TEMPS!!!AHHHHHH

[zarrianna]

I have a baby bd and he seems pretty healthy and all.BUT his temps on the hot side keep sayin 120-125F AND IM SCARED AND TTHE PROBE ISNT EVEN AT THE HIGHEST POINT!!!!!!!!These were taken with a battery powered thermometer with a probe and i have a stick on by it tht reads about 100-110F.BUT when I checked it I touched the area WITH MY BARE HAND and it DID NOT feel 120F!!!The cool side is 82-87F and both the stick on and thermometer with probe on tht side say tht!IM CONFUSED!! The light is a Zoo Med HALOGEN basking spot lamp 100watt.





PLEASE HELP!

 

[beardie parents]

You could do what my husband does with our 20 gallon tank. Put small blocks of wood, either 1/2 inch wide to 1 inch wide right under the basking spot light fixture.

What size tank do you have? we have a 20L for Zoom Zoom and a 60 watt house bulb on her that can get to hot in the middle of the day if we didn't put the blocks of wood under her bulb fixture.

 

[zarrianna]

i have a 20 gallon.hes just about 9 inches and im still confused about wat to trust cuz it said 122 or somthin and i tuoched the area with my bare hand so plz help more

 

[Fogles]

Whoa! A 100WATT for a 20gallon tanks is way to high, you'll cook the little one. Just go buy a 75WATT Basking bulb, that's what I have and temps go from 100-105.

 

[diamc]

I agree that a 100 watt is too much for a 20 gallon tank. A halogen throws out a lot of heat. I would try either a 60 or 75 watt household bulb and see what the temps are then since the tank temps are also affected by the room temps. In the meantime, I would give him a nice warm bath in case he is somewhat dehydrated from the high temps.

 

[vickson420]

I agree when Phoenix was in her 20 long I used a 45watt halogen and that got the temps to 109F.Try a household bulb and up the wattage until you get the desired temp.

 

[BaronTheBD]

lol i wish i had your problem lately i cant seem to keep the temperature up. I have to use a 75 Watt floodlight in ADDITION to the 100 Watt Powersun MVB im already using and temps barely get to around 110 :\ Do Halogen lamps emit more heat than the repti basking spot lamps?

 

[vickson420]

Yes I have always found they emit alot more heat.

 

[BaronTheBD]

Yes I have always found they emit alot more heat.

Thanks im going to look in to that.

 

[zarrianna]

Ok so you all say tht 100 watt TOO HOT but i have tried a 75 watt and it didnt read past ninety something of course tht was taken with the stickon kind.....Any suggestions??i could try the 75 again since we have the new thermometers.Should i do tht?Also when the thermometer said 120 i lifted the hood and screen lid and touched the area the probe was on with my bare hand and it did not feel120 degrees.CONFUSED STILL :?

 

[Fogles]

Ok so you all say tht 100 watt TOO HOT but i have tried a 75 watt and it didnt read past ninety something of course tht was taken with the stickon kind.....Any suggestions??i could try the 75 again since we have the new thermometers.Should i do tht?Also when the thermometer said 120 i lifted the hood and screen lid and touched the area the probe was on with my bare hand and it did not feel120 degrees.CONFUSED STILL :?

FIrst off, how many inches away is the basking spot from the bulb? You should put the 75WATT In again, and use a probe thermometor you can find at walmart for around 10-15dollars or use a temp gun. On mine setup, I'm using a 75WATT Zoo-Med basking buld that give me temps to around 100-110, I'm using a very accurate temp gun.

 

[AndyAMP88]

I have a similar question, I have a 55 gallon tank, and I got the basking side to 100-110 degrees (150w Bulb). I also use a probe so it fluctuates. However, my issue is the cool side. The highest the cool side will go is 68-70 degrees. How can I fix this? Wouldn't adding another bulb defeat the point of having the cool side? Or do I get a lower wattage to bring it up to the 80's? I'm not sure how to significantly raise the temps at that end without making it too warm. Thanks!

 

[vickson420]

I would just add a second clamp lamp with a 40 watt household bulb and center it in the middle of the tank that should do it.If not try 60watt but I think 40 will do since your only a few degrees off.

 

[AndyAMP88]

Thanks, I'll try it out.

 

[diamc]

Ok so you all say tht 100 watt TOO HOT but i have tried a 75 watt and it didnt read past ninety something of course tht was taken with the stickon kind.....Any suggestions??i could try the 75 again since we have the new thermometers.Should i do tht?Also when the thermometer said 120 i lifted the hood and screen lid and touched the area the probe was on with my bare hand and it did not feel120 degrees.CONFUSED STILL :?

As Fogles said, you need to be sure that you're using a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end like this:

I suggest you put the 75 watt back in and place the probe end so that it is touching the basking surface right under the light, wait about 45 min for the temp to stop rising, then you will have the basking temp. If you buy a digital like the one in the picture, then you can get both readings at once by putting the thermometer part way over on the cool side when the probe end is laying on the basking area. After the 45 min timeframe, the "out" reading is for the basking temp and the "in" reading for the cool side. The cool side temp should be in the 75 to 85 degree range with 80 being ideal. Please let us know what the temps are after checking them that way.