Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im getting my first leopard gecko on Saturday, I was planning on using a 60 or 75 watt red bulb 24 hours a day. Do the red bulbs get as warm as the day bulbs? I have a collared lizard and I use a purple bulb at night on him but it doesnt seem to get near as warm as the day bulbs do. Also what is the best size bulb to get for a 10 gallon tank?
Thanks

60 or 75 sounds too big for a 10 gallon. I would recommend a 40 watt red for that size. The red do get hotter than the purple night bulbs. Those purple ones really were designed for viewing light, not so much heat. I'm not sure they get as hot as the day bulbs, but it might be close.
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1.0 Hypo stripe, Het Rainwater from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino (Cloud)
1.0 SHCT hatched by me! (Sunny)
0.2 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko (Beatrice, Pepper)
0.1 Normal (Freckles)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko (Rainbow)
0.1 Tremper Albino (Leucy)
0.1 Jungle hatched by me! (Hazy)
RIP Peaches, Ghost, Bill
Hatched: ~30
Available:
1.0 aberrant m, 0.1 pastel F, 11 month male circleback tang

are you going to use this for its primary heat? if you are you should probably think about it. leopard geckos are differnt then lizards. they are nocturnal and dont actually bask in the sun. however i have never used heat lamps, the ground temp needs to be 89-92. sense i have not used heat lamps im not sure if the ground temp can make it with a lamp. you might think about a black light with a heat pad instead.

the color of the bulb won't affect the amount of heat it gives off...60 watts is 60 watts no matter what. The type of shroud it's in will affect the amount of heat though. If it's in a small shroud it will concentrate the heat more in one place rather than a larger shroud which will allow the heat to spread out. I use a 40 watt bulb in my 20 gallon long tank and it keeps the tank arount 90 degrees during the day and I have a 25 watt bulb that I use at night just for viewing purposes.....sometimes in the winter months i'll leave the 25 watt bulb on for a little extra heat at night but leo's will do fine in a 75 degree whether tank at night so unless your house gets real cold at night there's no real need for additional heating. Leos are a very hardy lizard and don't require much heat. I've noticed a lot of pet stores kep there geckos in 110 degree tanks and the majority of the time their geckos are in their hides doing nothing. I've had mine for a year or so and they seem very happy and don't spend a lot of time in their hides and are failry active for leo's.