Lighting & Heating Setup for Leopard Gecko Tank
Leopard geckos are cold-blooded and Nocturnal Animals; which means they sleep during the day and are active at night. During dusk and dawn, they are most active. They need sufficient light and heat for better survival. If you want to create a leopard gecko habitat at home, you should mimic their natural lighting and heating as closely as possible.
As you know leopard geckos are cold-blooded animals they need lighting and heating as well. Leopard geckos must have light and heat during the day, but they need only heat at night. Choose a material that is good in price and long-lasting for Leo lighting and heating setups.
You should maintain a warm side and a cold side in the tank. On the warm side, you should put a heating element such as a Ceramic bulb and should be placed above the tank On the cold side, you should place lights such as incandescent bulbs, etc. You should use Timer thermostats to control lighting and heating automatically.
Leopard geckos need 14-hour daytime & 10-hour nighttime lighting and heating in summer and 12-hour daytime & 12-hour nighttime lighting and heating in winter.
Lighting and Heating Setup material for Leopard Gecko
You will find below a variety of effective and popular lighting and heating options for leopard geckos.
Incandescent, UVB bulbs such as fluorescent lamps
These lamps or bulbs are best for the daytime As you know leopard geckos need lighting and heat during the daytime. Bulbs that emit both light and heat are the best option for daytime. Incandescent, UVB bulbs such as fluorescent lamps or bulbs are the best. Too much UVB radiation bulb is very harmful to leopard geckos' health. It can cause serious diseases such as Skin and eye problems.
Blue lights, Red lights, or Black Lights
You can use these lights for watching your leopard gecko at night. Leopard geckos only need heat at night.
Basking Bulbs Such as mercury vapor bulbs
Basking Heat bulbs are also the best option for leopard geckos in the daytime. This bulb keeps the tank's temperature warm. You can use this bulb as a heat source.
Ceramic Heat Bulbs
It is best for the day and as well as at night. It emits a lot of heat but no light.
A Thermostat and a Timer
Optimum control of your setup can be achieved with the help of a thermostat and timer.
Heat Mat or Tape
As you know leopard geckos need only heat at night. You can use this Mat for heat purposes. This may also play an Alternative role to Ceramic Heat Bulbs.
Choosing the Right Daytime Lighting and Heating for Leopard Geckos
As you know leopard geckos need heat and light during day time. You should choose a bulb that emits both light and heat. If you are going to do lighting and heating setups, you need to follow the following two rules.
- A bulb with 10 UVB or less is best for Leopard Geckos because, in the presence of too much UVB, leopard geckos' sensitive eyes and skin may be damaged.
- Bulb wattage from 100 to 150 watts.
In the daytime, you can either use Incandescent Bulbs, UVB Bulbs such as Fluorescent lamps, and Basking Bulbs such as Mercury vapor bulbs.
Incandescent Bulbs
This type of bulb emits light as well as heat also. It produces light by heating a suitable material. Halogen or tungsten is the standard incandescent. This light does not emit any UV radiation. These are easily available on Amazon.
UVB Bulbs such as Fluorescent lamps
In Leopard Geckos, UVA regulates feeding and mating, and UVB for the synthesis of Vitamin D3 in leopard geckos' bodies. More than 10% UV is very harmful to leopard geckos.
Fluorescent lamps are available on Amazon.
Basking Bulbs such as Mercury vapor bulbs
These bulbs produce UVA, UVB, and heat. These bulbs are best for daytime lighting and heating. Most of the owners avoid these bulbs because they are big and emit a lot of heat in small tanks. Buy it on Amazon.
Choosing the Right Nighttime Lighting and Heating for Leopard Geckos
At night, leopard geckos need only heat, not light. Leopard geckos need complete darkness to roam at night. They need complete darkness to thrive. At nighttime you can use only two hours of light then they need the whole night dark. You can use Red, Blue, or Black lights for two hours to watch your leopard gecko. As you know leopard geckos need only heat at night so you can use heat bulbs such as Ceramic bulbs for your leopard gecko if you want to keep your leopard gecko warm.
These bulbs are described in detail below.
Blue Bulb
These bulbs give a natural look to leopard geckos. It gives a bluish glow to the tank just like the moonlight. You should use these bulbs only for one or two hours for your leopard gecko because more than two hours disturb the sleeping order of your leopard gecko.
Red Bulb
You can use these bulbs for lighting and heating. These bulbs are the same as blue bulbs. Two hours is the maximum time you should use this. These bulbs provide infrared light that is best for leopard geckos.
Black Bulb
It emits very little light. A black-light is used in the same way as a red or blue light. This bulb produces focused ambient heat without disturbing visual light.
Ceramic Bulbs
As you know leopard geckos need heat at night so you can use these bulbs as a heat source. There is no light emitted by ceramic bulbs. It only emits heat.
It is not recommended to use ceramic bulbs in small tanks under 20 gallons because it causes too much heat in small tanks. If you are buying ceramic bulbs, you should use a tank of at least 25 gallons in size. For leopard gecko enclosure temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit on their night cycle, ceramic bulbs are necessary, and for enclosure temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, ceramic bulbs should be avoided. You can use this bulb for the whole day as a heat source.
Caution: Don't use plastic sockets because they may melt due to High heat. Instead of this, you can use porcelain sockets.
Thermostats and Timers
A thermostat is a device that controls temperature automatically. Thermostats are necessary for keeping leopard geckos at the right temperature. It's working like this when they measure the temperature and then turn the heating devices ON and OFF as needed, then once it gets too hot in the tank they turn it OFF until it reaches the right temperature, then turn it back ON once the tank needs warm again.
A timer is also a part of Thermostats. It doesn't measure temperature but it does turn ON or OFF lights at a particular time.
Lighting and Heating schedule for leopard geckos
As you know leopard geckos need a sufficient amount of light and heat for better survival.
In Summer- 14-hour Daytime and 10-hour nighttime.
In Winter- 12-hour Daytime and 12-hour nighttime.
Below is a table showing a summer and winter lighting and heating schedule.
For Summer
| Lighting & Heating | Time from 6:00 am. to 8:00 pm. | Time from 8:00 pm. to 6:00 am. |
|---|---|---|
| Lights | ON | OFF |
| Heat Source | ON | ON |
For Winter
| Lighting & Heating | Time from 6:00 am. to 6:00 pm. | Time from 6:00 pm. to 6:00 am. |
|---|---|---|
| Lights | ON | OFF |
| Heat Source | ON | ON |
Leopard Geckos Lighting and Heating Tips
Here are some tips to follow before setting up lighting and heating for leopard geckos.
- Make sure you follow the manufacturer's instructions when using bulbs.
- Your tank's light should always be positioned directly above it, rather than coming from the sides.
- Leopard geckos can touch the lights, so keep them six inches away.
- Keep heating and lighting equipment in good condition by checking them regularly.
- Invest in long-lasting equipment.
Can I use Natural Windows Light for my Leopard Geckos?
No, you cannot use natural window light for your leopard gecko because you have no control over the intensity of the sun's rays. Direct sunlight from your windows can easily overheat your leopard gecko tank. Overheating the tank causes metabolic disorders in your leopard gecko.