# Thermostat



## john2708 (Jan 18, 2010)

Don't know if this is in the right section but I have a question do you need thermostat on your vivarium or can you run a successful viv with out them? 

Sent from my E6853 using Tapatalk


----------



## Hog (Feb 11, 2014)

Hi, yes you definitely need a thermostat to control the heating within your viv.
Firstly so as to prevent possible injury or death to the inhabitant and secondly to avoid the risk of fire depending upon what type of heating you use.


----------



## john2708 (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks for the reply I only ask after reading an article on some one wrote saying don't use them 

Sent from my E6853 using Tapatalk


----------



## Hog (Feb 11, 2014)

Do you have a link to the article ?


----------



## jasonm96 (Aug 30, 2015)

Thermostats are essential for heat mats and best used with ceramics

But for incandescent bulbs you can adjust the heat well enough by wattage or by plugging the fixture into a dimmer plug. The only time it's necessary with incandescent bulbs is 1) you have a room that flucatiates in temperature drastically 2) you have a sensitive reptiles 3) the viv is small.


----------



## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

The use of a quality, reliable stat is always required regardless of the heat source.

It is the only way that you can be sure of the thermal gradient that you have provided.

This will ensure that no fluctuations occur and as such remove the chances of over heating be it through differences in lamps or changes to ambient temps and of course under heating.

Stats save lives! They also save money in terms of lamp life and with electricity. If the ambient around the viv is high, say in the summer the stat will only deliver the % of current that is needed to maintain the target temp, this may mean that your lamp is only running at a fraction of full output for minimal times of the day. 

So, stats save lives and money.

Essential

John,


----------



## jasonm96 (Aug 30, 2015)

My reptile room is heated to 21C, by a oil-filled radiator on greenhouse stat with accuratacy to 1C. In this case it is not "essential" for me to use thermostats in each of my vivs unless using heat mats. I also monitor the temps in my vivs daily whilst doing maintenance and checking animals for health. Different wattage bulbs are there should I need them, as well as many equipment. Many with large collections are probably the same. 

Jason

,


----------



## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

how do you maintain basking and an essential thermal gradient for accurate self-regulation?



jasonm96 said:


> My reptile room is heated to 21C, by a oil-filled radiator on greenhouse stat with accuratacy to 1C. In this case it is not "essential" for me to use thermostats in each of my vivs unless using heat mats. I also monitor the temps in my vivs daily whilst doing maintenance and checking animals for health. Different wattage bulbs are there should I need them, as well as many equipment. Many with large collections are probably the same.
> 
> Jason
> 
> ,


----------



## jasonm96 (Aug 30, 2015)

Appropriately sized vivs, careful monitoring of temps and adjustments of heaters or use of additional heaters accordingly. Since there's a few degrees with the basking spot temperature to work with, it can be adjusted to get the proper background temperature with a plugin dimmer. The room temperature of 21C is workable with the species I am keeping and their set ups, some need additional heating and some don't, but never too much, otherwise I would not be working with that species in the first place if I cannot readily accommodate their environmental conditions.


----------



## Gaz1974 (Nov 5, 2014)

Out of interest, what species do you keep?:mf_dribble:





jasonm96 said:


> Appropriately sized vivs, careful monitoring of temps and adjustments of heaters or use of additional heaters accordingly. Since there's a few degrees with the basking spot temperature to work with, it can be adjusted to get the proper background temperature with a plugin dimmer. The room temperature of 21C is workable with the species I am keeping and their set ups, some need additional heating and some don't, but never too much, otherwise I would not be working with that species in the first place if I cannot readily accommodate their environmental conditions.


----------



## jasonm96 (Aug 30, 2015)

Barely any now, reduced my collection due to moving soon. Currently 7 yellow-bellies toads and 1 African bullfrog in the frog room and a whole lot of feeder bugs. Dubia roach colony and small set up for locusts, crickets. The others just in tubs with food. Spent most time now reading the Care books and pampering indivuals. The beardie is in my room due to the humidity. Bullfrog and beardie have a spot light. Used to have US green tree frogs, oriental fire bellies toads, crested geckos and horned frog in the frog room. The crestie and horned frog had a heat lamp.


