| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Matt_Brooks |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 18:21:37
Right im now totally unsure about what to do with the probes after reading so many things.
I moved the stat and thermometer probe under the substrate but the mat never came on because the substrate was holding the probe temps to 29c. The subsrate itself was very cold.
I have now reverted back to having both probes on top of the substrate but horizontally so the substrate warms up. Now my thermometer is reading 29c on top of the substrate so a nice belly temperature is this ok or am i doing it all wrong. I really cant get my head round this now ive seen so many ways of doing it.
Plus how thick of a layer of substrate should i have in? i have a coverage of around half an inch. is this too little?
Could someone tell me exacly how they have theres set up like where your probes are positiond and how much substrate you have in and explain why you have it like this. Maybe it may make more sense then.
Or if im doing it right now then say. Im so totally confused my head has just exploded!
Matt |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| elament |
Posted - 22/05/2010 : 11:33:32
In my experience it is best to have the probes for the thermostat and thermometer rubber banded together and in direct contact with where your snake goes for heat. Where it gets tricky is wether to have the probes on top of the substrate or underneath. If you lay them on top of the substrate you will find that the heatmat is running a couple or so degrees higher than your thermometer will read as the substrate will insulate the heat. Therfore if snake decides to burrow he or she will come into contact with a heatsource that is a couple of degrees higher than your thermometer is saying. I personally have both probes in direct contact ((laying flat)) with the heatmat with little or no substrate on top. That way I can be sure the hottest part of the viv is exactly the temp my thermometer is telling me. That is for wooden vivs of course where the mat is inside the viv. For fauns etc where the heatmat is under the viv I have no experience as both my two are in wooden vivs but when I had Xena inside a rub inside the viv i had the probes inside the rub touching the floor of the rub over where the heatmat was where she would bask. It is very important to have your heatmat correctly regulated/statted as without it they can get very hot.
Cheers
Steve
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| Kellog |
Posted - 22/05/2010 : 03:15:38
Mine is a bit different to yours Matt as they are wooden vivs with the heatmats in them, but the mats are covered with vinyl then a thin sprinkling of substrate which deepens to burrowing depth in the cool end. The probes are layed horizontally on the heatmat and weighed down with rocks, Silvesta has been known to move them and cause problems but that was solved by bigger rocks. By having the probes touching the vinyl immediately over the heatmat I am getting the reading of what that heat is, which is important as the snakes can easily slide through the substrate so that they are touching the vinyl.
I cant quite work out why your mat would not have come on when you had your probes under the substrate - other than the depth of substrate....but I would not have thought that would have created enough heat? What do you have your stat set at?
xxx
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| LittleMick |
Posted - 22/05/2010 : 03:01:05
As per Mouse, except mine is in a plastic faunarium. Thin layer of Aspen (1-2cm) on the warm side, and next to none under the hide, thicker in the middle and cool end for burrowing.
Thermometer probe and Stat sensor laggy banded together, stat cable is sucker to the side wall, and both sensors are held in place horizontally by the bottomless exo terra hide.  |
| Mouse |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 21:29:55
In my glass viv, where the heatmat is underneath, I've got a layer of newspaper, then a thin smattering of substrate over the heatmatted area, and a probe on top of the paper (more because Sprockett keeps putting it there..*rolls eyes*, and a thicker layer of substrate on the non matted end.
I my wooden one where the mat is inside the viv, all my probes etc are on the mat itself, as Gobo is more likely to sit directly on it.
Hope this helps! |
| Matt_Brooks |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 18:28:03
Forgot to add she's in a RUB and the mat is under it.
Also if you have pics of the way yours is setup that would be even better! |
