terrarium set up q's

[mommanessy247]

1) i know the uth goes under the terrarium but where do i place the thermostat & its probe? &
2) will i need to put anything between the uth & my dresser surface? if so, what works best?
i am trying to work out how i am going to set this thing up, so that when the times comes to do it, i've got it all written down & i know what to do instead of trying to figure it out on the spot and becoming confused and/or frustrated.
thanks in advance for replies.

[SlimeyLimey805]

i dont know anything about the thermo stats (ive been wondering the same thing myself). but i do know that you're gonna want to raise you terrarium up off your dresser with the UTH there. some come with little rubber feet to do so, but they're pretty small. I went with the ghetto rigg ingenuity and used some hard cover books to get it about and inch or so off the table. i would recommend something along those lines, although you may find a more elegant solution then a couple books. :p
-Kyle

[Lankyrob]

We put a sheet of cooking foil under our mat heater to reflect the heat back up into the viv - not quite sure if that is what you were after?? It also stops the shelf that it is on getting too hot

[infernalis]

I have used pine trim moulding, it raises the viv about 1/2 inch off the surface and looks nice.

[shaunyboy]

We put a sheet of cooking foil under our mat heater to reflect the heat back up into the viv - not quite sure if that is what you were after?? It also stops the shelf that it is on getting too hot

SMALL FAUNARIUMS.i put an inch thick sheet of polystyrene under the mat when using faunariums.it isolates the heat.i put the stat probe on the substrate as far to one side as it will go,that becomes the hot end.i put a dial thermometer on the substrate up the hot end next to the probe.it wouldnt hurt to put a thermometer up the cool end too.the ones pictured in the viv in this post only cost £3 each over here.

VIVARIUMS.when im using a vivarium for an older snake i put the stat probe dead centre of the back of the viv.i use ceramic set ups with most vivs.i mount the ceramic bulb as far to the right as i can in the centre of the vivarium top,that becomes my hot end,with the probe being dead centre of the tank it gives a good temperature gradient.the viv pictured happens to be my diamond viv she requires a light source with her heat so she has a basking bulb instead of a ceramic.but the picture should give you an idea of what im trying to explain.

http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/spilota01/diamond%20tank/diamond%20tank/diamondtank001.jpg
guage dead centre of this tank is a temperature guage
guage to the right of tank is temperature guage
guage to bottom left of tank temperature guage
i also have a humidity guage you cant see in the picture directly above the centre temp guage


finished product
http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/spilota01/diamond%20tank/diamond%20tank/diamondtank009.jpg

the little black round thing you notice dead centre of the back of the viv in the first picture is the stat probe.im not great with computers but infernalis if you are able to put small arrows with whats what in the tank be my guest mate.
cheers shaun

[mommanessy247]

pine trim molding, books or aluminum foil...good ideas everyone.

[mommanessy247]

anyone else on where to put the thermostat & its probe?

[Lankyrob]

Everything i have heard and read says probe deadcentre of tank - then heater side will be warm and other end cool.

[Will0W783]

Yes the probe should be at pretty much the center of the tank so what you will be reading is the average/middle temp and humidity. In addition, you will want to buy a temp gun that you can point at different spots to get basking and cool temperatures.

[infernalis]

the little black round thing you notice dead centre of the back of the viv in the first picture is the stat probe.im not great with computers but infernalis if you are able to put small arrows with whats what in the tank be my guest mate.
cheers shaun


http://www.ssnakess.info/1/diamondtank001.jpg

[citysnakes]

We put a sheet of cooking foil under our mat heater to reflect the heat back up into the viv

tin foil wont reflect heat and you may be risking a dangerous heat concentration between the tank and shelf by using it with the heat mat in between them.

also, when using a heat mat, the probe of the thermostat should be placed directly on the heating element and not inside the enclosure. placing the probe directly on the heat mat will ensure consistent temperatures, greatly reducing the risk of overheating to dangerous temperatures.

if you place the thermostat probe inside the enclosure over the heat mat the snake will get to it somehow whether he physically moves it or defecates on it and this can cause temperature spikes potentially dangerous to you and your animal.

[citysnakes]

Everything i have heard and read says probe deadcentre of tank - then heater side will be warm and other end cool.