----------



## Hog (Feb 11, 2014)

jasonm96 said:


> My reptile room is heated to 21C, by a oil-filled radiator on greenhouse stat with accuratacy to 1C. In this case it is not "essential" for me to use thermostats in each of my vivs unless using heat mats. I also monitor the temps in my vivs daily whilst doing maintenance and checking animals for health. Different wattage bulbs are there should I need them, as well as many equipment. Many with large collections are probably the same.
> 
> Jason
> 
> ,


So you keep your room at a constant 69.8f give or take a couple of degrees and think that this would be adequate ?
Swapping and changing light bulbs is not the answer and nobody can continually monitor their animals environment satisfactorily without eventually leading to health problems or worse within their animals.
A thermostat should always be used without exception.


----------



## jasonm96 (Aug 30, 2015)

21C give or take 1C! The ambient temperature does not change in the room so neither does the temperature I get with my bulbs. And yes they can, and should, twice daily and the temperature with a high and low thermometer. I've read up enough not to question my way on way doing things from forums...


----------



## jasonm96 (Aug 30, 2015)

21C give or take 1C. The ambient temperature does not change in the room so neither does the temperature I get with my bulbs. And yes they can, and should, twice daily and the temperature with a high and low thermometer. I've read up enough not to question my way on way doing things from forums...


----------



## jasonm96 (Aug 30, 2015)

Worth saying that any set up should be set up days in advance prior to getting or introducing the animal, regardless. Then only small tweaks may be necessary during the year.


----------



## Hog (Feb 11, 2014)

jasonm96 said:


> 21C give or take 1C. The ambient temperature does not change in the room so neither does the temperature I get with my bulbs. And yes they can, and should, twice daily and the temperature with a high and low thermometer. I've read up enough not to question my way on way doing things from forums...


In the summer, any room will rise above 21c.
A thermostat is essential, giving advice to the contrary is very bad advice.


----------



## Hog (Feb 11, 2014)

jasonm96 said:


> 21C give or take 1C. The ambient temperature does not change in the room so neither does the temperature I get with my bulbs. And yes they can, and should, twice daily and the temperature with a high and low thermometer. I've read up enough not to question my way on way doing things from forums...


If your advising against the use of thermostatically controlled enclosures then you clearly have more reading to do.
Also things have moved on considerably since the 70''s and 80''s when many keepers used light bulbs as heating elements.
This is nothing personal, just the correct advice, utilising the technology that is now available within the hobby.


----------



## jasonm96 (Aug 30, 2015)

I'm not a advising against the use, but I'm not saying they're essential, when many keep exotics successfully without. It seems mainly the UK hobby that uses them, but this does not mean that other countries are behind. I have several thermostats available and I do use them, but not always. Some species are more sentive to temps than others, which I did say.

In summer if the temperature does rise above 21C, which is 2C if I'm lucky due to the fact I live in the north of Scotland, then the windows will be open, lower wattage bulbs will be used or I can plug a fan into the thermostat. A thermostat in the tanks with heating would not solve the problem of tanks without heating though, would it? If the room overheats then so would they. And I'm not sticking a fan on stat inside several tanks when I can control the temp of the room. If you have to have a thermostat dimming your basking temp down to an unstuitable level to maintain background temps then the problem is the temp of the room or set up.

I'm done debating anyway, it seems everyone always has one thing to disagree on with exotics, whether it be UVB, tank size, preferred temps, diet and supplementation, so there's not much of a point. As long as my animals are healthy, which they are, I'm happy


----------



## Hog (Feb 11, 2014)

jasonm96 said:


> I'm not a advising against the use, but I'm not saying they're essential, when many keep exotics successfully without. It seems mainly the UK hobby that uses them, but this does not mean that other countries are behind. I have several thermostats available and I do use them, but not always. Some species are more sentive to temps than others, which I did say.
> 
> In summer if the temperature does rise above 21C, which is 2C if I'm lucky due to the fact I live in the north of Scotland, then the windows will be open, lower wattage bulbs will be used or I can plug a fan into the thermostat. A thermostat in the tanks with heating would not solve the problem of tanks without heating though, would it? If the room overheats then so would they. And I'm not sticking a fan on stat inside several tanks when I can control the temp of the room. If you have to have a thermostat dimming your basking temp down to an unstuitable level to maintain background temps then the problem is the temp of the room or set up.
> 
> I'm done debating anyway, it seems everyone always has one thing to disagree on with exotics, whether it be UVB, tank size, preferred temps, diet and supplementation, so there's not much of a point. As long as my animals are healthy, which they are, I'm happy


This isn't a disagreement, their absoutley essential.
No stat, no reptiles.
Simple as.


----------

