My low temp is 80 and the heating pad itself is up to 99 (it has a plug in thermometer with it). There is a very thin layer of substrate over the spot of the heating pad. So it's probably cooler than 99, the thermostat is plugged in straight to the pad so I'll invest in a heat gun to check over substrate and tank. Why did he use it initially if it was too hot? I'm a first time owner so I'm trying to gather all the info I can. I'll stop deep cleaning as often. How often should I deep clean, once a month?