Zoo Med ReptiTemp RT-600 Digital Thermostat Controller, Black

I bought this style thermostat specifically for use with a 30-40 gal ZooMed heating pad. So far I’ve had it for 3-4 months and it’s worked flawlessly.The length of the wire connecting the thermostat probe to the unit is ample enough to submerge the probe into the substrate a few mils above the center of the heating mat (to get an accurate read of the temperature of the substrate) then run the probe data line to a corner of the tank and up the corner out of the tank, keeping it very hidden, my tank is 40Gal too and it runs from basically the center so no issue really.The display text is large and concise, it reads the current temp and the set temp, wether the heating or cooling element is on or off. Programming the unit is fairly intuitive, as it has an alarm (never tested that), heat and cooling settings and the temperature setting. Heating turns power to the outlet on the unit on while the probe reads a temp lower than the desired temp and Cooling turns the outlet on when the temp is above the desired temp. It’s accurate to an integer number of degrees (Fahrenheit or Celsius, you can switch between the two seamlessly) and the display is backlit very well, in fact it’s so bright that at night you may have to cover it because it will act as a mini night light.So far the only downside I’ve encountered is that it won’t directly support multiple heating or cooling devices a once, only having one power outlet. However this can be partially rectified by plugging in a surge protector strip and then plugging in either heating or cooling devices only into the strip. Be warned though the total power consumption of all the connected devices, in this manner, in watts, cannot exceed the maximum power rating for the Zoo-med digital thermostat. In fact just Incase of a surge you probably should leave a 15-25% space for power draw so you don’t fry the thermostat. Also don’t do this if you’re not a professional.

So first time snake owner and I needed a thermostat the last one someone recommended to me was for plants but being a noob I didn't realize that until I started having problems. So traded it in for this. It's a decent price and I was on a budget. I was worried that it might not work but when I got it plugged in it only took a couple minutes for the heat mat to adjust. The alarm on it is kind of pointless. The thermostat is fairly accurate I have a second thermometer to monitor the temp. It does it's job, isn't too pricey and even though people said It's not a good one it works for me and my snake. So that's all I can ask. If you want to get on that's got more settings and stuff then go ahead. But if you have just a heat mat and need to regulate the temperature this will do. I have the terrarium by my window so natural light and temp comes through there during winter it does effect the temp of the terrarium but the thermostat does a pretty good job of adjusting.Great product, decent price, perfect for a heat mat setting.

It's quite difficult to find a small heater that also has a thermostat for small shrimp bowls and the like. The few that exist are on the large side and failure prone or generally inaccurate. The solution is a simple 5W or 10W always-on heater and an external thermostat. The issues are:1) Most aquarium external thermostats are expensive and have more features than needed for a simple setup.2) Most reptile heaters have a sensor that cannot be submerged in water (without sealing it somehow).This unit addresses both. I have several and have used them for many months. They work great. Setting the temp is a little annoying, but how often do you do that? It would be nice if the back light could be disabled, but it's handy to be able to check the temperature at a glance. All of mine seem fairly accurate (within a degree or two). It seems to have 2 degrees of hysteresis (if set to 75, it will turn on at 73 and off at 75), which seems to be a reasonable compromise. Having a separate sensor lets you place it in an optional position to get an accurate reading (away from the heater).

It works great in my Vivarium and it seems very accurate.When the Remote Temperature sensor with the 6 foot cord is moved to different locations of my Vivarium it instantly reads the different heat levels which is ideal for setting up your animal or plant enclosure to have both warm and cooler areas.The only thing that I Hate about it is that the cord you plug in to control your heating element is plugged in directly in the front which makes the unit kind of bulky.I wish that it instead had a short female end cord that you could place elsewhere to plug in your heating source.I did weeks of researching and I only found one no name brand that had a female cord like I had hoped for. It was also about $10 cheaper but I’d rather stick with a well known brand when the health of your pet is important.

Firstly, if you have a critter who needs a heat mat to keep warm, I highly recommend purchasing a thermostat. The Zoo Med ReptiTemp RT-600 Digital Thermostat is a great choice out of the other thermostats out there. I have a sub-adult PacMan frog, and I was scared to have a heat mat placed without temperature control. However, the Zoo Med thermostat gave me some peace of mind. The device was easy to configure, and it has an alarm to alert you if the temperature drops or increases out of your set range. My main complaint is that the sticky tabs provided to mount the thermostat do not support the mechanism's full weight. There have been many times I have come home and found the thermostat hanging off the side of the tank, which pulled the heat mat off as well. I had to readjust and place the thermostat flat on a table. After the readjustment, I have had no further issues.