seemed to answer my initial question how high can a THG heat tape run safely? basically highest temp

[jasonmcgilvrey83]

The thg is mainly for belly heat if u have a huge cage. That's why u will need a lamp or rhp to heat the rest of the cage.I would say 90 to answer your question about the thg. For the rhp check out this site. When u call they give u the run down on the rhp and answers any question u have. U will need to know the size of your cage, place of your cage, and where it's going to be so he can give u the right rhp. That's where I got mine from and haven't had any issues at all. He also tells u where to put the rhp at and where the thermostat should go for best results.

[CryHavoc17]

The reason a lot of people use both is because in a pvc cage your flexwatt wont usually put off enough heat to increase the temp of the cool side above the ambient temp of the room. Its just the way flexwatt works. Usually flexwatt only works as an exclusive heat source is when you have a dedicated reptile room you can control the ambient temp in separate from the test of your house.

I think using both is major overkill. Just the RHP will do the whole job by itself just fine.

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[Luiiizy]

yeah i get you the RHP was my initial plan but i thought hey if i could make it work with THG heat tape why not its alot cheaper but ya my only concern would be that the basement gets to cold. i will look into it definitely thanks for the help guys

i have a cave hide for him on the hot side , my question is with the RHP will it heat under the hide well enough ?

also for the probe and other stuff can i use hot glue on the RHP or the PVC?? for keeping up the probe and other things like to have some hanging plants make it looks somewhat nice (personal preference)

[jasonmcgilvrey83]

Yes the rhp heats the ground and inside the hide as well. As far as hot glue I don't know. I've always used suction cups for the probe. I wouldn't recommend putting hot glue on the rhp. The probe doesn't go directly on the rhp. The rhp comes with screws that u screw into the enclosure. I've heard of people useing hot glue in their enclosure but I've never done it. All the plants I've got came with suction cups for hanging. I think gluing them in would make it harder to take out for cleaning.