RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... Great thanks everyone.... i'll update ya'll either in a couple hours or tomorrow!
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... I expect that having the light will cause your temperatures to warm up faster, but it may make it take longer for your temperatures to stabilize, as your cool-side tiles will then have to cool down before you know where they really are. If it was me, I'd probably turn on the lamp to warm up the tiles until I went to bed, then turn it off, and check the temperatures in the morning, and again in the evening. Try Kathy's idea with the foil. I'm not sure how a glass bottom would affect how well your uth will work. Keep working with your temps, but try not to get too stressed about it. It took a few days for me to get mine just right, but eventually everything worked out. Your warm temps are good, so really just give the other some time and see how it goes.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... Actually, tile soaks up heat, including bulb heat, very nicely. It just takes time. I am currently heating my tile-substrate with only an overhead lamp (waiting for my new heat mat to come in), and in it's location, it seems to be doing an excellent job! Mine is higher than 40 watts, but even a 40 watt will raise the temperature on tile more than not having it on would. Also, the color of your tile will affect how well it soaks up heat from the bulb. A darker tile will get warm faster and hotter (try going barefoot on black asfault vs white cement sidewalk . . . they can both get very hot, but the asfault definately becomes painful more quickly!)
Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... I wouldn't have thought a 40 would have done much, then again, ive never tried! Cheers for the correction :roll:
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... Using a 30-40g UTH and an overhead light with a 40w red heat bulb had our tank stabilized in 24hours. At first I used a 40w reg bulb which helped. Personally, I like having the overhead light and I have mine as well as the uth plugged into the thermostat. It does go on and off during the day and at night as well. I may change the overhead light to be on a timer so that it's not going on and off so often. I've also noticed, like mentioned above, that our leo will move to where he is comfortable. He spreads his time pretty evenly between the cool and warm side.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... I got one question as of now........ right now my digital is reading 93.3 on the warm side underneith the humid hide... My thermostat is still working (the green light is still on) .... so should i slowly turn my thermostat down till the light goes off and see where the temps go from there... because I have the thermostat set at the hightest so who knows how hot it will allow the UTH go before it stops... I didn't know if i shoudl let it go or since its already at 93.3 if I should turn the dial on the thermostat down till the light goes off?
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... Yes, I would turn it down ever so slowly until the thermostat turns off. You will need to keep an eye on it, and continue making minor adjustments to the knob until everything stays just right.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... and i should be using my main measurement by the digital thermometer placed under the humid hide on the warm side touching the tile right? Thats what I should base the thermostat off of is that temp right?
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... wow, im surprized... i had to turn that down alot before the light went off..... i wonder how hot it would of got!
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... You should be measuring substrate temps with both probes flat against the substrate next to each other, and on the warmest part of the uth. You will probably end up needing to turn it up a bit . . . then down a bit . . . then up a bit . . . just keep on making minor adjustments, and you'll get it eventually.
RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... and im shooting between 88 - 92 on the warm side under the humid hide... right?
Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... I am sorry to complicate things, but I don't agree with measuring your temps under hides...it's a false reading and here is why. When you have the probe under the hide the heat builds up in the hide and gives your reading, but the air outside the tank is lower. It is lower because the heat in the hide is built up because it's a smaller area. If you truly want your warm end to be 88-92*F, then the probes should be outside the hide and flat on the substrate. The glass shelf will cause temp flucuations because your UTH is trying to heat the tank and the glass shelf. If you put something between the tank and the glass shelf your temps will be more stable. Just my opinion and what works for me....you're doing a great job of getting things set before the leo...Good Job! Hanf in there, you are getting closer! <VBG> curiousKathy
Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: My Temp as of now... Thanks Kathy.. but my thermometer probe and Thermostat probe are both ON the sustrate... they are just UNDER the humid hide. They are not inside the humid hide, they are resting underneith it. So it goes... glass, paper towls, tile, probes, humid hide... they are sandwiched inbetween the tile (substrate) and the humid hide.
Ok here are my last reading temps lastnight with the 40 watt reg bulb on top of the cage in a clamp light fixture..... Cool Side - 10:21 pm – cool side with 40 watt light on from above, on the floor – 75 degrees 10:23 pm – cool side with 40 watt light on from above, 3 in above floor – 75 degrees 10:26 pm – cool side with 40 watt light on from above, in the hide – 69 degrees Warm Side - 10:27 pm – warm side with 40 watt light on from above, UNDER hide – 92.8 degrees 10:30 pm – warm side with 40 watt light on from above, on floor – 91 degrees 10:32 pm – warm side with 40 watt light on from above, 4 in above floor – 75 degrees 10:37 pm – warm side with 40 watt light on from above, IN hide – 78 degrees =============================================== Now here are the temps as of right now....... The 40 watt light fixture was taking off lastnight .... so all night long / and this morning there has been nothing heating it other than the UTH. Cool Side - 1:47 pm - cool side on the floor - 64 degrees 1:53 pm - cool side 3 in above the floor - 66 degrees 1:56 pm - cool side in the hide - 64 degrees Warm Side - 1:56 pm - warm side UNDER humid hide - 89.5 degrees 1:59 pm - warm side on floor - 91 degrees 2:04 pm - warm side 4 in above floor - 68 degrees 2:09 pm - warm side IN humid hide - 73 degrees *** keep in mind the humid hide is like 1/4 in off the ground since both probes are underneith it. ***
I think you really need to put the humid hide flat on the substrate, put the probes just outside the hides. Warm side looks fine with just the UTH going for it. Would i be right in thinking that your room temperature has dropped to 66F?
If that is so, and you don't have general house central heating on that will maintain room temperature, then it does sound like you're going to need to keep that lamp on!
Yeah, I agree with moving the probes out into the open. With them under the humid hide, it will have a hard time getting the heat to make it humid. Regular scotch tape should hold them down to the tile so they can't move. As to what size red bulb, I use a 40w reptile bulb that looks like a small flood light. I think I paid $5-6 at petsmart. I keep it over the cool side. With the ambient temps up, the UTH doesn't have to work as hard to warm the tiles. You could go with a reg light bulb, but you won't be able to use it at night and that's usually when it's needed the most.(at least in my house, brrrr) I know you don't really want to use the overhead light, but I think it will take care of your heating issues. BTW, if you don't like the silver light fixtures, you can get them in black enamel. They look more appealing than the silver. Can't wait to see which leo you decided to go with.
Ok i just got home about an hour ago with a Red bulb (50 watt)... on the cool side my temp on the floor was 68.... as of right now with the light being on for like an hour the temp on the cool side on the floor is now reading 77..... so well see if it goes any higher.
