Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does anyone use either a thermostat or rheostat? what's good? I'm sorry if people feel like they've answered this question a lot.

Thermostats are better, they adjust using temps rather then wattage(which is what rheostat does). Rheostats are cheaper though. I think my rheostat works fine, as long as you monitor your gecko's temperatures often.
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isnt the whole point so that i dont have to monitor the temp often?

the point is really to be able to control the temperature manually.
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do you have any suggestions for which one(s) ?

depends on your goals,
what do you need it for?
if its to try to breed in the wintertime, I suggest a thermostat, but if its just for one enclosure with geckos you dont plan on breeding, I wouldn't suggest you get either.
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Get yourself a thermostat..... Go to the boaphile plastics web site and look at the one they have there..... It does all the work for you and keeps the temps where they should be..... I would suggest using a thermostat no matter what your goals are....

thats quite expensive for my 10 or my 20 gallon tank. I was hoping to find a more economical one that does the job just as well. any ideas?

I've heard of people getting dimmers from places like Home Depot. I've never done it myself, but I imagine once set properly they should work well. They should be inexpensive.

I have a Repti Temp 500R that works really well
best price I've found

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0.3.0 Dogs - Delaney, Darcie, Mali
2.1.0 Cats - Dante, Diesel, Dixie
2.0.0 Cockatiels - Toast, Waffles
2.0.0 White's Treefrogs - Splish, Splash
2.2.2 Leopard Geckos - Joey, Ross, Chandler, Phoebe, Rachael, Monica
3.0.0 Crested Geckos - Stubbie, Lou, Oz
1.0.0 Jewel Curly-Tailed Lizard - Harry
0.0.1 Hermit Crab - Sebastian
1.0.0 Chinchilla - Poncho
4.0.0 Guinea Pigs - Rodney, Reese, Ray, Rufus
0.0.1 Hamster - Wicket W. Warrick

Not to mention the plethora of fish:
5.0.0 Bettas - Maui, Mahalo, Timmy, Horatio, Mac
0.0.1 Goldfish - Monkey
20 Gallon Fresh
*0.0.1 Dinosaur Bicher - Grissom
55 Gallon Planted Community - too many to name
20 Gallon Marine
*1.1.0 Ocellaris Clown - Jack, Diane
*0.0.1. Neon Blue Goby - Cecilia
*0.0.1 Orangetailed Damsel - Bobby Magee

1.0.0 Boyfriend - Michael

You can save as much as $40 buying on Ebay if you are short of money.

I first bought a Reptitemp 500R and after it was set, the temp climbed up to 116 degrees during the night. IMO they are crap and if you look around you can buy a good thermostat like the Ranco for slightly more money.
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1.0.0 Double Het Patternless Albino Leopard Gecko 'Yoshi'
0.1.0 Patternless Albino Leopard Gecko 'Miso'
1.0.0 Beagle 'Tigger'
0.1.0 Jack Russell 'Roo'
2.0.0 Guinea Pigs 'Millhouse and Ralph'
1.0.0 Hamster 'Fluff'
1.0.0 Husband