I use a Herpstat2 but that may be tougher to find in the UK. I recommend using a dimming thermostat with two outlets so you can keep separate control of cool and warm ends (and use a ceramic heat emitter to control overnight temps as needed). Something like a Microclimate Evo or Prime2. I've heard good things about that Habistats too. Swell Reptiles carries them.
A dimming stat is best for lights where a pulse or on/off will work for CHEs and heat panels. The selection in the UK is a bit better than here as cooper mentions.
Yeah that's a good point. I like using one that handles both so I can run both a halogen flood for the basking area and a heat projector/CHE for the cool side & nighttime. That's why I like having a model that can handle two separate controls.
Thermostat has arrived. I just wanted to ask wheres best to place the probe? Im trying to control the basking temps so id say place it in the basking spot right?
Right on the basking surface. If you have two, put one on a surface of the cool side. I used zip ties and sticky zip tie anchors to run the probes down the back of the tank to the floor then ran the probes onto the basking surface. They stay put in my setup but you may need to zip tie them down depending on where you mount them.
Great so i have the probe on the basking spot and i also have the temp probe in the same place which is giving me the reading.
Its odd as i set the thermostat at 39 but the temp was climbing up above 41 according to the temp reader. I turned the thermostat down to 33 an the temp prob is now reading 37.7
It usually controls the temps within a programmable range. I set mine to stay between 99 and 103f in the basking area. It may also take quite a while for the probe to get an accurate reading (half hour or more).
Im a little confused as mine is controlled by a little dial that i turn to set the temp so at the mo its poing to 33c. How come my temp prob that ive had in the viv all along is reading higher at 37.7. ?
That I'm not sure of. Which model did you wind up getting? I'll do some digging and find out how it's supposed to work. It may just have a built in tolerance of a few degrees either way or there may be a way to set it.