Trouble with temps.

[RR09SS]

Hey guys, new to the forum and to being a pac man owner. i have spent some time (and money...) trying to make sure my frog is in a great environment.
here's the problem, i cant seem to hit 80 in the enclosure.

my setup is an Exo Terra 12x12x18 terrarium, using the eco earth substrate. i have a few live plants inside as well. i have a dual dome light setup with a 60w exo terra daytime heat lamp, and the other is a 50w exo terra night heat lamp or "moonlight" with the day lamp it doesnt quite hit 80 and the night bulb will sit around 75.

i also have a zoomed reptitherm uth 10-20 gallon size slapped on the back.

i am in a basement, where the temps are probably a good 10 degrees lower than upstairs, so when the ac kicks on in can get a bit cold. normal temps are 70-72 but can get down in high 60's. I have all the vents closed too...


what can i do to keep the temps up?

btw he eats just fine, no issues at all with that so far.


here is a pic of my setup.
would love any advice on any changes i can make.

[mikesfrogs]

Just put the heatpad under the tank. It will heat up the coco fiber and it will sit in it when its cold.

[GrifTheGreat]

AC is bad for frogs. Make sure the tank is nowhere near any vents for the AC. The shift in ambient air temp outside the enclosure can cause a draft as well as cool the glass causing a cold zone on the cool side of the tank. This also fights the heat being produced by your UTH and heat bulbs.

To help hold in heat take some Sarah Wrap and cover the front half of the screen top where your lights are not sitting. This will help hold heat within the enclosure. Also you can wrap a towel around the bottom of the tank to help the substrate to hold some heat as well. Its not a good idea to place the UTH on the bottom of the tank. Especially not the tank you have because I have the exact same tank and that UTH for a 10 to 20 gallon will get really hot and burn your frog. It is best placed on the side of the tank. I have mine on the right side of the tank just about 1 1/2 to 2 inches above the substrate. Do not place the UTH over any sort of background or it will melt it of cause a fire. Nothing should be around the UTH.

Be sure that the Sarah Wrap doesn't touch your heat lamp either. Those lamps you have don't have a dimmer switch which is a must for Pacman Frog. The bulbs can get too hot and are much to bright for a Pacman frog. If you buy a Fluker's 5.5" Clamp Lamp with Dimmer and the lamp stand that goes with it you can hover the lamp just above the screen top so it doesn't touch. Also the Daylight bulb isn't as efficient at heating as the Exo-Terra Sun Glo bulb that has a concentrated beam. This bulb allows you to produce more heat with less light so you don't have to dial the dimmer on the lamp up very high to adhesive proper temps. At night you'd be better off if you switch to a Exo-Terra Heat Glo bulb. Its an Infrared bulb and will produce higher temps plus like the moonlight bulb it will not affect their day/night cycle. Both bulbs should be no higher than 50 watts and no lower than 25 watts, but you will need 50 watt bulbs because you're having so much trouble.

Keep an eye on the humidity levels because the lights will burn off humidity within the enclosure plus AC removes moisture from the ambient room air causing a dryer climate in and outside the enclosure.

Welcome to Frog Forum

[RR09SS]

wont i still need 2 lamps so i dont have to swap bulbs? what will be best since i have plants? i just bought the lamps i have so i can return them. what exactly would you have me get?

[GrifTheGreat]

wont i still need 2 lamps so i dont have to swap bulbs? what will be best since i have plants? i just bought the lamps i have so i can return them. what exactly would you have me get?

You do what you have to, to create and maintain the correct climate for your frog. If that means you have to swap bulbs back and forth than so be it. I perform this task every night. If you have a Pathos plant in there which is a ground crawler it should be fine with just a Sun lit room, but never place the tank close to a window so that the tank doesn't gain heat build up from the sunlight passing through the glass walls of the tank. Follow what I've suggested above. If the lights you're using are too bright they can harm your frogs eyes.

[RR09SS]

Ok. Now i have a couple more questions. Do i 100% need to have a UTH if i can keep the temps? reason im asking is because i broke down and just bought a reptifogger and hygrothem unit as well as 2 of the fluker's 5.5" dome with dimmer along with a 60w sun glo bulb. (could not find a 50w) and a 50w heat glo bulb. if i get some daylight in the basement is it feasible to just use the heat glo bulb to keep temps 24/7?