gecko attack!
New member
im getting a leopard gecko this weekend at a reptile show and have a quick question, will my gecko be fineliving in a 20 gallon high tank
leo in 20g high?
- Thread starter gecko attack!
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Allee Toler
Member
Yes.
Sinosauropteryx
New member
Ground space.
It depends on the floor space. 20 gallon high tanks are oriented toward providing more vertical surface area than horizontal surface area. The 20 gallon high tank you have might register as a 20 gallon but might only have as much ground space as a 10 or 15 gallon.
If you want an ordinary 20 gallon tank's worth of floor space, your tank should have 24 x 12 inches or 18 x 18 inches worth of ground space, or somewhere between that. As long as your leopard gecko can't climb out of the tank, the height of the tank should be ignored. Leopard geckos aren't vertical climbers like Tokay and house geckos are, and if you are using a heat bulb, lower may even be better.
Measure the length and width of your tank and get back to us, then we can more easily determine whether it is a good tank for your gecko.
It depends on the floor space. 20 gallon high tanks are oriented toward providing more vertical surface area than horizontal surface area. The 20 gallon high tank you have might register as a 20 gallon but might only have as much ground space as a 10 or 15 gallon.
If you want an ordinary 20 gallon tank's worth of floor space, your tank should have 24 x 12 inches or 18 x 18 inches worth of ground space, or somewhere between that. As long as your leopard gecko can't climb out of the tank, the height of the tank should be ignored. Leopard geckos aren't vertical climbers like Tokay and house geckos are, and if you are using a heat bulb, lower may even be better.
Measure the length and width of your tank and get back to us, then we can more easily determine whether it is a good tank for your gecko.
IslaReina
New member
I think the answer to your question is yes. But what Sinosauropteryx and Gizmo are saying is that a 20 gallon long is better and a 20-gallon high might only be the equivalent of a ten gallon tank except more difficult for you to reach down to care for your gecko. If you already own a 20 gallon high, which is what it sounds like, yes that's fine 
Sinosauropteryx
New member
20 gallon...high?
Wasn't there someone on this board a while back who got blasted - even by one of the very people who replied to this thread - for using a 10 or 15 gallon tank for his leopard gecko? What makes using a 20 gallon high tank, which may only have as much ground space as a 10 or 15 gallon normal tank, OK to use, but a 10 or 15 gallon normal tank, which may have had just as much ground space as this same 20 gallon long tank, not OK to use? If we were to lower only the height of this tank so that it became a 10 or 15 gallon normal tank, would it still be OK to use? And would it justify telling off people for using 10 or 15 gallon tanks in the past?
Just something for the rest of us to think about before we continue.
@ gecko attack: Why don't you post what available ground space your tank is so that we can give you a more accurate answer? Forget about the height, just give us the length and width.
Wasn't there someone on this board a while back who got blasted - even by one of the very people who replied to this thread - for using a 10 or 15 gallon tank for his leopard gecko? What makes using a 20 gallon high tank, which may only have as much ground space as a 10 or 15 gallon normal tank, OK to use, but a 10 or 15 gallon normal tank, which may have had just as much ground space as this same 20 gallon long tank, not OK to use? If we were to lower only the height of this tank so that it became a 10 or 15 gallon normal tank, would it still be OK to use? And would it justify telling off people for using 10 or 15 gallon tanks in the past?
Just something for the rest of us to think about before we continue.
@ gecko attack: Why don't you post what available ground space your tank is so that we can give you a more accurate answer? Forget about the height, just give us the length and width.
Allee Toler
Member
A 20 gallon high is fine. I have a 20 gallon high in my bedroom. I have it set up to where there's extra space above the floor with tiles resting on PVC to create a second level.
I'd love to see this thread where I "blasted" someone for using a 20 high. I've never "blasted" someone for using a 10gallon. I've always said a 10gallon is the minimum, a 20 long is ideal. The OP in this thread asked a very basic question: Will the gecko be fine in a 20 gallon high.
Link me to this thread you're assuming I told someone off in. I'd love to read it.
I'd love to see this thread where I "blasted" someone for using a 20 high. I've never "blasted" someone for using a 10gallon. I've always said a 10gallon is the minimum, a 20 long is ideal. The OP in this thread asked a very basic question: Will the gecko be fine in a 20 gallon high.
