i have this thermometer, its an exo-terra thermometer and im not sure if its working properly, i stuck it to the back of the tank (10 gal) and its been reading around 70 degrees since i had it in there, maybe 2 weeks or so.. so im not too sure if the temperature changes all that much or maybe my thermometer screwed up... i have a heat pad on one side of the tank with his rock over it... and the water bowl on the other side... and the thermometer is stuck right on the middle on the back.... i also put the thermometer into my fridge for a bit to see if it changed at all and it did.... so my guess is that the thermometer works... and the temperature doesnt have that big of a range? can someone help me?? ... i also though the temperature was supposed to be higher than 70 degrees.... i have shavings for bedding, and the lid is mesh. THANKS!
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thermometer issues
- Thread starter angusrock
- Start date
JoannaD
Formerly known as jodu
Your thermometer is reading accurately for where it is placed. You may want to buy an indoor outdoor thermometer and put the outdoor probe on the glass just above the Under Tank Heater (UTH). I keep my thermometer outside of the tanks but I know some people keep their's inside the tank on the cold side so they have readings for the warm and cold sides of the tank.
UTH's can get very hot - and if they are not on a rheostat, thermostat or some sort of dimmer switch the snake can actually get burned. You want the glass above the UTH to be 85 F. Ideally you want the cold side to be about 75.
Joanna
UTH's can get very hot - and if they are not on a rheostat, thermostat or some sort of dimmer switch the snake can actually get burned. You want the glass above the UTH to be 85 F. Ideally you want the cold side to be about 75.
Joanna
tyflier
[Insert Witty Commentary]
I use a Cobra Heat Mat which is taped to the outside of the side wall of my tank right down near the bottom. I have a thermometer stuck to the wall right in front of the ehat mat, and another stuck to the wall on the other end of the tank. Typically, I get readings of ~80-85*F directly in front of the heat mat, and ~75-80*F on the cold side. These temperatures go down a little bit at night, and occasionally, will go up a touch.
Your thermometer is probably working, only it's reading the average temperature in the area you have it located. To get a truer reading of the temperature gradient, you should have one on the hot side and one on the cold side. Then you will see the difference.
Also, you state that you have a rock over the UTH. Is it possible that the rock is preventing heat from transferring from the tank bottom to the air? :shrugs:
Your thermometer is probably working, only it's reading the average temperature in the area you have it located. To get a truer reading of the temperature gradient, you should have one on the hot side and one on the cold side. Then you will see the difference.
Also, you state that you have a rock over the UTH. Is it possible that the rock is preventing heat from transferring from the tank bottom to the air? :shrugs:
tyflier
[Insert Witty Commentary]
The Cobra Heat Mats are not designed to be buried under substrate, especially one that is insulating such as aspen. It causes the built in thermostat to malfunction. The manufacturer recommends side mounting with a wood shaving or astroturf substrate and internal bottom tank mounting with sand. They also don't recommend attaching it to the outside of the bottom of the tank, as it emits heat from both the top and bottom, and if your tank is sitting on a desk, the reflecting heat from the desk can cause damage and either excessive temperatures or failure.
BeckyG
Making it up as I go
angusrock said:
Your tank probably is higher than 70 degrees down where the heat mat is. That is where your thermometer needs to be as well. If you will get a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe, and place the probe directly on the glass over the heat mat, you may be shocked at what you find. While you are getting your thermometer, go ahead and get a plug in lamp dimmer. It'll save you a trip back to the store because you'll need one anyway.
It also sounds as if you need to add a couple of hides in there. They need at least two, one on each side.
you dont think my heat mat being mounted on the bottom is a problem do you? its an exo terra heat mat.... and does it matter if there is a hide over the heat mat or not? I am putting my corn into a 20 gal tank soon, and for the 10 gal tank i have now... i was stupid and bought the smallest heat pad so it would fit, now can i use this heat mat on the new tank? and for the new tank, does anyone have any advice for me to change anything? heres what i got right now:
-aspen bedding
-small 3 or 4 inch diameter exo terra water bowl
-small 7 inch across x 4 inch exo terra hide
-small 8 inch x 8 inch exo terra heat mat
-one exo terra thermometer
anything i should change / upgrade? My corn is the same length as the 10 gallon tank right now so picture that.... THANKS!!
-aspen bedding
-small 3 or 4 inch diameter exo terra water bowl
-small 7 inch across x 4 inch exo terra hide
-small 8 inch x 8 inch exo terra heat mat
-one exo terra thermometer
anything i should change / upgrade? My corn is the same length as the 10 gallon tank right now so picture that.... THANKS!!
Weebonilass
New member
tyflier said:
Just for the record, the ZooMeds do recommend putting them on the bottom of the tank. They give you four very small little nubs to put on each corner of the tank to allow for some air circulation underneath. I have mine up a little higher.
Angus, you will definitely need a thermostat or the dimmer to regulate the temp. I'm guessing, based on my own experience, that the warm end of your tank at the glass level which is where your snake spends his time, is closer to 90. There is a good chance it maybe closer to 100. Definitely warm enough to risk your snake burning itself.
My recommendation is that you lay the UTH on the surface and put a couple of paperback books on each end to get the bottom of the tank a couple of inches away from the UTH until you get either a thermostat or a dimmer. This will take it at least down to the upper 80s, which is still too high, but better than high 90s or low 100s.
The stick on temp gauges are next to worthless, so head to KMart or WalMart and get one with a probe, so you can find out what your temps really are.
Weebonilass
New member
They need a hide on each end of the tank, so they can have a choice of temp range. Also I would carefully peel it off the bottom of the tank and put some distance between your tank and the heating mat until you get some way of regulating the temps. The pad may not feel that hot, but touch the glass over the top of the mat. I'm guessing you'll be surprised at how hot it is.
I have the 4 little nubs to space my tank off the desk... and for those probe thermometers, do you check the temperature everyday or do you leave the probe under the shavings ? im kind of confused about that... and the dual probe thermometers... one for each end... thats what im contemplating getting... and do you think i will need a thermostat for sure?
Weebonilass
New member
angusrock said:
The probe therometer you need is left in the tank all the time. Put the little probe under the aspen inside the hide on the warm end of the tank. The little nubs won't get your tank far enough way from the heat without a dimmer or a thermostat.
I prefer the thermostats, but I'm older and have a little more money than you probably do, unless your parents are very supportive of your snake habit. I know a number of folks here on the list use the dimmer switches and are happy with the results. You will do need one or the other.