Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am wanting to switch from a Ranco on/off Tstat to a proportional type. So what do you guys and gals prefere, the Spider/Herpstat or the Helix brand. Pretty big difference in price. I am using Reptile Basic racks with 2 strips of three inch Flexiwatt. Neither controler will handle the wattage of all four of my racks with both strips, but will if I only run one strip. So my question is does 1 strip of 3 inch Flexiwatt create an adequate hot spot for a CB70 tub. Thanks in advance for any help.

Jeff

Herpstat! Make sure you get one with a resetable fuse.

I really like the Herpstat Pro. You can get them for around $300 but can control 4 different racks so it makes it more economical if you are controlling multiple racks. The other think I like is that they have long replaceable probes. In my opinion a short comming of the Helix thermostats are that they have a short probe (6 feet) than is not easily replaced.
Grant Whitmer

Herpstat hands down!
-----
Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

I have both and started with Helix. Herpstat for sure due to the high-low temperature alarms, and much easier temp adjustment.

Most models have a built-in clock for night-drop.

I recently had to decide which to go with...my reseach led me to Herpstat...works great so far (0 months). I have no helix experience...Jim

HERPSTAT...got bunches of them....never a problem. I use the original because I use a photo-cell for my night drop. The others all have built in clocks but I am too lazy to set them. You cannot go wrong with them.

Is the three inch you are using 6 or 10 watt? If it is 10 watt, throw EVERY INCH OUT NOW and buy 4in 8watt. If you are using the 6 watt it makes for a little smaller warm area but it might work, I just prefer the 4in stuff

Thanks everyone for your replies. After further research I feel that Herpstat II is the best choice for my current application. I will use my Ranco as a back unit. Good luck to everyone this season.

Jeff

the 6 watt 3'' seems to work fine for ball pythons as long as your room temps are 82 or so while your females are gravid. it doesn't seem to be enough for gravid boas, they shift around, trying to soak up heat, i would use a second strip for them. kd

After ready the milkmans post I looked into what tape RBI uses. Its the 10 watt per foot 3 inch. Built into the rack so its not going any where, but whats the problem with the 10 watt.

Jeff

The 3in 10watt gets way too hot, it is not made for this application. Wire up a piece of 6 watt and a piece of 10 watt, plug each one in without a thermostat....a few minutes later take the temps....the 10 watt will be almost too hot to touch, I never left it plugged in long enough to find out but my guess is it can run away and burn, if not melt the tubs. The 3in 6 watt and my favorite, the 4in 8watt get warm but seem to not overheat...even when full power is left on for long periods(this is not recommended, I just did a side by side test). The 4in also gives a little more surface area and maybe it is just me but my animals seem to be doing better with the 4in. I do still have some of 3in, 6 watt on hatchling and quarenteen racks but it does not get very cold here either, what size tubs are you using, up to the 32qt, it should be ok, but if you have larger racks and live up north, it is probably not enough.

They are CB70 tubs. I have been using two 3 inch strips for a little over a year. I keep my Tstat set at 92 degress with a 1 degree /-. The substate stayed between 88 -89 degress. Just before Thanksgiving I added two more racks and double stacked them (total of 4 racks, 2 stacks). The top rack with the Tstat runs about 6 degrees warmer then the bottom rack of the second stack. I've had no problem with it getting to hot. I am just tring to equalize my temps from top to bottom, left to right. I feel that since the probe is right on the heat that the Tstat kicks off before all the tape gets warmed up. I figured that the proportional type Tstat with the constant voltage would allow all of the tape to warm up and maitain a more consistent temp across all 4 racks. Plus I noticed that the Herpstats can be adujusted across two different pieces of equipment to account for any variance in output. Today I added a second Ranco to the second stack which has helped but I will still get the Herpstat and just use the Rancos as back ups.

Thanks Jeff

Im located in west central Florida so its usually not to cold. I usually don't let the ambient get below 74 degrees and in the summer its about 86.

With a thermostat, it should not get too hot, but if the t-stat fails...and electronics do....crispy critters. Use the ranco as a back up and you should be ok. I used the 10 watt stuff for a couple of years without a problem but it scares me, the stuff gets REAL HOT. I make my own racks so I can use what works best for me, You already have it installed so take the proper precautions and you should be fine. I am in S Florida so for most of the year, I do not even need heaters, it is nice to have them when cold fronts blow through like the one we had last week, but boy do I like cold fronts, my breeding season has gone off with a bang...I always drop temps and put in the night drop with the first good cold front and it worked like a charm this year.

with the HERPSTAT II you can probe the bottom racks and use the other probe for the top racks,should even things out greatly.

after trying out most popular thermostats i now only use the herpstats.when you look at quality,features,service and price it's a no brainer IMO.have fun !

Thanks, Thats what I was thinking myself.

Jeff