Link me to this thread you're assuming I told someone off in. I'd love to read it.
Sinosauropteryx
New member
The equivalent of 20 gallons
A 12x12x33 inch tank could also qualify as a 20 gallon tank, but a leopard gecko would only have a single square foot of space in there. Or you could make it even higher than that, taking even more off of the ground space available to your leopard gecko, and it could still qualify as a 20 gallon tank.
Here is a tool that allows you to convert the measurements of your tank into gallon size: RepticZone.com - Find Cage and Tank Sizes by Dimensions measuring into gallons and liters for fish tanks and reptile tanks.
It is a very useful tool that I recommend using for anyone who is looking for a tank for their leopard gecko. There is also a mathematical formula but I forget what it is.
In any case, as you can see, it would be very useful for gecko attack to provide measurements for the length and width of the tank in order for us to determine whether his gecko could really do well in it or not.
New to leos (sorta) and need pre-buying help.
Clink and Melonhelmet did most of the damage but you played a part in it too.
Read the whole thread if you want to. I believe there was also an issue with catching wild insects and feeding leopard geckos only twice a week, something my leopard gecko Jubjub is perfectly fine with.
Yeah, but the extra space comes from a second layer that the person needs to put in manually somehow. If the person didn't want to do that, they would still be left with a 10 or 15 gallon's worth of floor space. Yes, a leopard gecko could live in it, but with all the the talk about a 20 gallon tank being preferred, it seems rather rediculous to say that you would be perfectly OK with a 20 gallon high just because it has "20 gallons" in it.
A 12x12x33 inch tank could also qualify as a 20 gallon tank, but a leopard gecko would only have a single square foot of space in there. Or you could make it even higher than that, taking even more off of the ground space available to your leopard gecko, and it could still qualify as a 20 gallon tank.
Here is a tool that allows you to convert the measurements of your tank into gallon size: RepticZone.com - Find Cage and Tank Sizes by Dimensions measuring into gallons and liters for fish tanks and reptile tanks.
It is a very useful tool that I recommend using for anyone who is looking for a tank for their leopard gecko. There is also a mathematical formula but I forget what it is.
In any case, as you can see, it would be very useful for gecko attack to provide measurements for the length and width of the tank in order for us to determine whether his gecko could really do well in it or not.
Well, since you have decided to acknowledge it, here is the thread I speak of:
New to leos (sorta) and need pre-buying help.
Clink and Melonhelmet did most of the damage but you played a part in it too.
Read the whole thread if you want to. I believe there was also an issue with catching wild insects and feeding leopard geckos only twice a week, something my leopard gecko Jubjub is perfectly fine with.
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IslaReina
New member
Those quotes are out of context. As far as the second one goes, the op was dead set on feeding their Leo wild grubs and keeping it on large woodchips even though people advised otherwise. They even went as far as to say that they have a dog and a beta fish and they haven't died so why wouldn't she be able to keep a Leo? I almost pulled my hair out reading the first two pages. Allee never bashed her for the ten gallon.
Let's help the op and leave other arguments out please.
Let's help the op and leave other arguments out please.
Sinosauropteryx
New member
Relevence
That quote was perfectly in context. What is being posted about here is keeping a leopard gecko in an adequate amount of ground space, which was (partly) what the quote was about. Saying "15 gallon" instantly seems to translate to "not enough" or "not ideal" while saying "20 gallon" does, despite what the actual ground space is.
This is rather stupid if you think about it because there are some 15 gallon tanks that are just as good as any ordinary 20 gallon tank would be, yet they may be overlooked if you are dead-set on only 20 gallons for overall size. This relates to the OP because if we are using 24x12 inches for ground space as an ideal, then some 20 gallon tall tanks don't qualify.
I found pointing out the contrast between this thread and the other, based solely on how many gallons a tank has, to be useful in determining just how irrelevant size by the amount of gallons a tank can hold really is.
I also believe that my request for exact measurements of the tank's length and width will be very useful to the OP in making a better decision and to us for providing better advice. So I think I will leave my posts just where they are, thank you.
