Any Experts on Tank Temperature?

J

Jazee

Guest
I did a lot of reading before buying my 11-month old Leo 2 months ago. He's doing fine, but I'd like to be sure I have his tank at the right temp for him.

I have a 20 gallon long tank. I have the medium size UTH which is stuck under the tank and with about a 2" border around it, goes to about the 1/3 point of the length of the tank. Works well. Have it connected to a thermostat with the thermometer resting on the tile surface in the middle point (hottest) of the UTF.

I've read the perfect temp is 88, at least I think for digestion. Some documents I think incorrectly state 88 as a max, where as other recommend 90-95 as a range for the hotest part of the tank surface.

I have a good size warm hide that is about 2/3 over the UTH. He hangs out most of the time in the part of the hide that is not over the UTH. He rarely comes out at night.

I bought one of those laser temp guns (figure I could use it for my model R/C motor temps too.). The thermometer makes the temp swing from 89-92 when set at 92, so when I saw it at 91 I lifted the warm hide and shot the temp in a few places. The coldest part under the hide was 84-85. The warmest side was 93 on average. But because the warm side is smaller due to the two openings being closer together on that sign, I've only seen him once sitting on that side as he's a little exposed when he does.

When I picked him up today, I noticed his belly was pretty cold. I shot the temp of the tile right next to where he was sitting and it was 83.

I know these guys are suppose to move between warm and cold so for all I know, mid 80's is fine and he can just move closer to the warm side if it is too cold.

The cold side of the tank is low 70's (we don't have hot summers in Seattle) I have a 50W heat lamp that I'm planning to use in late fall/winter when the night house temps go below 70. I read the cold side of the tank should not go below 70. I think mid to upper 70's is ideal?


Is there anyone else out there this anal about their Leo's tank temp that has experimented and determined what works best? Am I hitting the mark?
 

nats

New Member
Messages
1,553
Location
Maryland
Yep, that's me VERY anal!! :main_laugh:

I experiment for at least 2 days with getting the temps right before my leo goes in there.

Your "cool" end should not drop much below 70 for very long.
This is a bit controversial. In their native climate, it often drops as low as 50F at night. Just keep the "warm" end 90 to 92F. And you are correct in putting the thermometer probe on the floor where your leos belly is :main_yes:
Dont get too neurotic about the cool end. If they NEVER go there at all, it probably means it's too cold.
I prefer proportional thermostats because they are kinder to your UTH as it doesnt turn it "on and off" constantly. They can greatly increase the life of your UTH.

And I agree with you about the infrared thermometers, I love them :main_yes:

You didnt mention anything about having a "humid" hiding box in your terrarium! You do need to have one, and put damp moss or something that wont dry out to quick in it.
 
J

Jazee

Guest
So 90-92 at warmest spot on substrate?

I do have a humid hide on warm end.

Ya I don't like the fact there is a 2-3 degree temp swing on this thermometer since it is on/off. Can you recommend on that is variable voltage controlled?

nats said:
Yep, that's me VERY anal!! :main_laugh:

I experiment for at least 2 days with getting the temps right before my leo goes in there.

Your "cool" end should not drop much below 70 for very long.
This is a bit controversial. In their native climate, it often drops as low as 50F at night. Just keep the "warm" end 90 to 92F. And you are correct in putting the thermometer probe on the floor where your leos belly is :main_yes:
Dont get too neurotic about the cool end. If they NEVER go there at all, it probably means it's too cold.
I prefer proportional thermostats because they are kinder to your UTH as it doesnt turn it "on and off" constantly. They can greatly increase the life of your UTH.

And I agree with you about the infrared thermometers, I love them :main_yes:

You didnt mention anything about having a "humid" hiding box in your terrarium! You do need to have one, and put damp moss or something that wont dry out to quick in it.
 

nats

New Member
Messages
1,553
Location
Maryland
Jazee said:
So 90-92 at warmest spot on substrate?

I do have a humid hide on warm end.

Ya I don't like the fact there is a 2-3 degree temp swing on this thermometer since it is on/off. Can you recommend on that is variable voltage controlled?

Not sure I understand what you mean.
You mean a thermostat for your UTH? :main_huh:
 

scottprice

New Member
Messages
130
Location
Lititz, PA
I personally use a Herpstat Proportional Thermostat and absolutely love it...

http://www.beanfarm.com/store/agora...ure_Control&user4=Herpstat Proportional&xm=on

the oldest and probably right now the most popular is the Helix Proportional Thermostat

http://www.beanfarm.com/store/agora...rature_Control&user4=Helix Proportional&xm=on

from what I can tell there's very little difference and both products are well regarded, if you have any questions I'd be happy to fill you in on what I know about the Herpstat... I've noticed I rarely go + - 0.5 degrees unless I'm cleaning out the cage and moving around my rock wall which obviously is going to throw off the temps... it's a great product I'd recommend it to anyone.
 

nats

New Member
Messages
1,553
Location
Maryland
I was tempted to get the Herpstat myself but got the Helix DBS-1000 instead because it was so highly recommended by a few breeders.

I have 2 of them and they are flawless :main_yes:
 

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