red foot house

[haphazzard]

Hi everyone,

I am getting a 75g tank set up for a red foot and and am having some issues. So far I have built a lid that covers about 80% of the top. I have 2 48" reptisun10.0 bulbs over the top and a 100w basking bulb for heat during the day. I have a reptifogger to keep the humidity in line and a herpistat on the way to control that and a 23' heat cable I put on one side, inside the tank under the peat( about 3.5" deep) for heat at night. My problem is that the heat cable does not get warm enough to warm the tank. Its been set up for three days and every morning its the same temp in the tank as out of the tank.



I know the 75g tank isn't ideal but the plan is to keep him/her in there for the winter and while he/she is outside next Summer I will build an awesome enclosure(its good to be a carpenter/cabinet maker ) I have plans brewing already for a two story set up with high humidity on the lower enclosed section and open planted top area all built into a bedroom. I have a Tera cota saucer until I come up with something better for water, and a piece of slate as a dinner table. I built a hide out of foam and grout the same way this guy does http://www.lizard-landscapes.com/ and will have dandelions, plantains, and grass planted in the tank.



My question is, would it be better to just get a ceramic heat emitter to hook up to the herpistat (It has day and night settings) in place of the spot light and skip the under heat? Do I need the spotlight? isn't it really just for warmth as the fluorescent tubes have the UVB? Should I get stronger heater for under the sub-strait and stick to the plan of spot light during the day and under heat as back up at night?



Thanks for any help, I only have untill sept 16th to get this ironed out as that is when I should be getting the little red foot.

 

[haphazzard]

It is the HygroTherm not reptistat that I am ordering.

 

[haphazzard]

I decided to take the peat out and put Eco-Earth in there instead, I think 3 inches should do it. I ordered a CHE today I'm going to replace the spot light with that.

 

[lynnedit]

bump

I don't own RF's, but the CHE instead of the basking light sounds like a great idea. Sounds like you need more warmth than light, and the CHE can stay on 24 hours as needed, with the Reptisun's providing UV/light.

The heat cables won't really heat the ambient air, just the actual soil. So put a temp probe just under the soil or on the surface and see what the temp is there. It is nice to have a warm spot on the ground.
You can have a hide or lots of plants in that area, and then at least one more hide in another area. The cables will help to raise ambient humidity if the substrate is nice and moist.

Eco-earth makes a great substrate.

See TerryO's enclosures for nice ideas with plants. She uses aquariums during the inside months for her Rf's.

 

[haphazzard]

Here is what its like so far. I planted some grass along two sides of the hide that will grow in too. The plants are double potted so it will be easy to change repace them.