75 gallon tank setup. setup & temps? also... regenerated tail - weight & food items?

[tr.73]

75 gallon tank setup. setup & temps? also... regenerated tail - weight & food items?

I am new to this and have been on here for 6 hours trying to find stuff... so lost and confused now...lol

I have a 75 gallon tank with 2 LG's in it, lots of hides, shelf liner as the bottom (NO SAND, JUST LOOKS LIKE SAND). Heat lamp with NO UTH. I am not sure where the sensors for temp and humidity should go?
I also check random places all over the tank with the EXO TERRA digital one but not even sure if I am using that correctly?
The top of their hides from what the digital says.. is anywhere from 85*F to 101*F... (LIKE I SAID...NOT SURE IF I AM USING IT CORRECTLY)
Inside their hides on the warm side I have plantation soil and the temp goes from 78-85 again not sure if this thing is correct. (I tried different things for their moist hide such as wet paper towel and forest moss, but they would not even enter it, they like the soil.)

AND 9 OUT OF 10 TIMES YOU WILL FIND THEM CURLED UP TOGETHER... (and yes, I watch them closely for any signs of stress or marks)

In the pics I will try to post with this... the gray tape is where the sensors are being held in place cuz they would not stick. (the one on the back of tank is for humidity).
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Also, My Female has a regenerated tail (bought her that way) she is about 7-8months, 7"long and 46g, how do you tell if she is overweight with the whole tail thing being regenerated?
If she is, the best feeders for her?
My Male is about 6 months, just under 7" but smaller than her. 2 weeks ago he was 25g but now he weighs in at 32g. I try to feed him more high protein/fat than her at the moment. But if he is at a good weight now than I can go back to both getting the same things. He is shy and only comes out of hide if there is a good worm dangled in front of the hide (OR if I drop a tiny horn worm in then they both come running!!) Some opinions on his size and best feeders for him would be great.
AND BEFORE YOU SAY CRICKETS ARE THE BEST FOR THEM....
I have crickets for my FBT that are gut loaded and have tried to feed them to both my LG. I end up having to remove them the next day. They have not ate a single cricket in the 3 weeks I have owned them.... picky eaters.
Currently getting a mix of mostly king worms, tried some tiny horn worms, 1-2 wax worms, 1-4 butter worms, and I tried medium phoenix worms(not liked much). They eat until full then they walk away. usually takes about 10 minutes to feed them, also leave king worms in a bowl. (until last night they never touched the bowl, female ate 1 though for first time).
ANY SUGGESTION ON A GOOD NUMBER OF EACH TO FEED PER LEO, WOULD REALLY HELP. As well as how often? (currently fed daily).

also... random question?... can you use a (155 gallon tank 60" x 24" x 24") for 2 leo's? too big?

I just want the best for these cute little guys.
Any suggestions on any of it, would be great.
THANKS IN ADVANCE!

 

[kholtme]

You need to have a uth! it is very important because leos get heat from their bellies to help aid in the proper digestion. You want the uth to be 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the bottom of the enclosure. Then you will want to get a thermostat to regulate the heat mat. the probe should be placed inside the warm dry hide. Temps need to remain between 88-92 on the warm dry side to help aid digestion, prevent burns, and prevent stress. Unless you are breeding it is not a good idea to keep a male and a female together. The male will keep trying to mate with the female and it will stress her out. I recommended you get a different tank for one of your leos, but you can house two females together you just need to be careful.

I hope your plantation soil does not contain any fertilizers. I would get rid of the soil and try eco earth. Its like soil but meant for animals.

No tank is too large as long as you have a heat mat that keeps the proper temps on 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the tank.

For feeding i would try dubia roaches. My gecko loves them.

 

[tr.73]

I did months of research before I got these two.
Everyone has different opinions... here is why I went with what I did.
The liner on the floor heats up fast and stays warm. I worried that an UTH would make it too hot.

