10 gallon setup

[Teach Izzy]

I am newbie. I did a lot of research before getting Izzy but I was told that a heater under the tank was not a good idea because the 10 gallon tank is too small for having a heat gradient with the under tank heater. Is this wrong? I am currently using a ceramic bulb heater on one side during the day and a night bulb for night time.
Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[GeckoManiac91]

I am newbie. I did a lot of research before getting Izzy but I was told that a heater under the tank was not a good idea because the 10 gallon tank is too small for having a heat gradient with the under tank heater. Is this wrong? I am currently using a ceramic heater on one side during the day and a night bulb for night time.
Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Welcome to GU

A 10gallon is not large enough by any means. How can you possibly fit the three minimum hides in that size enclosure or get a good, proper heat gradient?

You do need a heat mat covering 1/3 of the tank, this has to be connected to a thermostat as well to prevent over heating.

Temperatures should be as follows... (All temperatures should be measured with a good quality digital thermometer. One with a probe should be used to measure surface temperature)
Warm side surface temp: 88-95
Warm side air temp (4inches above substrate): 80-85
Cool side air temp (4inches above substrate): 70-75

 

[Teach Izzy]

Perhaps one of the many people who have housed their geckos in a 10 gallon could help out I've read several posts about people moving up to a larger tank once their gecko has grown a bit....

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Perhaps one of the many people who have housed their geckos in a 10 gallon could help out I've read several posts about people moving up to a larger tank once their gecko has grown a bit....

Leopard geckos really need a thermal gradient from warm to cool within the ranges recommended above. This is in addition to a warm moist hide, a warm dry hide, and a cool hide. A leo needs floor space for exercise.

A minimum 20 gallon LONG tank: 30 x 12 x 12 inches is recommended in order to establish a proper thermal gradient.

Please share a picture of Izzy. What is her total length? Actually a tank 4x the total length of a mature leo is strongly recommended. An average length of a normal mature leo is about 9 inches.

 

[Teach Izzy]

She's still very small only about 3.5 inches including her tail. I by no means intend to make the 10 gallon her forever home. I know that she will be growing quite a bit more. As with any pet I assumed that her housing would grow as she did. I have had her for a week and she seems to be doing very well, she eats and has regular bowel movements. she is active in the evenings when I take her out for some handling. She also seems to prefer to be in the hide that is not in the direct heat almost all the time. I have rarely found her under the light be it the day or night.

 

[GeckoManiac91]

She's still very small only about 3.5 inches including her tail.

It's about a proper temperatures gradient. Very hard to achieve in a 10gallon tank.
30x12x12 is the bare minimum! I'm sure you want to give your new pet nothing but a long, healthy, happy life?

 

[Muffins94]

Perhaps one of the many people who have housed their geckos in a 10 gallon could help out I've read several posts about people moving up to a larger tank once their gecko has grown a bit....

Welcome.
When I first got my gecko I had her in a 10 gallon. It was rather impossible to achieve proper temperatures, even after months and months of trying different ways. My only choice was to upgrade so I could achieve the right thermal gradient. It's also very hard to fit all the hides in there and give enough room. While she is small, in order for her to grow properly she will need the proper temperatures. Anyway you could take back the 10 gallon?

 

[Teach Izzy]

Thank you Muffins! You were very helpful without being condescending, not so true obviously with the other posts. Unfortunately I cannot return the tank I have but I will be purchasing a 20 gallon this weekend for little Izzy girl.

 

[Muffins94]

Good! Make sure you purchase a 20 gallon long not just your average 20 gallon tank. The length should be 30" long+, that will help you achieve the proper gradient.

 

[GeckoManiac91]

Thank you Muffins! You were very helpful without being condescending, not so true obviously with the other posts. Unfortunately I cannot return the tank I have but I will be purchasing a 20 gallon this weekend for little Izzy girl.

I apologize if you found my post condescending By no means do I ever intend for my posts to ever come off in such a manner. I can say the same for Elizabeth. Again, my apologizes. Only trying to help

Good to hear about the new 20gallon setup coming this weekend :yahoo:

I will attempt in the future to word things a bit better perhaps so as to avoid any confusion in tone and the way others perceive my posts

 

[matt0101]

she is active in the evenings when I take her out for some handling.

lucky! my gecko, from the sounds of things, is older than yours and he is still terrified of me. he resists handling quite a bit. sometimes i wonder if my gecko was traumatized as a hatchling somehow. :shock:

 

[Teach Izzy]

Oh she loves to be held! I have only had her a week and today I put my hand in to get her water bowl to refresh it and she jumped on my hand and would not get off!

