# Recommend me a heat mat, thermostat and thermometer set up



## adride (Aug 25, 2008)

Iv got a leopard Gecko which iv kept for 9 years now, Iv recently noticed the heat mat isnt quite keeping the new bigger viv hot enough on the hot side, (around 80-85 F at the hottest point) the heat mats iv currently got is probably a touch small as hes now in a exo tera viv thats got a 17.5x17.5" base and its also quite old. so im thinking he needs somthing close as posible to 17.5x9.75"? So can you reccomend me a good value/good heat mat for my set up.

Hes been kept since iv had him without a thermostat...before I get the you idiot posts, hes always been fine, never had any problems, I check the temp regularly and unplug the mat if it gets too hot, which is rare as the mat isnt realy powerfull enough, and its quite small so he has plenty of room to get away from the heat and go into his cold hide if he needs... but with getting a new mat i think itd be a good idea to get one so can you reccomend me one of those too.

Also id like a good digi thermometer to accurately measure the temp of the substrait, to make sure the thermostat is working correctly, atm I do it manually but a digi is obveously going to be easier and more accurate.

All this will set me back a bit so I'd like it all to be good value...but im not skimping on quality for the sake of saving a £££, thats not realy fair on the little guy.

sorry for the essay and thanks for any help.


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## fixitsan (Apr 15, 2008)

I've asked PeterF of Habistat if he has an online database or could suggest a source of information whcih could be sued to give ballpark figures for heating requirements based on viv sizes. Would be nice if he could share some of his many years of experience in this way.

The amount of heat yoiu require to put in the viv depends on the rate at which heat is lost through the walls and vents of the viv. A glass tank with decorations on three sides made of backing material will lose heat more slowly than an exoterra flexarium. 

You need to also consider the possibility of sudden changes, maybe you have a heater which after 2 days has managed to heat the viv to a reasonable temperature, but after opening the door for two minutes it cools so far that it takes another hour to get back up to running temperature. Obviously , information from experienced keepers and manufacturers is essential here.

Generally speaking you can get a feel for things like this, and if you feel that the old heating system in the new viv will be underpowered then it probably will be and you should consider something at least 50% more powerful.

A large mat running at 28 celsius will be able to heat much more air than a small mat at 35 celsius and the larger mat may only need to be set to use as little as 10% more power than the smaller one to achieve that.

Without detailed figures from experienced keepers it's always going to be left to personal feelings and gut instincts to get the right balance.

Chris


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## adride (Aug 25, 2008)

Ok cheers, going pretty deep into it, thought it was pretty simple but maby I was mistaken! 

If it helps it's one of the glass sided viv's with the polystyrene type back drop and the mesh top. The substrait is a mixture of sand and stones atm. I guess the stones are harder to heat than most substraits? Ill post up a pic if its needed but basically theres a few plastic plants, a couple of hides, one of the stone type stuff which water bowls are made of and another of wood, aswell as a few hammocks, and a bigish piece of driftwood for climbing.

The current one is keeping a small area within the hot hide at 90 F and although he spends allot of time in there he does spend just asmuch time in the area which stays at about 82-85 on the sand, maby increasing the general temp and being able to control it better would make him use more of the viv as he doesnt seem to wonder onto the cold side often unless its a verry hot day and he wants to hide in the cold hide.

The only thing id be woried about is if the mat was being kept a 90F and the substrait on the hot side was being kept at 90F then would the hot hide which traps heat and is currently hotter than the substrait that is not covered would surely heat up even more to a point where its too hot, although i guess he'd let me know by moving out if it got too hot!

Would increasing the general temp make him more active? iv been told that older geckos tend to be more lazy (as mine is) but could this due to the overall viv temp being too low even though one of the hides is being kept at 90F as the cold side stays at just over 70F/ which is room temp?

thanks


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## fixitsan (Apr 15, 2008)

adride said:


> Ok cheers, going pretty deep into it, thought it was pretty simple but maby I was mistaken!
> 
> If it helps it's one of the glass sided viv's with the polystyrene type back drop and the mesh top. The substrait is a mixture of sand and stones atm. I guess the stones are harder to heat than most substraits? Ill post up a pic if its needed but basically theres a few plastic plants, a couple of hides, one of the stone type stuff which water bowls are made of and another of wood, aswell as a few hammocks, and a bigish piece of driftwood for climbing.
> 
> ...



Lol, it probably is very simple in the end !
(If you want a quick answer just scroll to the bottom !)

As far as the hot hide is concerned, if the heat of the substrate is 90F then the heat in the hot hide will not be able to exceed 90F, except if it has a light shining down on it, also warming it up, or if the air temperature is over 90F. Otherwise the hide temp will follow the substrate temp closely due to it being a closed space.

Your best friend is a thermometer and some time.

If your mat produces a warm enough basking area but doesn't warm the rest of the tank then it is possible that all you need to do is to increase the lighting which will in turn produce more heat during the day, and the mat can provide the night time background temperature.

Reptiles like to bask on hot rocks, as we know, but they also thrive quite happily when the air temperature is adequate enough for them to absorb heat. Mats aren't the best things for warming air, but lights do a better job because typically a 100W lightbulb produces 10W of light and 90W of heat. The problem with a mesh top becomes how do you get the bulb's heat to below the mesh and then after that how do you keep it in there ? So you are left to tolerate mat heat for now I think.

There's another trick which could also help. If you have a fluorescent tube light in the viv which has a large transformer ballast to drive it you will notice that the ballast gets very hot too, and that can be located below the viv to help add some heat from the bottom if you have enough spare space, or even put it along the back of the viv, when it would help to heat the back wall from the outside in.

I think your cheapest option for now, if lights aren't a possibility, is to buy another small mat and either connect it to the existing thermostat with the original mat. Or add another temperature controller/thermostat.


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## adride (Aug 25, 2008)

Ok thanks everyone but i think this topic is closed, a mate of mine who knows his reptiles big time is coming to help sort it out and pimp my leos crib. 

cheers


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