Quote Originally Posted by bigrich0086
cold side is reading about 75-78 with my central air on cuz its 98 outside with 90% humidity. if i reduce the thickness of the substrate it iwll get hotter in there i jsut dont wnat him to move it aside and rest on the heat pad since its inside the tank. i can mount it outside but it wont reach over 80. and the store i got him at had him at 80 dagrees fine for a week andhe ate no problem.
What the store had him at and what is actually healthy can (and often are) two very different things. Set your UTH to read about 92-94 degrees at the surface, then reduce the amount of substrate you have. Also do what you can to get the cool side/ambient temperatures up above 80. 75-78 are winter night temps.

You might want to give the FAQ's and caresheets at the top a read also. Since you're new to BP's all the reading material you can find should be looked through, studied, and studied again to make sure you're providing a safe, secure, appropriate home for your new friend. I'm new too and don't even pretend to know even close to everything, but what I've told you is correct according to what I've read and the advice I've read on this site.