thermostat question

[stewieleogecko]

now don't beat me up too much about this, i've been using a heat lamp for my gecko's heat, but i'm trying to make things right. i bought a uth, a 10-20 gal pad for a 20 long tank, hopefully that is right, and i'm trying to figure out what thermostat or possibly rheostat(i bought a rheostat, but i think i'm not going to use that, because of the thought of maybe adjusting the heat all the time) i should use. i am looking at the zoo med 500r thermostat w/probe on lll Reptile's website. im not sure if i will even need a thermostat, but i thought it would be good to have one. thanks in advance for the help.

 

[liljenn]

Hey! Another person from South Carolina!

I use a lamp dimmer from Home Depot ($11) to adjust the temps of my UTH in one tank. Just plug the UTH into, adjust and it works great.

I also use the ReptiTemp 500R for my 20G Tank to regulate a UTH & heat lamp together because my house is only 68 in the winter and I need the ambiant temps to be higher in the tank. If you have 2 heat sources, I would recommend it. So far I love it.:main_thumbsup:

 

[stewieleogecko]

yep, i'm from good ole sc. thanks for the advice. i think i'm going to order the thermostat, hopefully that will work like i hope.

 

[ARgeckos]

I used to use the lamp dimmers myself. They work great but I had to keep adjusting it all the time since the temps in the room fluctuated so much. Since I have a breeder rack with 15bins I decided to go with a Herpstat proportional thermostat ( I went with this one but their are other brands out there). With the Herpstat you set it and forget it. It adjusts the temps automatically. I haven't touched it since I connected it.

 

[liljenn]

I used to use the lamp dimmers myself. They work great but I had to keep adjusting it all the time since the temps in the room fluctuated so much. Since I have a breeder rack with 15bins I decided to go with a Herpstat proportional thermostat ( I went with this one but their are other brands out there). With the Herpstat you set it and forget it. It adjusts the temps automatically. I haven't touched it since I connected it.

:main_thumbsup: :main_thumbsup: :main_thumbsup:
My future thermostat!! Once I start filling my rack (only one with a UTH right now - my other two are in a divided 20G)!! Need ... more... geckos!

 

[98XJSport]

Rheostat works fine if your room temps are always the same. Mine wern't so I picked up one of these thermostats.

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=75

So far works great, sits right around 90 +-2 degrees all the time so I don't have to constantly fiddle with it. But probably not the best choice for breeders, rack systems, etc. But fine for my pets.

 

[stewieleogecko]

ok i ordered my thermostat, which is the same as 98XJSport said he uses. one question now, before i setup, are you supposed to leave the heat on constantly, or is it like a day/night thing? i would think that it would be a day/night setup, leave the uth on all day, around 85-90, then turn it off at night. please let me know so i can have this setup like it needs to be. thanks in advance.

 

[stewieleogecko]

oh by the way, i ordered the thermostat and it's coming in today, thats why i am asking about the setup. thanks

 

[Ccrashca069]

You would leave it plugged in.

 

[stewieleogecko]

ok so the heat stays on constantly. thanks for the help!