The uth should be plugged into a thermostat to control it. The probe for that goes outside the tank between the uth and tank bottom. Then the uth should have a shallow substrate covering, 1/4 inch at most.
You should unplug the uth until you get a tstat. I suggest Herpstat. http://www.spyderrobotics.com/index....=index&cPath=1
Another good thing to but is a IR temp gun so you can better know your tank temps.