bubblez825
New Member
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- 2,059
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- Glendale, AZ
lytlesnake said:
No offense, but I had problems with their rheostat. I wouldn't suggest it.
No offense, but I had problems with their rheostat. I wouldn't suggest it.
AntMan612
Member
- Messages
- 342
- Location
- Dublin, CA
I use Catalina Aquarium's RF-1000 Heat Controller (~$45). Pretty reliable so far, and holds temperatures within 2-4 deg F, depending on the application. The capacity rating is 800W, which should be plenty for a rack system.
Which one did you decide to get?
Which one did you decide to get?
goReptiles
New Member
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- 2,639
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- Georgia
bubblez825 said:
I agree. The rheostats don't work so well when monitoring the heat from an under tank heater. I believe they're more geared towards dimming the light, which isn't really essential for leopard geckos.
lytlesnake
Border Patrol Penguin
- Messages
- 695
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- So. California
No offense taken. I think I may have had one that didn't work right, but it may have been the UTH. I just put both of them aside. I still use those rheostats on a number of aquarium setups with UTH's and they work pretty well. A rheostat is a pretty simple device that probably uses cheap carbon resistors. Those can fail or go bad.bubblez825 said:
For a rack I agree that a thermostat is probably better than a rheostat. I personally use Herpstat ND's on all my racks. However, on a budget, I would go with a regular thermostat and just watch my temperatures carefully.
Maybe there's a place in the market for an affordable rheostat that uses high quality metal film resistors. Or maybe the Johnson one already does, I don't know.
The Zoo Med rheostat is sold for controlling heating devices though, not just dimming lights.
AntMan612
Member
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- 342
- Location
- Dublin, CA
Sorry this is slightly off topic, but the instructions for my Reptitherm UTH say it takes a minimum of six hours to get to a stable temperature. This slow of a response tells me it certainly would not work well as the sole heat source on thermostat control. The thermostat would act more like a high temperature shutoff switch, which is still good for safety. I read somewhere that the professional breeders will hook up 2 thermostats - one for continuous temperature control and one for a high temperature cutoff in case something goes bad.
lytlesnake
Border Patrol Penguin
- Messages
- 695
- Location
- So. California
Ya know, maybe I'll replace my cheap rheostats with those A-Life thermostats while they're on sale.
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Nigel4less
Guest
Its enough to burn a gecko!
Everyone calm down geeze...if your gonna act like this go to another forum and start the arguments. Keep it off here, none of us want to see this. If you have nothing nice to say then dont say (or type) anything at all. The kid was just asking for advice...like all of you have I am sure at one time or another :main_no:
Nigel4less said:
I believe using a cheaper model will not kill or burn a gecko, as long as you keep a close eye on monitoring the temps. I used several units of the Alife thermostat for years, maybe I'm lucky, but all of them worked fine. Yes, the temp does fluctuate several degrees, but even if the warm end of your setup varies between 88-93F, it will still be fine for the gecko.
I think its great that the original poster asked about thermostat. He is 13 with not much money to get the very high end models; I just can't see why he can't go with a cheaper model at the moment. At least I can see that he cares about his geckos when he wants to make his leo's husbandry a little bit better by adding a thermostat.
A few smilies here to make the atmosphere better: :main_yes: :daisy: :drummer: :heart:
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kris123lpg
Guest
you can get some thermostats for under 30 ath LLLreptile.com
bitterbeauty
Animal Lover
- Messages
- 453
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- High Point, NC
I have bought 2 rheostats from ebay. Both were 11 dollars plus shipping. They can control up to two different heating devices. I use them to control the temperature in my gecko tanks. Im not sure if they would be right for racks though. They arent digital they are just low med high. But they work great for what I need them for. I would def check ebay out for your needs.
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reptileluv13
Guest
is a thermostat the same as a thermometre?! if it is, does that mean i am going to have to buy a friggin $100.00 thermometre!? lol i wasnt expecting them to be that much. wait that is what we're talking about.... right?
bitterbeauty
Animal Lover
- Messages
- 453
- Location
- High Point, NC
No a thermostat is like the one in your house. When you are hot you turn the temperature down and when you are cold you turn the temp up. Its the same idea except you set it at a temp for your racks and it turns the heater on and off to maintain the temperature. So no...it is not a thermometer.
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reptileluv13
Guest
lol, i know what is it. just didnt clue in to me, and maybe i wasnt paying good enough attention. do you need thermostats for UTh's?
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NickOC
Guest
reptileluv13 said:
Think of an UTH as the heater in your house.Unfrotunatley your UTH (in your house) is Always on, no matter what. If the ambient temps are 80-90, it still pumps out heat not only wasting your electricity but overheating your house. The UTH cannot tell that your literally cooking. That is why house HVAC are always linked to a thermostat. Not to say you would certainly die, but you would certainly be uncomfortable at the least.
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reptileluv13
Guest
okay so i will need to buy a thermometre and a thermostat i guess.
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