That quote was perfectly in context. What is being posted about here is keeping a leopard gecko in an adequate amount of ground space, which was (partly) what the quote was about. Saying "15 gallon" instantly seems to translate to "not enough" or "not ideal" while saying "20 gallon" does, despite what the actual ground space is.
This is rather stupid if you think about it because there are some 15 gallon tanks that are just as good as any ordinary 20 gallon tank would be, yet they may be overlooked if you are dead-set on only 20 gallons for overall size. This relates to the OP because if we are using 24x12 inches for ground space as an ideal, then some 20 gallon tall tanks don't qualify.
I found pointing out the contrast between this thread and the other, based solely on how many gallons a tank has, to be useful in determining just how irrelevant size by the amount of gallons a tank can hold really is.
I also believe that my request for exact measurements of the tank's length and width will be very useful to the OP in making a better decision and to us for providing better advice. So I think I will leave my posts just where they are, thank you.
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Allee Toler
Member
Thank you for reading into the context. The second post was referring to that OP not taking any advice from anyone offering it. He wasn't willing to make any changes to take care of his animal. First quote was about my gecko GiGi who used a Repti-Hammock after Dustin stated that a leo wouldn't use it. My mention of a 20 long was about my person tank set up, not talking about tank sizes. Not once have I ever bashed someone for using a tank smaller than a 20 long. Sinosauropteryx said I did. It's not there.
To anyone else upset with the quoted text, please read the thread IN CONTEXT. It was not about floor space whatsoever.
Sinosauropteryx, if you have a personal issue with me feel free to PM me where I will choose to, if even, read and reply.
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Ozymandias
New member
may i point out that a 20 high has more floor space then a 10 gallon tank. a standard 10 gallon is 20"x10"x12" a 20 high has the same foot print of a 15 gallon, 24"x12"x12" the 20 high is just 4 inches taller and i would consider it perfectly fin for one leopard geckos even with out modification.
that being said bigger is better and i think that 15 gallon 24"x12" foot print is actually a good minimum for leos.
Sinosauropteryx i think your wrong to say those things about Allee if any thing Allee's comment is in favor of a 10 gallon tank in that post. i read into most of that post and to be honest most people where yelling at that person for wanting to feed stuff from out side and not really take proper care of there gecko.
that being said bigger is better and i think that 15 gallon 24"x12" foot print is actually a good minimum for leos.
Sinosauropteryx i think your wrong to say those things about Allee if any thing Allee's comment is in favor of a 10 gallon tank in that post. i read into most of that post and to be honest most people where yelling at that person for wanting to feed stuff from out side and not really take proper care of there gecko.
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Sinosauropteryx
New member
Contradictions
That said, I see nothing wrong at all with using less than 18x18 or 24x12 square inches of ground space. I just find it silly that someone who is new to the forum and who asks whether they can use a 10 or 15 gallon normal tank for their leopard gecko will probably be told to get a 20 gallon instead, or at the very least consider the 10 or 15 gallon tank a temporary solution, while someone who has a 20 gallon tall tank can get by without a single word against it. I don't think you have thought very carefully about what "20 gallons" can mean. A tank can be very tall and have hardly any ground space at all, yet it would probably be overlooked as long as the person only mentioned "20 gallons."
I never typed that you were solely responsible for the bashing that went on in that thread, but as that quote I posted indicates, you did contribute in a small way. You told berry that he had improper housing and you didn't disagree at all with what the other members were telling him. I am not going to criticize you all that much for recommending a tank that may have less than 24x12 inches of ground space, but it is smply too ironic and too erroneous to be perfectly fine with a "20 gallon" label but not a "10 gallon" or "15 gallon" label when you don't even know what the measurements are. I think we should be more concerned with a tank's "foot print," as Ozymandias put it, rather than its size in gallons. Unless we do, too much can be overlooked.
What I am requesting here is a measurement of the tank's length and width. If we have that and we (see: you) are still satisfied that it is big enough, then we can tell whoever wants to use it that they can use it. Bringing back that older post was just to illustrate how important measuring ground space can be and how decieving gallon size can be.
Oh, and I have a good idea how much of my time would be wasted by sending you a PM so don't bother waiting for one..
Second, the reason why I brought that quote up was to show how those same people are contradicting what they said there with the advice they are giving elsewhere. It is just so much more ironic when they make a big deal out of it, so I couldn't resist.
