[bpdfs]

So I have an under the tank heater.. But I also have a light that comes on throughout the day.. I cant think of the name of it, but its always Red, it produces heat but has red light as well.. IS that good or should there not be that type of light? I have heard mixed things about them and never got a straight answer as to what is good light vs bad light...

THanks

[Elizabeth Freer]

Originally Posted by bpdfs

So I have an under the tank heater.. But I also have a light that comes on throughout the day.. I cant think of the name of it, but its always Red, it produces heat but has red light as well.. IS that good or should there not be that type of light? I have heard mixed things about them and never got a straight answer as to what is good light vs bad light...

THanks

An auxillary red bulb is fine for leopard geckos. (There are red bulbs and infrared bulbs.) Just be sure to monitor the ground temperatures under that bulb and over your UTH with the probe of a digital thermometer or a temperature gun to make sure they are not too warm.

What temperature range are you getting, warmest to coolest, in the tank?

[Bizzeemama]

Can I piggy back on this thread? Is that allowed? I'm a newbie and have a lighting question, too! I started using the standard lights that came with our terrarium kit - a purplish colored one at night on the right side of the 20 gallon tank over Buddy's "hide" rock and a regular one over what was his daytime heat rock. We would switch them on and off to make it day or night. I didn't think that was working well, so I switched things around.

Now I am keeping the night light (purplish one) on all the time and added an UTH on the same side of the tank. No daytime lighting at all - it's pretty bright in the room he's in and I know he's picking up on the natural daylight cues. What I'm not sure of is how hot is too hot and should I keep that hide at a consistent temp all the time? My UTH does not have a thermostat on it.

Am I making any sense? I just feel so uninformed!

[Yoshi'smom]

Bizzemama:
I don't think that lights are necessary for leopard geckos (except for infrared heat lights- if needed to help keep temperatures up). You say that the tank is in a well lit room and I think that's adequate enough. Your temps should be reaching:
92-95 on the floor above the UTH
85ish air temp on warm side of tank
75ish or room temp on the cool side of the tank
I would absolutely get a thermostat for the heat mat. They have been known to reach very high temps without a thermostat and burn Leos. Thermostats act like dimmer switches do on lights. They regulate how much power is going into the mat and help you to adjust the temps so they are ideal.

bpdfs:
What Elizabeth said.---> What are your current temps. Does your light help keep them at par?

[Bizzeemama]

Thanks Yoshi'smom for your response.

I don't know the exact temp on the floor of the hot side, but the thermometer that came with the set up reads around 100 (!) when I put it on the floor next to Buddy's box on that side. The air temp half way up the tank on that side is reading right around 80. The cool side is cooler to the feel. Buddy's currently on the cool side of the tank.

I obviously I don't have the temps right yet and I'm thinking the hot side floor is now too hot for him and that's why he's been in and out of his hot side hideaway all day today. I'm going to go get a temp controlled UTH - I don't want to over or under heat him. Do you think the combo of the purple heat bulb for the air temp and the UTH with a temp set to 90 should work?

[Yoshi'smom]

There's only one way to know: Try it and see what temps you get.
I use UTH's under all of my tanks and get perfect temps without lights. Mine are on Thermostats and are a constant 92-94 on the floor. I also would see if you can invest in a digital probe thermometer. They are much more accurate than the dial type ones.

[Elizabeth Freer]

Originally Posted by Bizzeemama

Can I piggy back on this thread? Is that allowed? I'm a newbie and have a lighting question, too! I started using the standard lights that came with our terrarium kit - a purplish colored one at night on the right side of the 20 gallon tank over Buddy's "hide" rock and a regular one over what was his daytime heat rock. We would switch them on and off to make it day or night. I didn't think that was working well, so I switched things around.

Now I am keeping the night light (purplish one) on all the time and added an UTH on the same side of the tank. No daytime lighting at all - it's pretty bright in the room he's in and I know he's picking up on the natural daylight cues. What I'm not sure of is how hot is too hot and should I keep that hide at a consistent temp all the time? My UTH does not have a thermostat on it.

Am I making any sense? I just feel so uninformed!

Here's info about leo stuff: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/commu...11-update.html

[Tokayy]

You really do not need an above light. If you have a heat pad underneath, that will generally give enough heat to the tank, that is if your room is at a reasonable temperature. An UTH only will generally keep temperatures at around 80F.

[Elizabeth Freer]

Originally Posted by Tokayy

You really do not need an above light. If you have a heat pad underneath, that will generally give enough heat to the tank, that is if your room is at a reasonable temperature. An UTH only will generally keep temperatures at around 80F.

What kind of gecko are you keeping? 80F is way too cool for a leo.

[Tokayy]

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Freer

What kind of gecko are you keeping? 80F is way too cool for a leo.

it's a patternless leopard gecko adult male. I use to house my
female under a purple light and the male under a 50 or 75 basking bulb. Current I have my two females with uth an a 100 watt basking bulb. The male gets a lot of heat and light from my other reptile tanks. It's been like this for a while and have not noticed any significant changes upon behaviour or health.