Temps with temp gun

[Craiga 01453]

Basically I'm measuring areas on his hot side. I do have an under the tank heater as well. So I should raise the surface temp then even if his surface temps are already 90?

Ok, in order to get your temps properly dialed in it is important to get the actual surface temp above the UTH at 90-92. Not the area, or the substrate, but the actual surface area of the hot spot. So you want to get the hotspot area cleaned off enough that you can point the temp gun at the surface and get a reading. Then make adjustments accordingly using your thermostat.

Next, for your ambient temps, which should be 76-80 but not below 75, you want to use your heat lamp on a tstat or dimmer switch. You will then make adjustments using the tstat or dimmer switch to get your ambient temps right. To get ambient temp readings you can use the in tank thermometer as opposed to the temp gun.

This should get you pretty dialed in, but will take a little time and a few adjustments based on trial and error.