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I'm going to turn the little 10 gallon family fish tank into the family leopard gecko tank (it will be my first leopard gecko...I already have an adult beardie I've had for a few years, and an adult uromastyx I've had about a year). I know most of the basic stuff, but I was wondering what brand of heat mat I should use, as I've heard bad things about zoomed's heat mats. Also, are there any safety precautions I could make to ensure as little risk of fire or over heating as possible? A stick-on mat would probably be best because of the way the tank and stand are setup. it's one of those setups where the stand cabinet thing doesn't really have a top to it, so the tank is sitting on the edges of it, so with a stick on mat, it could just stick on the bottom, and hot air wouldn't be able to build up under the tank.

So what's the best method/heat pad.

Thanks.

Put the tank with spacers under the corners of the tank. Use little wood pieces, quarters, or beercaps. Just to let air get under there.
Use a Pro Heat Radiant Heat Panel.
>>I'm going to turn the little 10 gallon family fish tank into the family leopard gecko tank (it will be my first leopard gecko...I already have an adult beardie I've had for a few years, and an adult uromastyx I've had about a year). I know most of the basic stuff, but I was wondering what brand of heat mat I should use, as I've heard bad things about zoomed's heat mats. Also, are there any safety precautions I could make to ensure as little risk of fire or over heating as possible? A stick-on mat would probably be best because of the way the tank and stand are setup. it's one of those setups where the stand cabinet thing doesn't really have a top to it, so the tank is sitting on the edges of it, so with a stick on mat, it could just stick on the bottom, and hot air wouldn't be able to build up under the tank.
>>
>>So what's the best method/heat pad.
>>
>>Thanks.
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0.0.1 Leopard Geckos
0.1.0 Dumeril Boa

Silkworms are great!
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Well, like I said, it's on a stand that doesn't really have a top to it, so all under the tank (where the pad would go) is basically open. Radiant heat panels are meant to hang from the cage ceiling and project heat down as an overhead heat source, I'm more looking for the traditional under-tank heat source, likea cobra brand heat mat or something (are the cobra brand ones any good?).

Thanks anyways.

I've heard from a few people that the cobra ones are the best, but I am not sure that they are stick-on ones... Have you tried looking at some of the vendors on here? I personally like Big Apple, but I don't have much experience with any of the others. You can run a search for heat mats & see what you come up with. Unfortunatly, I havn't really heard that much about the zoomed ones, tho many of their products are good, many also leave a lot to be desired... Many people also swear by FlexWatt Heat Tape (never used the stuff myself, looks a tad too complicated for my taste).

A therm is the best way to keep things from getting overheated. Def. invest in a good one, as it may be one of the most important peices to your whole set-up. I know there are some out there that can be set on timers to create the night-time temp drop.

Sorry I'm not more help on this!
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1.1 Crazy dogs (Sandy & Gizmo)
1.2 Vacationing Kitties (Puddy, PeeWee & Mikey)
1.1 Veiled Chameleons (Charlie & Emma)
0.1 Collard Lizard (Jimmie)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (Lily)
0.0.1 AWOL Leopard Gecko (Eddie)
0.1 Amazing Fiance =o)

Oh, also, a 10gal set-up for an adult leo tends to run on the small side. It's ok when they are little, but once they grow up, they like to roam. I bought a used 40gal breeder from an aquarium store for like $30 (tho I recently noted that the local feed store has a brand new 50gal for $50...). Keep a larger tank in mind for when the leo gets bigger =)
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1.1 Crazy dogs (Sandy & Gizmo)
1.2 Vacationing Kitties (Puddy, PeeWee & Mikey)
1.1 Veiled Chameleons (Charlie & Emma)
0.1 Collard Lizard (Jimmie)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (Lily)
0.0.1 AWOL Leopard Gecko (Eddie)
0.1 Amazing Fiance =o)

I'll look into the cobra heat mats. I have been looking at the big apple heat mats, and they seem to be very high quality, so I think I'll go with one of those two, and a simple little thermostat to keep it from overheating.

The ten gallon may end up just being a starter tank. I know what it's like to buy a reptile and have the minimum suggested size tank...you tend to want to get them a bigger one after a while. Right now I have my bearded dragon and my mali uromastyx each in minimal size caging, and I don't like it, so I'm having some nice 4'x2'x2' cages built for them. I'm sure if the leo ends up looking cramped in the 10 gallon, my parents would have no problem with letting me replace it with something a little more spacious (like a 20 long or something). I'm going to try to make the best of the space though...have good hiding areas and still have a lot of open space for the leo to move around. I think 10 is a good starter size though because it probably helps a smaller gecko feel more secure. I'll just see how it goes. For now I'm focusing on getting this little tank gecko-ready.

Also, if I were to purchase the gecko in december or january, what age should I get if I want it to be fairly mature by around may? By fairly mature, I mean able to go a day or two without food. In the summer on the weekends me and my parents often go to our camper, so we're usually gone from friday night till sunday morning or afternoon. With my other lizards this has never caused a problem, because they're older and can go a couple days without food. I'm just worried about getting a little baby now, and having it not be old enough by then. I don't think it would really matter much now though, because this year I'll have a car and I'll be able to come home saturdays if I need to, but I'm just curious.

I would sugeest looking at your pet store around teh reptile section. If your in a big store and it has a crustaton section, look there. I have a stick-on mat for hermit crabs that I got for 3 dollers. It keeps the temp at 85 or so degrees, and uses very little power. It was made by Hermit Crab Helper, or something of that sort.