Hey guys, so I’m having a few issues with my vivarium’s heating method. A few people have told me that I need to just use a heat mat under the substrate (~2inches soil/orchid bark) on the hot side, while others have said a ceramic lamp works best for Royals.
I currently have a 100watt lamp in a 3ft wooden vivarium, and I’ve found that it may be too warm, and not producing enough of a temperature gradient (hot:30, cool:25). What do you recommend?
I have both for my tank. I know it’s not the same thing, but very similar.
I have a 60watt che and I do use an under tank heat mat.
I have both connected to a thermostat so they don’t go overboard with the heat.
I believe I have the CHE stopped at 92, and the under heat mat set to 92 as well.
The average temp on the hot side is 89/90 with 1.75 inch of substrate.
I also use both. And all have their own probes and thermostats. There are two UTH set to a low temp of about 80 and the lamp set to 90. Find my girl eats better and in general more content to curl up in a hide. My substrate level is bare minimum on the warm end right now. There are ways to manipulate the probe and heat levels of any UTH to help radiate more heat through deeper levels of substrate.
So I’ve now set up a heat mat, and will be observing the temp of the substrate over these next few days (I currently only have a thermostat for the CHE) but my boy already looks quite content on the warm side, whereas before he’d often be snooping around for something else. Fingers crossed!
Thanks @akirby91 & @meerkatlyndz
If you can get you a point and click thermometer and one that measures humidity. Using those you can pinpoint more accurately the heat that actually gets to the substrate and the hide. Then can adjust up and down accordingly until you hit that target temp.
