Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am building my first rack unit. Rack will be used to house hatchling corns in 5l Sterilite shoeboxes.

I have been reading posts on this site and searching as many websites as I can find for information. I have studied the instructions on the Captive Bred Reptiles page for wiring the Flexwatt. Seems simple enough; I can wire a piece no problem.

How exactly is the dimmer used? Where in line do I wire the dimmer and thermostats? Where is the dimmer placed? Before or after the thermostat? Seems to me it would have to be before the thermostat.
The thermostat is a simple on/off switch that uses a probe to measure the temperature. Where does one place a single probe in a rack system? Is a separate thermostat needed for each shelf? Is the Alife Temperature Controller sold at Bean Farm adequate? Advantages or disadvantages of this type?

I was planning to use 4" Flexwatt under the back third of the tub. Will this adequately heat a basking spot to 85* in a 60* room? Would the heat gradient be too dramatic? Would two 3" strips work better? If I use two strips of Flexwatt, would I need a separate thermostat for each strip (one set higher than the other) to get an adequate heat gradient?

Unrelated to the rack questions - Can a section of Flexwatt be taped directly to the bottom of a tank? If taped to the shelf below the tank, is the 1/4-1/2 inch space between the bottom of the glass and the Flexwatt too great?

Thanks in advance for all your help
Shari

I've not used a rack system yet. However, in my habitats the dimmers are wired after the thermostat.

Unless you are in a room with a great deal of temp fluctuations, thermostats aren't necessary to get the temps right. That can be done with a dimmer. The real benefit of having a thermostat is to shut off the power when/if something goes wrong and your flexwatt overheats.
-----
(¯`·.¸¸.·´ Kane `·.¸¸.·´¯)

http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/flexwire.shtml

.
-----
(¯`·.¸¸.·´ Kane `·.¸¸.·´¯)