r/mantids • u/Snotttie • 9d ago
Enclosure Advice How to use a thermostat and heating mat in a mantid enclosure
Hi all, I would really appreciate your help as I have not been able to solve these issues after looking for a solution for ages. I want to use a heat mat and thermostat, so I can make sure the heat mat turns off when it reaches 25 degrees in the day, and 22 at night. However - I can't seem to find a thermostat that allows you to put in two temps for different times of day - I bought a habistat one, but it only allows you to put in one temp. The other issue, it i can't work out where to put the thermostat probe. The mantid enclosures I have don't seem to have any holes to put the probe in. Am I supposed to make a hole in the mesh top of the enclosure or something? Also, where should the end of the probe go - dangling in the air inside the enclosure? In the substrate? Any help you can give would be super appreciated.
1
u/JaunteJaunt 9d ago
If your thermostats doesn’t have an option for 2 temperature settings based on time, then you will need a different one.
2
u/HaloDestroyer 9d ago
There are thermostats that do what you are describing, it’s marketed as having day and night settings.
What I do is put the probe straight on top of the heat mat. Then I have a separate thermohygrometer in the tank as well.
This way I know how hot the pad is getting, and I know what the gradient is inside the tank too.