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Re: Vivarium Electronics or Herpstat
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scubadiver59
So, a basic rheostat in a box? One warning to all...stay away from Zilla dial (aka rheostat) temp controllers. The 20F temp swing is just plain ridiculous!!
Another difference between the Vivarium and Herpstats is that you get the night/day temp ramping included and you don't need a separate module (only the VE-300 had that included).
And, the Herpstat-6 has two ports for RH probes...I don't see that advertised in the Vivarium series.
And before anybody gets any ideas, I'm not against the Vivarium line, I just liked what the Herpstat line had to offer.
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No - a rheostat has no automatic control of temperature whatsoever-a manually controlled variable resistor allows the power output to be varied but takes no account of changing ambient temperature so cannot be relied on to maintain a constant temperature in the viv.
An on/off star isn't even a rheostat with automatic temperature control. It simply switches on at full power when the temperature drops below a certain temperature and off when it reaches a certain higher temperature. They're fine-they do the job and in a simple set up with just a uth for example there's nothing particularly wrong with them.
A dimming thermostat is somewhat the equivalent of an automatic rheostat in that it uses resistance to control power output however unlike a rheostat the resistance iscontinually and automatically varied to control the power output thus the temperature. They're actually incredibly useful and most commonly used when visible light is the heating source because otherwise you would have a bulb that was forever switching on or off. A good swimming stat is therefore an excellent choice in some set ups.
A pulse stat sends short on/off pulses to control the temperature. They are generally the most efficient but as per the above useless with a light emitting heat source. They are however ideal for a che or rhp.
You don't get them over in the States I don't think but I use Microclimate Evo's on all my vivs. They can be programmed to pulse, swimming or on/off so are hugely versatile. They also offer a timed temperature gradient and a second channel for lighting ( and the Pro version has a humidity sensor for misting control).
They are single Viv only though and one thing we lack is a good multi-viv solution. At around $100 - $150 per star it's expensive but I won't skimp on the stat-most important piece of equipment you'll buy...
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0.1 B imperator, 1.0 M spilota harrisoni, 1.0 C hortulanus, 2.1 P reticulatus (Madu locality), 1.1 S amethystine, 1.1 L olivaceous, 1.0 C angulifer, 1.0 Z persicus, 0.1 P regius, 0.1 N natrix, 0.1 E climacophora, 1.0 P obsoletus, 0.1 L geluta nigrtia, 1.0 P catenifer sayi, 1.0 T lepidus
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Hybrid Mode
