RCReptiles.com

[Shorty]

I'm building my growing boy a new wood tank.

The dimensions are going to be 36"x15"x15"
I am getting two Intellitemp heat mats- http://www.bigappleherp.com/Intellitemp-Reptile-Heat-Mats

The mats are about 8" long, so multiplying that by two and subtracting that by 36 gives me 20 inches of non heated space in the tank.

He is just getting over an RI **because my stupid roommate insisted on having the room as cold as possible** and I'm concerned that the two heat mats will not give him the proper ambient temperature.

Would it be a good idea to install a ceramic heat emitter into the tank to bump up the ambient temps? If so, how would I go about doing that in a wood tank without burning the snake, or the wood?

[deborahbroadus]

Some R.Is are caused by a combination of elements. It is believed to be a result of the tank either being "too dry AND too cold", or "too warm and too humid (I don't believe that warm and humid can be a factor if the environment is kept clean and dry)".

That said, putting a ceramic heater in the mix is going to create the kind of environment that will be difficult to keep the humidity up and it would create a catch 22 factor.

Your best bet is to use either a UTH that you can place inside the tank under the substrate (kane pig heater) this will give him direct access to warmth and it will not be necessary to keep it so hot to heat though the wood. AH! I see that you have almost exactly the kind of heater that I have in mind on the link.

Go with this and I would get one that covered a bit more than half the tank and not worry about the rest. With a thermostat, you should be able to get the heat the way you want it without a external heater element, since the snake will have direct access to the heat.

[Shorty]

So I should be okay with just getting those two UTHs? I intend just to put them right on the inside of the tank, because they say they are waterproof are safe to do that with.

[magana559]

Make Sure The Wood Isn't Gonna Be Pine Also Make Sure It Wasn't treated With A Pesticide Because All That Could Cause Your Snake Some Serious Trouble.

Hope your Build Turns Out Great! Keep Us posted! And Take Lots Of Pics!

[deborahbroadus]

[a_green]

I built my own setup as well (http://www.rcreptiles.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2835), and used a UTH, heat cable, and 2 ceramic heat emitters--have a look to see how I installed everything.

I love the heat emitters, in my opinion they are AWESOME. The fact is, in a tank that size I NEEDED something extra for ambient heat, so humidity was going to be a problem either way. I compensated for this by adding a humid hide, and my snake has had fine sheds ever since!

[deborahbroadus]

Just let me insert here.

If you have a set up exactly like the one above, it may work. I am not an expert on building, can not guide you and do not know what your end results of building might be.

Therefore, my advice is usually cautionary because there have been a lot of complaints on the CHE sucking up the humidity. I prefer to err on the side of caution.

A lot of other factors can come into play when determining if a CHE is needed, overall humdity, size of the tank, and the set up. Normally a UTH is enough.

[Shorty]

[deborahbroadus]

Another thing to consider is that you are probably using UTHs that are very different from hers.