Lighting and Heating Questions

I have a pretty big tank about 35 gallons. Is there any special type of light you would recconmend, or should i stick with an incondescent light bulb on the side. Also is a heating pad necessary. The tank will always be in a room temperature of 68-77. Is there any other heating methods you would reccomend.

Thanks

Yes, you should get rid of the lights and go with the necessary heat pad. The thing is, Leopard Geckos require belly heat to digest their food; Meaning that lamps don't warm the ground enough to give them the heat to digest.

In a room thats always 68-77, you can run a heat mat off of either a rheostat and need to check it every so often so it doesn't get too hot or you can invest in a thermostat for it and set it once and it will be stay that way. You can't ignore thermostats though, thats not what Im saying, because they do fail every once in a while.

Heat mats are priceless when it comes to the care of your leos though, because it raises their over all quality of life. And thats the goal, isn't it?

Hello and Welcome to the forums

Leopard geckos are crepuscular, Which means they come out at dawn and dusk - This means that no lighting is required but can be used for your own viewing pleasure

Leopard geckos are Thignotherms which means they get their heat through surfaces. The best way to heat your tank will be a Heat mat ON a thermostat set to around 88-94f which is the optimal temps for your leo please check out our sticky on proper housing for more info - http://www.leopardgeckoforum.com/t55-proper-housing-for-leopard-gecko