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You are here: Knowledge Base > Heating and Lighting
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Thermostats and Rheostats perform 2 different functions. Last Updated: 05/29/2009 |
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A thermostat is like what you have with your home furnace, a rheostat is similar to a dimmer.
When you connect a heating device, like a lamp with a heat bulb, to a thermostat it will operate the lamp at full output then shut off when your tank reaches the desired temperature. Typically there is a separate temperature probe that is placed in the crabitat to accurately sense how hot the area is getting. A thermostat will prevent your crabitat from over heating and is necessary if the room temperature around the tank changes often. A rheostat allows you to run your heating device at a lower out put but never shuts totally off, regardless of the temperature inside the crabitat. If you have your tank in a room that has a stable temperature, then once you figure out the proper setting of the rheostat, the temperature inside the tank will also remain stable.
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