Heat panels in tank

[roaland]

was wondering everyone's opinion on Heat panels, the kind you mount inside the tank. I want to built my own cage out of melamine and don't want to use the ceramic heaters I'm using now. I plan on getting a thermostat, either a VE-300 or a Helix, not sure which one yet. It would be for a cage 4'-2'-2', roughly. I'm wondering how well they work? my place gets kinda chilly in the winter, hence the 3/4" melamine. I've never used anything on my snake besides the ceramic heaters and a UTH i used once by itself that did not work well for me at all even though it was the right size. I might inlay some glass in the bottom of the hotside and put some flexwatt or something on that also just in case. I figure with a thermostat it should be alright as long as my probes are placed right.

[KMG]

I have some rhp in my large pvc cages(48x24x15). My home stays at 68 and even cooler in the winter and trying to use the rhp alone it just didn't work for me. I had to start using a oil heater to heat the room.

Mine are not thick though so I bet you will have better results. Be carful as the taller your cage is the stronger rhp will need to be and the more heat it will have to pump out. You really want to stay under 18 inches. My 15 inch cages hold a brb and a big blood and I like that height. Any shorter and it would be hard for me to clean. I think 15 is a good median.

To mount my tstat probe I use a cable strap and super glue to mount it to the rim of the rhp. It appears the probe touches the rhp in the pic but it doesn't.

[roaland]

the lower height isn't a big deal, still in the planning stages anyway. Hmm that's a disappointment, i hoped they would of worked better then that. My female ball likes to climb, thats why i to shoot for height lol. Any suggestions on heating? I know with the VE-300 i can plug a power strip into it and it'll run off of the strip so i guess i could still use the ceramic with the domes but i really wanted to try to get away from them if at all possible. Trying new things and all that lol

just saw your addition. I live in an apartment so i can't really use an oil heater safely. Wouldn't keeping the probe that close to the heater mean the temp at the substrate level would be much cooler then what the prob reads?

[KMG]

Why would it not be safe to use the oil heater in a apt?


Having the probe as I do does not allow the snake to move it or cover it. I also prefer the look. As for getting the substrate the correct temp I used a IR temp gun and some time dialing it in I got the tstat set just where it needs to be. You can set the probe temp at any temp necessary to give you the correct temp you want on the substrate.

[roaland]

ah ok i get what ya mean lol. It's not a very big appartment, just has breezy windows, nothing i can personally do about it lol. Covering them in plastic helps but still gets a chill lol.

I'm thinking the panels alone may not be enough then according to your first post. Guess i could put circular holes in and just use the domes with the ceramic heaters, but i really wanted to get away from using them.

For reference, my ball is in a glass 50 gallon now and she needs more floor space so my heating experience is coming from a glass tank with the top screen covered in a foil thermal blanket with black duck-tape on top of that so it looks nicer.

i am open to other ideas or a combination of things to make sure the temps stay good.

[Sauzo]

I use a RHP exclusively to heat my Proline 48x23x14 for my red tail boa for the past 2 years and its been perfect. I use a Herpstat 1 and she has gone from a little 20 inch baby to now about a 5ft big girl. My house is set for 70f and I keep the Herpstat set to 87f with the probe hanging about 3 inches from the RHP on the back wall and about 2 inches from the substrate so my girl doesn't wrap up in it and cause a false reading. Btw im using a Pro product 65w RHP.

Also remember, RHPs work like a CHE but without the drying effect. They heat the air and anything directly under them. They don't work like a UTH. I put a flat rock directly under mine on the aspen to give a combo of belly heat and penetrating heat as well as it providing something to warm the air also. So using a CHE with a RHP would be redundant and pointless. You could use a UTH but if the ambient air is warm enough in the enclosure, you don't need belly heat. As for mounting it, if it is your sole means of heat, mount it on one side or the other, not in the middle as you still want to provide a cool side.

Oh and the reason I set it to 87f is that is what gives me a hot spot of 92f with the probe being 3 inches to the left of the RHP. You will also want a temp gun to fine tune yours if you go this route as each set up is different.

[Sauzo]

I have some rhp in my large pvc cages(48x24x15). My home stays at 68 and even cooler in the winter and trying to use the rhp alone it just didn't work for me. I had to start using a oil heater to heat the room.

Mine are not thick though so I bet you will have better results. Be carful as the taller your cage is the stronger rhp will need to be and the more heat it will have to pump out. You really want to stay under 18 inches. My 15 inch cages hold a brb and a big blood and I like that height. Any shorter and it would be hard for me to clean. I think 15 is a good median.

To mount my tstat probe I use a cable strap and super glue to mount it to the rim of the rhp. It appears the probe touches the rhp in the pic but it doesn't.

That set up is good for an arboreal snake like a GTP or GTB but prefer my probe closer to the floor to get more of a reading there. But hey, if this works, it works. Everyone has their little ways of getting it to work as long as the end result is a happy warm snake and not a snake that looks like a burnt French fry

[roaland]

guess one of my fears is that I'll spend $60-$80 on one and it wont do all i need it to lol. The one I'm looking at is 80 watts. 12.5" x 22.5" x 1.75" that would go on the hotside longways with the 22" running front of the enclosure to the back. Thats why i got in mind anyway. Running on a thermostat of course. i want the enclosure itself to be 2' deep so i know that'll leave less then an inch in the front and back but I'm kinda ocd on making sure I've got plenty of heating options for her if there's a really cold winter or something oddball happens lol. would that be a little much ya think? like i said, only have experience with using the ceramic heaters. I just don't like the domes sticking out of the top of the tank lol.

[KMG]

That set up is good for an arboreal snake like a GTP or GTB but prefer my probe closer to the floor to get more of a reading there. But hey, if this works, it works. Everyone has their little ways of getting it to work as long as the end result is a happy warm snake and not a snake that looks like a burnt French fry

Its ETB for Emerald Tree Boa, not GTB.

As for the placement it is the same principle for both ways. My way is cleaner looking and keeps the probe in the direct path of heat. Your way leaves a probe dangling on the side and I don't like that. It doesn't look finished to me. I use rhp's for both terrestrial and arboreal cages(gtp, blood, brb). My Blood Python is much thicker than a few inches and trying to dangle the probe in her cage would leave her leaning on it and blocking it or have it to high up the wall. I use the same mounting method in both types of cages and it works great. My BRB had a really dressed out cage with fake and real plants, logs, hides, and soaking tub. If I tried to use the dangle technique the back wall was shielded by all the décor and the only good way to do it was to use my method. Doing it that way gave me just what I needed.

As I said the principle and the procedure to dial them in is the same and it requires a temp gun. The only real difference is how it looks. People do things different to get the same results but I don't like how you try to tell others my advice is not going to be correct for their application when it is. Im not guessing here as I do it so I know from experience.

[roaland]

i guess i could always use the heat panel and a UTH or heat tape or something mounted on glass inlaid into the bottom of the enclosure if i was really worried about it. anyone know if i can run both of those using a VE-300 thermostat?