Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 10 gallon with a Zoomed under tank heater pad. I came home and the darn thing was so hot that when I sprayed it with water it steamed.
How does this happen?
Can it be prevented by a cheap thermostat or dimmer?
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1.1 Kenyan Sand Boas (new)
0.1 Rubber Boa
1.0 Eastern Hognose 2003 super red
0.2 Eastern Hognose Snakes
4.4 Western Hognose Snakes
1.1 Womas
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata

1 Pleco
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

What did you think - that a plastic cover over a metal nichrome heating element (aka a ZooMed heat pad) will know exactly when the heat is too much for your application? Of course not. For now you can raise up the tank bottom so that you have more clearance over the heat pad (if the heat pad isn't stuck to the cage bottom.) Ultimately, you need a dimmer or thermostat. A thermostat will protect against overheating. That is what you need to get. Dimmers are fine but you need to adjust them constantly and you should have some metal sheeting conducting the heat if using a dimmer (the metal spreads the heat and makes the cage less sensitive to a tiny adjustment in dimmer setting.) Any sheet metal larger than the heat pad will work.

not being an electrician I would like to know what makes the temperature fluctuate so much
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1.1 Kenyan Sand Boas (new)
0.1 Rubber Boa
1.0 Eastern Hognose 2003 super red
0.2 Eastern Hognose Snakes
4.4 Western Hognose Snakes
1.1 Womas
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata

1 Pleco
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

It is a function of the insulation around the heat pad, the heat capacity of the air, substrate, etc, and this depends on relative humidity and ambient air temp. That is why a heat pad without a thermostat is a no no, and why no heat pad stays at the same temp year round in any application. Just can't - too many variables. That is why you need a controller to be the brains of the operation.