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New glass viv-is temperature ok?

Remmy

Remmy

New member
Got my glass viv set up with a heat mat underneath. I have a temperature on the glass bottom off 85.5 but on top off the substrate it is only 76.5. Is this ok or do i make the glass 90 degress which i thought might be too hot and the substrate 80 degrees. Also the cool end is only 66.7 degrees,is this too cold and if so how do i raise the temp in the cool end. Thanks for any advice.
 
Can you make the layer of substrate thinner by taking some out? There should only be about an inch in depth over the site of the UTH.
 
hmmmm... I"m mainly replying so I get emails for updates to this thread.

note: I am still waiting for my first snake.
But I know it's important that the glass is not too hot so that your snake doesn't burn his belly if he burrows all the way down. My cool side is also in that range. I have a large dome light with a low watt heat bulb, which seems to bring the temp up just a few degrees. I'm not suggesting you get a lamp... I just happened to have one so I did some experiments. I'd like to hear if people think that 65 ish is acceptable... I hope to only use the l
 
Take Bitsy's advice and remove some substrate. 90 is too hot for the glass temp as your snake will more than likely burrow down to the warmth of the UTH, and if it sits on it for an extended period at that temp it can cause damage.

Also, Leonore, 65 is much too cold for the cool side. The low 70's (75 is optimal) is about as cool as you should let it get. Otherwise it can cause digestion problems in your snake.
 
Remmy, I was playing around with a 50 watt bulb in a large side dome. This raised the temp by a perfect 5 degrees. Someone also suggested to me that the ceramic bulbs last longer. You can play with the height of the lamp to adjust the amount of heat it adds to the viv.
 
I wouldn't worry about 90 on the glass. The average temp of the human body on the external skin is 90-93, depending on which study you look at. Your snake certainly isn't burned when you handle it, even for long periods of time.
 
I have only got 1cm off substrate over the uth so i dont think i can take any more of. Like you Leonore i thought about getting a heat lamp for the winter and was hoping i wouldnt need it all the time.
 
I was thinking of putting the heat mat inside the viv with just the substrate on top, would this be ok if it was on a thermostat. I was going to fix it down with aquarium sealant so snakey cant get underneath and burn itself
 
Heatmats are waterproof as they are covered in plastic so they can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
 
Heatmats are waterproof
Click to expand...
Yoiu need to be a bit careful with that - they're only water resistant, they're not waterproof.

If you look at how they're constructed, there's stitching around the edges, meaning that water can seep in there. They are particularly vulnerable to damp at the point where the wire meets the mat - I once accidentally got that junction block wet during spot cleaning and it caused an electrical short which meant I had to replace the mat (even after drying it out it gave me an electric shock when I touched it).

I wouldn't seal it to the floor, as then you won't be able to clean the tank properly. I just lie mine on the floor and the layer of tiles over the top keeps them in place. If you're worried about it moving, try anchoring it with Blu Tak. It's the only sticky stuff that won't stick to a snake.
 
Ok thanks bitsy, i did mean water resistent and not waterproof, one too many beers i think. I was going to seal it all the way round with aquarium sealant.
 
What is the advantage of having the UTH inside the viv rather then underneath the glass on the outside?
 
Leonore said:
What is the advantage of having the UTH inside the viv rather then underneath the glass on the outside?
Click to expand...

Over here in the UK we tend to have more wooden vivs than glass ones, so it is more practical to have the heat mat inside the viv, covered of course, otherwise the mat would be working overtime trying to keep the temperature at the appropriate level, because wood is an insulator. I should also point out that the mats we use are designed to be used inside a wooden viv too. :)

When I've used glass vivs i put the heat mat underneath, on the outside :)

Hope that helps,
 
Ah, that makes a lot of sense for wood. I think Remmy mentioned he had a glass bottom. I always just assumed they went on the outside, but I am open to ideas. :)
 
I have got the mat under the glass but was having trouble with the temps. Was going to move it inside but i have sorted it out now. I have taken the substrate down to a mimimum so it barely covers the glass over the uth, now my temps are 87 on the glass and 80 on the substrate which i think is ok. And Susielea, hi i am from essex as well.
 
btw Leonore, The vivs got a glass bottom not me, wouldn`t be a very nice site if i did. :-offtopic
 
Remmy said:
I have got the mat under the glass but was having trouble with the temps. Was going to move it inside but i have sorted it out now. I have taken the substrate down to a mimimum so it barely covers the glass over the uth, now my temps are 87 on the glass and 80 on the substrate which i think is ok. And Susielea, hi i am from essex as well.
Click to expand...

Sometimes I find it takes a couple of days for the temps to stabilise when setting up a new tank, as long as you're using a digital thermometer with probe, you should be able to adjust the thermostat until it holds reasonably steady. :)

:-offtopic Hi, whereabouts in Essex are you? Good to see more UK people becoming members of this site :)
 
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