Where to take accurate temps

912 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by twohoops21, Jun 16, 2011

twohoops21

Discussion Starter · Jun 14, 2011

Hello all, quick question. Where is the best place to take temps in your viv, or should I just take an average? I have just redone a 20h for my pair of bribris and replaced the lighting using a t5ho unit with 4 24w bulbs, with the unit 1.5 inches off of the top of the tank. I use a infrared thermo gun to take my temps with, and my temps are as high as 96 (at the very top, but not on the glass) and 74 on the bottom of the viv or in the 'shade'. From the substrate to the glass there is roughly 15 inches with ledges and overhangs in between. The tank is heavily planted with broms, broad leaf plants, and leaf litter (there is plenty of shade), so I am thinking as long as they have a 'cool' place to retreat the high temps wont bother them much, seeing as how pumilio like a little higher temps....am I correct on my thinking? My old temps were almost constant at 74 with just the regular single strip light that I had on there. My concerns are that we have had lower outside temps as of late, so I have not been able to record any temps on 90+ days, although on those days we keep our apt set to 72 on AC. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

P.S- the frogs are not and will not be put in until I get this figured out.

Save

1 - 7 of 7 Posts

Scott

· #2 · Jun 14, 2011

Ideally - you have a range of temperatures within the tank. This way the frog can seek out what works best for it.

Obviously it will be warmer at the top (lights).

It should be cooler at the bottom, but maybe a touch cooler on one side rather than the other (is the tank in question between two tanks - or is one side exposed - these things affect the inside temperature in different areas).

Some areas will be more shaded - some will be in direct light. Etc.

I don't even like to average the temps - I just want to have a decent range of choices for the frogs.

s

See less See more

Save

twohoops21

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 14, 2011

Scott said:
Ideally - you have a range of temperatures within the tank. This way the frog can seek out what works best for it.

Obviously it will be warmer at the top (lights).

It should be cooler at the bottom, but maybe a touch cooler on one side rather than the other (is the tank in question between two tanks - or is one side exposed - these things affect the inside temperature in different areas).

Some areas will be more shaded - some will be in direct light. Etc.

I don't even like to average the temps - I just want to have a decent range of choices for the frogs.

s

Thanks Scott, the tank is on a stand all by itself. I also like to have a nice range of temps in the tank. I am just worried about it hitting over 90 towards the top. If you go about an inch down from the top the temps are low to mid 80's. I have noticed that these frogs seem to be on the ground 75% of their day so I would imagine that the warmer temps wouldnt bother them.

Save

PeanutbuttER

· #4 · Jun 14, 2011

twohoops21 said:
Thanks Scott, the tank is on a stand all by itself. I also like to have a nice range of temps in the tank. I am just worried about it hitting over 90 towards the top. If you go about an inch down from the top the temps are low to mid 80's. I have noticed that these frogs seem to be on the ground 75% of their day so I would imagine that the warmer temps wouldnt bother them.

Do you have any space between the lights and viv? 90 at the top of the viv would definitely worry me even with lower temps farther down.

Save

FwoGiZ

· #5 · Jun 14, 2011

I use a PE Temp gun... much more efficient than having dozens of thermometer which look bad in vivs
I also have a probe to register high, low and avg temps
but I rarely uses those stuffs... my room is constant

Save

Mitch

· #6 · Jun 14, 2011

I'd put a fan under the lights to push some of that hot air away from the viv. I have the same exact lighting set up as you and by doing this I get much better temp. ranges - around 78 at the top and 70 at the bottom. Anything above 82 anywhere in a viv worries me. Also, at 96 you'd probably burn whatever plants are up there.

Save

twohoops21

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 16, 2011

Thanks for the info guys, I am redoing the lid tomorrow and putting a 2 inch vent in there in hopes of lowering the temps. I will also be looking to raise the light up another inch so that there is 2 in gap in between. Then go from there...

Save

1 - 7 of 7 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month