Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm trying to get just the right variant of heat between day and night lighting. I'm considering purchasing items for the following 2 different cages that I have; 1 cage is for a Columbian Boa, the other for a Chinese Water Dragon.

What I want to do is have the ability to

-Set a specific daytime temperature and turn off when night comes.

-Set a specific nighttime temperature and turn off when day comes.

-Monitor/control an undertank heating pad.

I am looking at the following:

Combo Light (1 daylight, 1 nightlight, 1 uvb light)
http://www.reptiledirect.com/subcatmfgprod.asp?0=227&1=259&2=-1&6=1

and I'm not sure which of these thermostats/rheostats

http://www.reptiledirect.com/product.asp?0=223&1=301&3=591

http://www.reptiledirect.com/product.asp?0=223&1=301&3=112

and/or

http://www.reptiledirect.com/product.asp?0=223&1=301&3=608

Now, do I also need a timer? And if so, how would one incorporate that into the setup (what plugged into what)? Any recommedations for a digital setup that would do all of the above (in a similar fashion that a home digital thermostat does)?

(I have used the search function, so don't rip me a new one because of this post. I'm no noob to forums. I didn't see anything specifically related to this sort of question, so here I am using bandwidth.)

I know nothing about water dragons, so lets talk about the boa enclosure - boas do not need lights (but they need heat obviously). You can use a ceramic heat emitter or heat panel and a Helix, GCS or Big Apple Herp proportional controller with the night-time drop feature. Done.

The timer idea won't work with thermostats that are pre-wired as the ZooMed types. You need Ranco thermostats (www.herpsupplies.com) where you can wire directly to the output relays. Personally, it takes alot of wiring and requires 2 timers and 2 thermostats. It takes some knowledge of AC wiring, but in a nutshell, here is how it can be done:

Timer1 is set to be ON from 6AM -6PM. Timer2 is set to be ON from 5:30PM-6:30AM (you want a little overlap to make sure the heater is on in case the timers aren't synchronized exactly.) The output HOT wire from Timer1 connects to the Daytime Ranco COM terminal. The output HOT wire from Timer2 connects to the Nightime Ranco COM terminal. Do not connect the Ranco power to the COM terminals per the instructions with the thermostat - the timers will supply that power. The NO (normally open) terminals of both Rancos are connected together and to the light socket HOT screw. Both timers need to be plugged into the same outlet. During the day (6AM-6PM) Timer1 feeds 110VAC to the Daytime Ranco's output relay. During the night, Timer2 feeds the Nightime Rancos output relay. Both connect to the heater. During that small period where both timers are ON, the daytime Ranco overrides the nightime. Like I said, you need to know electrical theory for AC voltage. If you don't, you can do damage to the thermostats and to yourself! Don't try this unless you know what you are doing.