Temps need to remain between 88-92 on the warm dry side to help aid digestion, prevent burns, and prevent stress.... Already knew this also.. but not sure where prob sensors should go (the temp on hot side air is colder than floor as well as colder than 1-2 inches over)

Unless you are breeding it is not a good idea to keep a male and a female together. The male will keep trying to mate with the female and it will stress her out. I recommended you get a different tank for one of your leos, but you can house two females together you just need to be careful.... Also already know this too, but since the male is a lot smaller I was told that it should be fine for now. As for BREEDING?.. not sure yet. BUT I DO WATCH CAREFULLY FOR NOW.

The plantation soil is petstore bought and yes it is pet friendly. Have used it for 2 years with my FBT. so good on that...lol

the 155 gallon has plywood under glass. I cant remove that so it would have to have a heat lamp also.

AS FOR dubia roaches? I live in Canada... illegal!!! and besides that? my 3 phobias in my life are heights, ants and roaches...lol

 

[tr.73]

Can anyone explain to me how to use this exo terra digital infrared thermometer correctly? do I use the red beam? how far from surface? where to point in general?

I need an accurate reading in all areas of my tank to make sure it is all good. I am not sure if any of the in tank thermometers are correct or where those should even be placed, cuz they do not match what this thing says.

 

[MikeD]

The red laser on the thermometer is only for reference. It shows you where you're measuring the temp.

Hold it a couple of inches above the surface. Inside the warm hide is the most important place to measure.

I don't own that thermometer so I can't speak to it's accuracy but they're generally accurate to within a couple of degrees. If you're getting wildly different readings with it as compared to other thermometers then there may be something wrong with it.

I agree with kholtme (as per usual), you really should get an UTH. An UTH and a thermostat to regulate it will not make it too hot. It will keep it at the correct temperature and allow your Leos to get their necessary belly heat.

In the wild Leos absorb heat from rocks heated by the sun, but your Leos are not in the wild. They're in a vivarium in a house. I'm not saying your method can't or won't work, I am saying that UTH WILL work and is the best way for your Leos to get the heat they need.

Elizabeth Freer has put together a Leopard Gecko Caresheet. I have done a ton of research on Leopard Geckos since we got ours and Elizabeth's caresheet is, by far, the best, most complete resource I have found. It has been an invaluable source of knowledge for me.

 

[tr.73]

Thanks for your reply. I guess my guys dont get a bigger tank after all...lol. Even though my floor temp with this thing reads really warm I am picking up the UTH soon, put finding the thermostat could be fun.

 

[tr.73]

wow... I just read that care sheet. I found it very long winded, drawn out, and repetitive. That thing is soo soo confusing, but I got the idea of it. All of that care sheet is what I had found online elsewhere and was trying to follow (except for the UTH part).
As for feeding, I am totally clueless on the whole ratio thing and have just been giving a variety of different worms per feeding with occasional treats. Since there is no example of how many of what worm to feed, I have been trying to get them to eat more of the healthier ones first.
As for male and female in the same cage?... little late now. I was told it would be fine thats why they were bought at the same time. Not sure how to solve this yet... but will work on it in the next month or so.

 

[tr.73]

We finally got the freshwater fish moved to the 150 gallon tank on the weekend and last night I finally got the new tank setup and the female Leo now has a new home in the new tank. The male has the tank with the UTH and Thermostat as well as over head CHE. Female has a CHE, and as soon as I go to Calgary again I will buy another UTH for her as well. But I am gonna try and find a digital Thermostat (have not seen them at all in any pet stores) as the one I bought for the other tank is not digital and is hard to tell what it is set at.

This whole time I was worried about his eating next to nothing....lol. I thought it was the female whole was eating in the middle of the night because I had seen her eat from the bowl a couple of times. I also thought he was not eating at all?... well I put 15 worms in both tanks last night as I always leave a lot overnight...
Females Tank= a few gone by 4 am.. Males Tank= almost all gone by 4 am...
CONCLUSION= I guess I can stop stressing out now...lol
So glad they are separated it makes it easier to feed them if I am in a real hurry.

 

[lbanta]

You can order thermostats online . I got mine from the Bean Farm for around $ 30.00.

 

[tr.73]

wow... 40-50.00 for delivery... gonna have to look around a bit first. as I now need 2 of these things.

 

[kholtme]

I ordered my hydrofarm from ebay for $35