Cool side is too hot. HELP!:/

Kiefer

New member
My leopard geckos tank temp air is 82°F on the warm side, but 80° on the cool. How can I cool it down? I can't use the A/C cause have a bird and it can't get really cold.
 

JIMI

New member
The best advice I have received is to purchase an ac unit controlled by a thermostat. Anyway you could move your gecko's tank to a different room? Someone has also suggested to place an ice pack on top of the screen lid, covered with a small styrofoam box to direct the cool air into the enclosure.
 

Kiefer

New member
Size uth is a medium zoo med one. Ordered the one from the be an farm last week, 11x11 in. I have a 20 gallon long tank, and I do use a bulb, 25 watt moonlight bulb.
 
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Completeleopard

New member
Thank you for your reply Kiefer!

When did you check the temps? When the bulb was on?

Also, what side of the tank is the bulb on? (Warm or cool side)

Trying to work out if the bulb is making it too warm!
 

Andi

New member
This is a concern of mine as well coming into the summer months. I have an AC and a Exhaust Fan but I'm concerned about the middle of the day when I'm at work. My Leo's are in the coolest room in my apartment, but anyone who's been in NYC during a heat wave knows that is no relief. I don't want to run the AC 24/7 but I don't want my girls too get too hot.

The ice in Styrofoam is an interesting idea, does it actually work?
 

JIMI

New member
The ice in Styrofoam is an interesting idea, does it actually work?

I have not tried it yet, but supposedly it does work well. It was suggested by a super moderator and you know those guys stand by what they say;-). You could test it out to see if it solves your problem. Never hurts to try!
 
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Andi

New member
I have not tried it yet, but supposedly it does work well. It was suggested by a super moderator and you know those guys stand by what they say;-). You could test it out to see if it solves your problem. Never hurts to try!

I'm going to give it a try. Right now the temps are fine, but I'm a bit concerned about what will happen when it goes up to 90-100 degrees outside.
 

JIMI

New member
I'm going to give it a try. Right now the temps are fine, but I'm a bit concerned about what will happen when it goes up to 90-100 degrees outside.

It's already reaching the upper 90s over here. The highest so far was 102 on Saturday. I think you will be fine especially if this method works for you. Currently the ambient temps on the warm side of my tank ranges from 83-85 degrees and the cool side temps range from 75-80 depending on when my AC is running. I don't really have any say in when we can turn on the AC. Right now I just use a regular 60 watt incandescent on a dimmer to provide a photoperiod. The bulb itself does not really emit any heat so the only form of heat that I am using right now is the heat from my UTH. My summers usually exceed 110 degrees so I am very worried! God forbid the AC goes out... sadly, my best bet would probably be to invest in a portable AC unit. I'm going to try out this method too though to see if it will help at all. My only concern is how often I will have to replace that ice pack due to how quickly it will melt.
 

Conched

New member
You don't have to use the overhead light if the air temps get in the 80's inside the enclosure.

The photoperiod is not that important.

Stay cool :)
 

Completeleopard

New member
Kiefer,

Does your tank get any light from a window?

Photo periods are important so that the Gecko knows when to sleep and when to be active and feed. If not your Gecko could become confused and stressed.
 

JIMI

New member
You don't have to use the overhead light if the air temps get in the 80's inside the enclosure.

The photoperiod is not that important.

Stay cool :)

It emits little to no heat because it's on the dimmer, but I'll try that out today and see how much it really does influence the temps!
 

Kiefer

New member
We put in our air conditioners today. Gonna monitor it with the temp probe I have so it doesn't get too cold.
 

Conched

New member
If it does not emit any heat than don't worry about it. Don't stress over the photoperiod either unless you are breeding or have some other reason to simulate a specific photoperiod.
 

JIMI

New member
The temps were the same throughout the day even without the light so I am going to keep the light on. I like establishing a photoperiod for my leo so that he can tell day from night especially since I feel that the light from my window is not sufficient. Thanks for the suggestion though.:)
 
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JIMI

New member
JIMI,

How is the ventilation in the cool side of your tank?

HORRIBLE! It's a 36"x18"x16" glass aquarium with a screen top. Because of the high walls the heat doesn't escape properly on the cool side and lingers. Can't really fix this due to the tempered glass. I will be building a new enclosure with ventilation high on the warm side and low on the cool side to fix this though. Still it doesn't help that my house is kept at around 78 degrees. Tough to keep a house cool when it's over 100 degrees outside.
 

Completeleopard

New member
JIMI,

some people who build their own enclosures that have trouble with temps install a computer fan into the viv connected to a thermostat!
 
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