Heating Setup - Under + Lamp

[Santek]

I purchased my first Leopard Gecko two days ago. I set him up in a twenty gallon (long) tank. So far, I have been using a lamp with a 150W basking bulb during the day, which keeps the hot side at ~90F and the cold side at ~75F). At night, I use a 75W infrared light, which drops the temperature of the hot side to aboout 70F and the cold side to just under 70F.

I've been doing a bit more research, and have come across the topic of under tank heating, which I've seen referred to as UTH on these forums. Is it beneficial to have UTH for a Leopard Gecko?

If so.. how do I properly set that up? How does a heating pad work, if I may ask? Do I plug it in? How do I moniter it's temperature? Also, how much of the bottom of the tank should it cover, and on which side (hot or cold)?

Is it possible to just use UTH at night (no light) if the temperature is correct?

Lot's of questions, I know, but hey, I am a newbie I thank anyone in advance who can provide some information.


Mike

 

[Santek]

Just thought I would add something.. I went out and bought a UTH pad, as well as a more high tech thermometer with a probe (as opposed to the stick on I was using before). I put the thermometer in first, and placed the probe on the ground. The temperature reads 96F (on the hot side) with the probe on the ground, and 91F on the stick on thermometer at mid level on the glass wall of the tank. Does this mean that the ground temperature is 96F? If so, do I even need the heat pad? As I said, it's a 20 gallon long tank, and I'm using a 150W incandescent light bulb.

Thanks

 

[MauricesExoticPets]

This is a portion of the care sheet I did on leopard geckos that deals with temperature, I hope it helps;

Temperature Range and Seasonal Alterations
Leopard Geckos hail from Afghanistan, western India, Iran, and Pakistan where air temperatures range from extremely hot on summer days and very cold on winter nights. Seasonal temperature changes are not required and are fully optional in captivity. However a range of temperatures must be provided at all times so that your gecko can regulate its own temperature, a process called thermoregulation.

Ideal day time temperatures should range from 75°F to 90°F when no seasonal temperature alterations are planned. We feel it is best to provide three temperature zones, each zone being one third of the enclosure. We also feel a slight drop in temperature at night is best for the geckos. We do not drop the temperatures until two hours past our simulated sundown, this is to mimic their natural environment of rocky outcrops which retain some of the days heat and radiate it long after sunset.

Zone 1) 90°F day, 87°F night
Zone 2) 82°F day, 79°F night
Zone 3) 75°F day, 73°F night

We provide heat from below using Flex-watt heat tape, and regulate the temperature with Ranco ETC 111000 thermostats. We feel that this is the best method to provide proper temperatures. We reset the thermostats to the night temperatures at 11pm and return them to their day setting at 9am.

Maurice Pudlo