Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am hoping to get my ball next week at a reptile show in L.A., and I have a couple questions so I can get my terrarium set up before then.

I have a 40 gal. breeder with one foot of 12 inch flexwatt on one side, sandwiched between a piece of foam insulation and the glass on the bottom of the tank. The thermostat probe is embedded in the insulation and touching the flexwatt, as is a thermometer probe. As a substrate I have some of that astroturf-type reptile substrate. Now, the flexwatt is reading about 95, inside the tank under the substrate its about 89, and above the substrate it is about 85 (all readings on the hot side). Now the question is, which one of these readings should I go by to set the temp for the hot side?

Just stick the thermometer sensor inside the tank on the bottom over the heattape area and ajust the thermostat such that the thermometer reads between 90F and 95F. Personally I use 94.5F over the heat tape during the day and 86F at night.
Hope this helps.

Rob Reiding.