Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, need to know if my tank is too hot.

I have my sav monitor in a 55 gal glass tank, i have vita light that is on 12hrs off 12hrs and 1 150 watt heat light thats on 24/7. Her tank temp in the center reads 80-85 degree and i had a lg thats fits accross for her to bask on under the heat and that reads 100-110 degrees. Question, is that basking area too hot and should i go to a 100 watt heat light and bring down that temp on that spot??

A 55 gal tank wont last a sav for very long. That temp is a little low compared to what everyone suggests. Most people seem to sport a 130-140 basking spot, with a gradient to 70-80. A 55 gal tank is way too small to establish that though. with a spot that hot in the tank, the ambient will be way to high. Your gradient is good, for now, but you will have to get a bigger enclosure soon, and you will want to aim for the above temps. Have a hide in the bask area as the hot hide. Get another somewhere in the middle temp range, and then one on the cool end. This will allow your lizard to regulate his body heat and feel secure at the same time.

Truth

Those temps should be fine even though I provide basking temps that reach the 120-130 deg F. range (which they will bask for short durations; some folks go even higher)...at your temps you will just have a sav that will spend more time basking and that should be fine. As the previous post mentioned, start getting ready for a larger enclosure in the near future.