Okay,

Done a bit more reading and it appears I have misunderstood how this thermostat works.

I thought it could control 2 heat sources but it seems it controls one source and the night feature simply kicks in and overrides the day setting.

So, this would mean i need to use my ceramic bulb as both sources of heat for day and night and use a bright energy saver bulb to attract the dragon throughout the day. Correct?

I checked my digital thermometer and it recorded a temp of 58F so looks like I NEED to use the night feature.

How can I set the night temp if i can't currently get the Viv to that temp?

 

Firstly, oh god not again.

Secondly, correct it controls one heat source, the night setting simply overrides the day one at the right time.

As mentioned before. You do not need a light source to attract the dragon though some people do prefer it. if you wanted a second small bulb you would just have to attach an energy saver (little to no heat) to a standard timer.

What do you mean you cant get the viv to the correct temp? I thought you had the daytime temps sorted? if you can reach the day time temps you can reach the nigt time ones.

Jay

 

I understand that the temp in the Viv is okay to around 60F. My house only gets to around that temp on a night.

If I am to set a night time temperature then what should it be around? 65F for example?

Oh and yeah, sorted the day temps but will have to do again now in order to use the ceramic probably as it is a different wattage.

 

I would set it to around 65-70 something in that range. I think you will find that the temp maintains this range at night anyway. But that stat is a good back up.

Hope that helps

Jay

 

Lowest recorded temp was 58F when I checked my digital thermometers. Will probs get even lower in winter. It's a cold house I'm in. Guess I'll need to mess around with the day temps again now

 

Installed a low wattage energy saver bulb for bright light and I am currently trying to set the Viv temps up again with the 75w ceramic. This things get very hot to the touch, but seems rubbish at heating the Viv in general. My thermostat is on full with the sensor in the hot end and, has been on for hours and is still only at 95F on e basking spot. Might need to get a 100w ceramic?

 

am i right in thinking your going to be using a ceramic with a dimmer stat?? if thats the case then you wont be able to. ceramics can only be used with on/off stats, and pulse stats.

has you dimmer night and day got a magic eye?? if so then when it gets dark it automatically turns to night time temp which doesnt go above 25c.


to use a bulb for day and night you could use an infer-red. that way your rep wont see the light at night because they just emit heat waves.

if your worried that your house does get to cold just stick a heat mat on the side or back of viv to give a little heat.

 

Yeah it's a dimmer stat. Dam one thing after another! I moved the probe and the temp is higher, never knew I couldn't use a dimmer with a ceramic. Don't know why I bother with all this stuff anymore, my brother just uses a basking bulb on a timer and done!

No I do not have a magic eye.

In regards to using an infer-red, are these totally invisible to beardies then?

Thanks for your reply.

Edit:

Just seen this and others have reported they work fine?

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/snakes/126604-use-dimmer-habistat-ceramic-heat.html

 

Hi GeeUK, just thought I'd let you know what my setup is as i've been through the same problems as you and I've got them pretty sorted now.

First of all, I have both of my dragon viv's in my conservatory, so night temps was a big worry for me. I have the following in each viv,

300 watt ceramic basking bulb inside a guard, the guard is far enough away so that they don't climb on it. On the opposite side of the viv to that I have a heat mat on the floor, but I have a false floor above it so that the dragons can not touch it.

The mat is attached to a matstat, and the ceramic attached to an on/off thermostat.

I have 4 digital exo terra thermometers, basking/hot/middle/cold. That way I can monitor the entire viv at any time and pull up the lowest and highest readings etc. When setting up the temps at night, I have them so that my lowest memory on each thermometer does not get lower than 70 degrees. Because the heat mat is in the cool end, it means that the basking ceramic doesn't need to work as hard to come on at night, thus giving me a pretty much 72 average gradient throughout the viv, and not say 80 degrees in the hot end to allow the cool end not to drop below 70, if you know what I mean.

I'd set the temp on the thermostats say 3 degrees higher than you want them to drop to at their lowest. If you do not want it to drop below 65 degrees, set them to 68 degrees on the stat. Mark it, in the morning check the meters lowest memory, if it is below 65 then just mark the stat again a touch higher. This is how I did mine and now my night temps are spot on for how I want them.

I know the above is waffling a bit but it's pretty late and can't be a**** to edit it, hope this helps.

BTW, having the mat on the matstat set just for night temps means that it is never on in the day, but also is a backup if the main bulb blows for whatever reason. I find the platform works well also, eliminating the dragons from burning on the mat, which is the main reason people are against using them I guess.

