[giglamesh]

looking for some info. my licence is in the process of going through. so a couple of questions. for a first time keeper would i be better off getting hatchlings, or an older gecko a few months to a year old. with heating i will be using a heat mat on thermostat. what would be the best heat to keep them at i have read numerous temperatures on the internet and in books. the heat mat would go on the side with only a small depth of sand and it would be built up to about 4 inches at the other side where i would have some wet sand.

[diplodactyla]

You didnt name the species you want to buy...
btw for a non expert person, i think, it's always better to start with an older gecko, not a baby.
The temperature and the level of humidity vary according to the species you'll buy, for example a nephrurus levis will need a lower temp (30°C) than a nephrurus wheeleri (32/33°C) and the first one will need a higher level of humidity than the second.
In general we can distinguish the nephrurus in two groups:
smooth skin (nephrurus levis, occidentalis, deleani ecc)
rough skin (nephrurus amyae, wheeleri, asper ecc)

the first group, because of his delicate skin, needs lower temps and higher humidity
the second group has a harder skin and can tolerate higher temps and lower humidity

you have to place the heat mat, or cable on a half surface of the terrarium and cover it with 2 or 3 or more inches of sand (according to the species you want), the other half can be kept always wet (only for smooth skinned) or you can spray water every three days (for rough skinned).

[giglamesh]

oh il be getting levis pilbranaris (spelling)

[diplodactyla]

maybe you wanted to say Nephrurus levis pilbarensis that is a subspecies of n. levis...So you'll have to read a good care sheet about nephrurus levis, because the maintenance is the same.

here you are a good caresheet from the website of a member of Gu:

Care of Knob-tailed geckos