Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After receiving no real answers from the forum, I added the following additional heating to my leos tank. first, the original heat source is a Cobra UTH 10-20 gal size with my geckos in a 20-long tank. Normal 3-season temps are perfect with the warm end at 88-90 days and around 75 nights - with the UTH on days and off at night. This winter, temps have lowered approx 10-12 degrees. First, I tried using the UTH 24/7, but felt that the daytime temp is too low. Temperature is approx 76-80 with the UTH only. I added a porcelain 5.5" clip lamp with an ESU 50watt red heat bulb on a timer for daytime use only. This bulb is not a spot or reflector type bulb - has a shape of a standard incandescent bulb. It is a true infra-red bulb with the rere-red earth coating. This bulb does not give off much heat - just a gentle subtle warmth. It adds about 5-8 degrees to the warm end takes the chill out of the air in the enclosure overall. The geckos seem to like this added warmth. and are more active. I will try a higher wattage heat bulb if it gets colder and report my results. Conclusion...this is a lower heat output than I desired, but may actually be ideal with the UTH. I will use this heat lamp only days with the UTH on 24/7. Sorry for the long post - hope this helps others in heating their geckos enclosure! Happy Leos.. RR

I did answer almost all your questions on your post below. Except the brand of CHE I use, check it out.
RandyS
R&B Geckos

Randy - Actually, I did see your reply and I stand corrected as to your responses. I did use the information you gave me and made a minor change in going with the red heat bulb instead of a ceramic heat emitter (still may do that later). I also appreciate your help very much. I was referring to the unusual lack of useful replies that give specifics on sizes, wattages, etc of more conventional lighting/heating bulbs. I know that there has got to be a lot of others out there who use red or black heat lamps (or other heat sources). Unfortunate that they are unwilling or uninterested in sharing their knowledge. Personally, I am willing to and do give suggestions whenever I can be of help to those with less experience than I. If a few minutes of one's time can help make the iives of pet leos safer and more comfortable, that's a small contribution we can make. I hope to be able to help other leo owners make the right choices and avoid buying the wrong items in caring for their geckos. No sense in spending good money on useless or poor performing items. I did give the specifics on my heating set-up with the intent to help others determine what may work on their enclosures. By the way, the 50 watt ESU red heat bulb with the 10-20 Cobra UTH gets the warm side to a constant 90 degrees without the need for a rheostat.
Happy Leos! Rob R.

Is there anything wrong with leaving a 50-watt ESU infrared bulb on 24/7 (with a thermostat)? You said in your post that you only leave the lamp on days, but the UTH is on 24/7. One of my geckos is in a temporary setup right now with a Zoo-Med UTH and a 50-watt infrared bulb. My house is an old farmhouse type so it stays cool at night. I've been leaving the lamp and UTH on 24/7 to keep temps in the cage warm. Any problems with that? I should be able to get another tank and better UTH (Cobra or Exo-Terra) this week...

tc_legacy

I see no reason that a red heat lamp could not stay on 24/7 if the temp does not get too hot for the leos. The reason that I use the heat lamp days only is that the UTH goes to a comfy 75-78 at night for the gex. With the heat lamp, it goes to 90 days. I wanted the enclosure to cool during the night to immitate a more natural temperature change over a 24 hour period. The ESU bulb that I have is very low in terms of the heat given off - very subtle heat - not like a spot lamp at all. It looks to be very safe and looks not to be the type of concentrated bulb that could burn the leos. An additional note is that I cannot see any light from it at all in the enclosure, even with all other lights off. There is only a soft glow at the filament to let you know that it is on. You may want to try the heat bulb days only if your UTH gives off enough heat at night. Good luck & happy leos! ... Rob R.