He shouldn't have had to. Many of the things he was doing were perfectly acceptable. If you saw nothing wrong with it, why did you not post a disagreement with Clink or Dustin?
That said, I see nothing wrong at all with using less than 18x18 or 24x12 square inches of ground space. I just find it silly that someone who is new to the forum and who asks whether they can use a 10 or 15 gallon normal tank for their leopard gecko will probably be told to get a 20 gallon instead, or at the very least consider the 10 or 15 gallon tank a temporary solution, while someone who has a 20 gallon tall tank can get by without a single word against it. I don't think you have thought very carefully about what "20 gallons" can mean. A tank can be very tall and have hardly any ground space at all, yet it would probably be overlooked as long as the person only mentioned "20 gallons."
I never typed that you were solely responsible for the bashing that went on in that thread, but as that quote I posted indicates, you did contribute in a small way. You told berry that he had improper housing and you didn't disagree at all with what the other members were telling him. I am not going to criticize you all that much for recommending a tank that may have less than 24x12 inches of ground space, but it is smply too ironic and too erroneous to be perfectly fine with a "20 gallon" label but not a "10 gallon" or "15 gallon" label when you don't even know what the measurements are. I think we should be more concerned with a tank's "foot print," as Ozymandias put it, rather than its size in gallons. Unless we do, too much can be overlooked.
What I am requesting here is a measurement of the tank's length and width. If we have that and we (see: you) are still satisfied that it is big enough, then we can tell whoever wants to use it that they can use it. Bringing back that older post was just to illustrate how important measuring ground space can be and how decieving gallon size can be.
Fixed. Thanks for clearing that up.
Read my earlier posts. It may be only one post (I underlined the important bit) but it is there.
No personal issues, just pointing out some ironies, contraditions, and incomplete information. Nothing personal.
Oh, and I have a good idea how much of my time would be wasted by sending you a PM so don't bother waiting for one..
First of all, I am not against using a 10 or 15 gallon aquarium. And I never typed anywhere that I was. I am against a tank preference that is biased solely by gallon size, and I am pointing out that I think it is stupid to use only gallon size to determine how good a tank is.
Second, the reason why I brought that quote up was to show how those same people are contradicting what they said there with the advice they are giving elsewhere. It is just so much more ironic when they make a big deal out of it, so I couldn't resist.
Allee Toler
Member
You do realize that post is from 2009? When I was 18? When I had TWO geckos. When I kept geckos for a mere 2 years. Am I not allowed to GROW? To be EDUCATED? Does every single person have the same exact views they had at 18 that they do at say... 35? I know damn well I could go back and edit a shitload of my posts back then to make them more friendly with sound information. I was EIGHT-TEEN. I'd like to see my recent advice I've given to people who suggest feeding bugs caught outside. I know there was one recently. Did I act in the same manner? Or did I act with a grown sense of maturity and provide accurate information? Oh BTW everyone, I'm only 20.
How is my post from two years ago have any relevance into this thread? You probably didn't consider the age of the post and MY age when it was posted, or even compare the post style back then to what I post now.
I'm done replying to this thread. Good luck to the OP. Oh and OP, remember if you post something now make sure you still stand by it 100% in two years.
How is my post from two years ago have any relevance into this thread? You probably didn't consider the age of the post and MY age when it was posted, or even compare the post style back then to what I post now.
I'm done replying to this thread. Good luck to the OP. Oh and OP, remember if you post something now make sure you still stand by it 100% in two years.
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
Let me settle this in a quick concise manner...
For a single leo, a 10 gallon will work, a 20 gallon will work, and a 20 high will work. The more floor space the better. But all of the above will suffice. Now all of you please STFU and move along to more important issues. The argument is not worth the effort and you're all turning this into a personal thing. Thanks.
For a single leo, a 10 gallon will work, a 20 gallon will work, and a 20 high will work. The more floor space the better. But all of the above will suffice. Now all of you please STFU and move along to more important issues. The argument is not worth the effort and you're all turning this into a personal thing. Thanks.
MellowMan24
New member
i am using a 20 high right now and i did what Allee is doing second floor and my male loves it.
heres a pic
while i was cleaning it so its a bit dirty
heres a pic
while i was cleaning it so its a bit dirty