If you are using a square, standard, glass aquarium with an open top and screen lid, you should compliment or augment the heat thrown by the UTH with a heat lamp that's probably run only half the day. If the tank isn't covered with a towel, paper, plastic, or something similar, most of the heat would escape.

If you are using caging such as a plastic cage that has extremely little open space for ventilation and such, an overhead lamp is both unnecessary and impractical.

To cover the latter, some would use a radiant heat panel, which is somewhat like the lamp in concept, but does not throw light. I wouldn't use either unless absolutely necessary.

If you want to measure the temps of your UTH, the probe should be on it, or below the tank on the glass which is basically a few centimeters from the heat source; and the glass does not diminish the heat so your reading will not be inaccurate.

If you want to measure ambient temps, you can place the probe in the center of the floor panel, roof panel, or rear panel. Make sure there is nothing to skew the reading such as the heat from a cage over it, or a cold floor beneath it, or a warm/cool wall behind it.

If you want to make sure the temps don't drop below a certain temp, place the probe as far away from the heat as possible.


Hope that helped you.

Take care, Joe Rollo
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

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