Hi...complete noob here. I apologize if I’m asking readily available information, but this is my first time keeping this species and I want to get it right. I’ve already searched the forums and have found some conflicting information. At first I thought general colubrid warm side temps of 85-90F were ok until I found quite a few posts mentioning that in general milks (excluding the obviously mountain species who absolutely like it cooler, like black milks) like it a little cooler like anywhere from 75-80F. I have two 40g tanks stacked on a rack with a single heat cable running to both tanks and run on a thermostat. The top tank is logging warm side temps from about 84-89F and the bottom tank is 78-83F barely up to 84-85F range for brief periods. There was a miscommunication with the seller and the pair of milks shipped a few days earlier than expected and are here now before I could get this issue sorted out. The female in the warmer top tank has been observed only on the cool side and the male in the lower tank has been mostly on the warm side until yesterday.
I have a way to set each tank on its own heat source now and am wondering if the current temps are adequate or should I separate the heat sources to dial in a more specific temp for each cage. It seems to me the top is running too warm and the bottom too cool...what temperatures, ideally, should I shoot for on the warm side for this species L. annulata (Mexican Milk)?
I have two Mexican black kings (nigrita) who are thriving with a hot side of around 85-87F, but don’t want to generalize as it seems possible the annulata want it cooler. Again I apologize for the beginner question and thank you in advance for your help!

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