 

[Teach Izzy]

Can you tell me a little about the tiles? Use, purchasing... Etc....
Thanks
I have reptile carpet but hate it. I'm actually changing to paper towels until I get the new tank this weekend, I can't stand to see Izzy get stuck one more time when catching her crickets

 

[GeckoManiac91]

Can you tell me a little about the tiles? Use, purchasing... Etc....
Thanks
I have reptile carpet but hate it. I'm actually changing to paper towels until I get the new tank this weekend, I can't stand to see Izzy get stuck one more time when catching her crickets

You can purchase them at your local Home Depot, Lowes or any Home Improvement store for that matter. They are cheap and are a great alternative to carpet You can buy them in 6x6, 12x12 and I've even found them in 12x24 which fit nicely into a 20gallon long enclosure leaving a 6x12 area of Reptile Carpet unless you can find 6x6 or better yet 6x12. Sadly I couldn't find either of these sizes

Some stores will even custom cut tiles for you which is nice

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Can you tell me a little about the tiles? Use, purchasing... Etc....
Thanks
I have reptile carpet but hate it. I'm actually changing to paper towels until I get the new tank this weekend, I can't stand to see Izzy get stuck one more time when catching her crickets

Porcelain, ceramic, or slate tiles can be found at stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. Some stores will customize the tiles for free. I've even heard of someone getting a larger dimension than 12 x 12s.

Some folks like to apply a food grade sealant to slate tiles to prevent absorption from the urine and the feces. Another method is to have an extra tile to switch out in the poop spot when the soiled tile is been sanitized. Don't get the tiles too thick. 3/8" to 1/4" seems to work with your UTH on the underside of a glass tank.

Two different brands of the food grade sealant (at least available from my Home Depot) are linked in the Leo Caresheet in my signature.

Good idea to get textured tiles, not glossy ones.

 

[Teach Izzy]

We actually just had our kitchen tiled with the new alterna tile which are similar to lanoliun flooring but thicker and more durable, would those work?
But in essence it is just a matter of just putting the tile on the bottom of the tank? No special needs?

 

[matt0101]

We actually just had our kitchen tiled with the new alterna tile which are similar to lanoliun flooring but thicker and more durable, would those work?
But in essence it is just a matter of just putting the tile on the bottom of the tank? No special needs?

put a layer of paper towel between the glass and the tile.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

We actually just had our kitchen tiled with the new alterna tile which are similar to lanoliun flooring but thicker and more durable, would those work?
But in essence it is just a matter of just putting the tile on the bottom of the tank? No special needs?

Do the Alterna "tiles" have an adhesive backing? If so, not good cuz they'd be heated up by the under tank heat mat. Are they pliable like vinyl flooring or rigid like ceramic tiles. The tiles I mention are excellent heat conductors and are really cheap. Those tiles will be permanent!

Keep the tiles loose.

 

[cricket4u]

Hi,

I just wanted to mention that chances are she is very uncomfortable with her temperatures, therefore she is desperate to escape the tank according to everything you have stated below. What type of thermometers are you using to read the temperatures? Sorry if I missed it.

She also seems to prefer to be in the hide that is not in the direct heat almost all the time.

using a ceramic bulb heater- 10 gallon

Oh she loves to be held! I have only had her a week and today I put my hand in to get her water bowl to refresh it and she jumped on my hand and would not get off!

 

[Teach Izzy]

Good point on the conductor! The alterna tiles are more insulated. They are actually just like real tiles! Just have more insulation for houses like ours with a crawl space so the cold doesn't leak in as much. I think I'll be stopping by home depot as well as the pet shop Friday evening. As for the open 6 inches or so that won't be covered by the tiles due to the sizing would paper towels be ok, I really don't want to use the reptile carpet anymore. I'm really afraid of her hurting herself when she snags her teeth on the carpet and it happens a lot.