Yes the probe should be at pretty much the center of the tank so what you will be reading is the average/middle temp and humidity. In addition, you will want to buy a temp gun that you can point at different spots to get basking and cool temperatures.

the purpose of the thermostat probe is to control the heating element that is connected to the thermostat. placing the thermostat probe away from the heating element in the middle of the enclosure does not make any sense. doing this will cause the heat mat to spike to temperatures much higher than necessary and will make the task of controlling temperatures much more difficult and complicated than it really is.

when using a heat mat like flexwatt or pet store heating pads the thermostat probe must be placed directly on the heat mat.


if using radiant heat panels for example the thermostat probe may be placed a few inches under the element and still not in the middle of the enclosure. as long as the occupant inside cannot perch over top of the probe and it is placed directly under the element then its fine.

even fixing the probe directly on the RHP is acceptable but the thermostat will have to be set higher to achieve acceptable basking temps but is still running no hotter than it would as if the probe was placed a few inches below the RHP and thermostat was set at a lower temp.

however when using flexwatt or heat mats i cannot stress enough that the probe should not be placed inside the enclosure and should be placed directly on the heating element.

[mykee]

Julian, thanks for hopping in here and clearing up some misinformation.
1. You ALWAYS place the probe directly ON the heat source, so that you know and can control the temperature of your animals heat source. If it's not ON the heat source, it is completely USELESS. Some animals will benefit from the other methods mentioned in this thread, NOT ball pythons.
2. When you are designing your enclosure, you need an air gap between your UTH and it's surroundings so as not to build up excessive heat thus eventually causing your trailer to become a smouldering pile of ash with some charred animal and human flesh mixed in. You want your UTH attached to the bottom of the enclosure, but the excess heat needs a way to dissipate. This cannot be achieved by raising the enclosure on a "trapped" riser; you need to allow for a bunch of airflow.

[Lankyrob]

Ok am confuddled and kinda concerned now.

We have a plastic "tub" enclosure for our young corns. It is sat on top of a heat mat which is direectly on top of a shelf. The thermostat is laid against the bottom of the "tub" under the substrate in the middle so that the hot end is one side and teh cool end the other.

From what has been said the "tub" and the heatmat both need to be lifted off the shelf so that there is air flow below the heat mat - but the heatmat should be in direct contact with the "tub"?

If this is the case what is the easiest way to do it? Obviously whatever is holding the heating mat off the shelf (and attached to the "tub") is gonna get hot so what would you guys recommend??

Thanks for your help - i await anxiously to hear what you think.

[mykee]

Rob; in your situation, I would attach the UTH (which likely has an adhesive side) directly to the tub or bin. I would then create an air gap between the bottom of the tub and the shelf that the whole lot sites on.
Make sense?

[Lankyrob]

Ok - just had a good look and the heat mat has no adhesive side. Also Mykee - what about the "probe" outside the "tub" on the heatmat or inside under the substrate?

Am due a visit to our reptile shop tomorrow anyway for some more food, so will have a chat with them about it too.

If anyone else uses heat mats what do you use to lift them off the surface??

[kaorte]

You can attach the UTH to the tub with aluminum tape (or foil tape). Are you using a UTH? I am pretty certain that almost all commercial UTHs have an adhesive side.

The thermoSTAT probe goes outside the enclosure directly on the heating element. The thermoMETER probe goes inside the enclosure right over the UTH under the substrate.

[mykee]

I would recommend against using foil tape as it is conductive and could cause electrical issues.
Rob, in my setup:
http://www.strictlyballs.ca/snakerack.htmI
I attach the probe directly to the heat tape. For one bin, I would not recommend taping the probe inside the bin, as it could come loose and cook your animal.
You also have the added worry about a short circuit if the probe gets wet, which would also affect the temperature read-out on your thermostat.

[kaorte]

I have never had any electrical problems when using foil tape and heat tape and I know many people who have been using it on rack setups for years with no electrical problems. As long as your connections are insulated properly there should be no risk of an electrical "issue".

Foil tape is great for adhering heat sources because it doesn't loose its adhesive when it gets warm like duct tape does. It is also very thin and very strong.

[Lankyrob]

Thanks for the advice - will chat with the guys at the reptile store in the morning and see where i go from there.