Regarding the inferred bulbs, I also have one in each viv on the roof, with an angled fixing pointing across the viv. This is not for heating, but for lighting up the viv's a little so that I can see the beardies when the tubes go out. I have them set to come on 15 minutes before tube turns off, and they go off at 12am. They are both on a dimmer switch, dimmed right down low just so that it gives enough light to see them which doesn't bother them at all. But beware, I've bought loads and loads of red bulbs online, different types, but the best is 40w Euro Rep res night spotlamp. It is for heating, but becuase I'm dimming it right down the heat does not effect the temps at all. These bulbs are good because 40w, and they are completly dark red all over. All others have just a red paint on the base and give off bright white light above, and also are brighter red as well so not as effective.

 

Hi there,

Thanks for the reply.

I want to try and utilise the bits I already have which are:

75w ceramic bulb
Energy saver bulb to attract dragon
Dimming thermostat
2 Digital thermometers, one on basking and one in the cold end. Could use another in the warm end, got an analogue one which I know can be off but it reads good.

The ceramic will heat the Viv throughout the day and will also regulate the temperature on a night to ensure the temperature does not fall below 60F.

At the moment I have managed to get a basking temp of 103F and the cold end at around 75F. The other thermometer in the warm end shoes around 90F so everything seems fine there.

What I am doing now is setting the night temperature. Not sure which direction lowers and raises the temperature so just doing that at the moment.

I think a 103F basking, 90F warm end and 75F cold end should be okay from all the different variances in temperature recommendations I have seen posted by people and care sheets.

What do you think?

 

the stat night temp is the amount of drop you want at night, so if you set it to 15C it will drop 15 degrees from wot you got set for your day time temp.

personally i wouldn't bother with night time heat atm. Beardies come from the desert, it can get extreamly cold in the desert at night.

Its a bit of a debated thing on here atm about weather or no to supply night time heat.

also as said you cannot use a dimming thermostat with a ceramic. ceramics do not work like a bulb. ceramic require full power in order to heat up, hence why pulse stats or on/off stats are used.

i would also personally not use Infra red bulbs for night time light/heat. it is said that beardies and alot of lizards in face can see red light, and seeing as they have relativly thin eyelids it could disturb there sleep.

 

Arghhh again with miss information.

Yes a dimming stat can be used with a ceramic, infact all three types of stat can be used with a ceraminc, on/off and pulse. The best choice out of the three for a ceramic is a pulse, but a dimmer will also work fine.

As i've said from the start, i dont think you need night time heat, and i think a bulb on a stat, like you had at the very start is absolutly fine. I think you are over complicating things which is making your life extremely hard. its easy to set up a beardies viv.

Bulb, stat, set temp, add beardie, done.

You taking on everyones advice at once, which is making your life hard. I stand by the phase 'keep it simple'

jay

 

Arghhh again with miss information.

Yes a dimming stat can be used with a ceramic, infact all three types of stat can be used with a ceraminc, on/off and pulse. The best choice out of the three for a ceramic is a pulse, but a dimmer will also work fine.

As i've said from the start, i dont think you need night time heat, and i think a bulb on a stat, like you had at the very start is absolutly fine. I think you are over complicating things which is making your life extremely hard. its easy to set up a beardies viv.

Bulb, stat, set temp, add beardie, done.

You taking on everyones advice at once, which is making your life hard. I stand by the phase 'keep it simple'

jay

I did indeed have it all setup, my only concern was the night temp. Believe me, if it read 58F now, it is going to be a lot lower in the winter.

My house gets very cold and I can'T insulate the cavities because they are full of rubble (what they did in the old days!). Just finnished insulating under my living room floor boards to try combat the problem!

So, even though it is a pain, I think using the ceramic will definately be needed in the winter, so I can set it up now switch on the night feature then. For now, I leave it as it is:

Ceramic - Heat
Energy Saver - Light for attraction
Natural night temperature drop

So, anyway to let you know. I have dialled the night temp knob all the way it can go and it has settled with the below night temperatures:

Basking end (this is where I have my digital thermometer) - 80-83F.
Cold end - 64-65F.
And according to my cr@ppy stick on thermometer - 70F warm end.

Will these temps be okay as cooling down temperatures? Pretty please?

If so, we're done! LOL

:2thumb:

 

that sounds fine to me, looks like you are all sorted.

My house is the same btw, totally uninsulated, but having god knows how many vivs keeps the temps up in the rep room.

Sorted, now you can get a beardie.

jay

 

P.S. I think we need pictures when the beardie finally gets in.

jay

 

P.S. I think we need pictures when the beardie finally gets in.

jay

Oh definately.

Should be getting one tomorrow from a lady named Sam. Appears to breed them..hello Sam if you're on here.

No probs Beardys.

 

i stand corrected. you can now use dimmers on ceramics. had alook today on the new microclimate packaging. they used to say that you couldnt. and you can now use them also on heat mats.

 

The moment you have all been waiting for! Well..maybe Spike, haha!

See here:

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizard-pictures/698112-troy-bearded-dragon.html#post8327544