2 Lights or 1?

[Bulldog]

Hey guys.

I'm gonna get a 20 gallon long setup, and wanted your opinion on how I should do the lighting. I notice most people go with one light, usually like a 75 watt red incandescent light, but my house temps are on the cooler side... like 63-65. Would I be better off doing two 25 watt lights on each side to keep the ambient air steadier?

BTW - I'm going to be using an UTH with a thermostat in case you were wondering.

Thanks.

 

[Haligren]

I have one 40 watt and one 15 watt nightglo bulb on either side of the tank - 15 watt on cool side. I live in a basement so our temps are pretty low as well. In fact, I had to envelope my tank in that bubble wrap foil insulation so my temps would stay above 80! Typically you would only use one light (Although some people don't use any but they probably live in warmer climes.) and a UTH.

 

[thestack510]

I don't use any lights myself (though I am in CA). As long as the UTH is reaching the right temperature you should be fine.

 

[nats]

I used to use 2 night (red) bulbs.
A 25W on the warm end, and a 50W on the cool end.
Of course, I also had a UTH, but it was a cold room like yours.
I would also get a cheap rheostat to fine tune your lights,
otherwise, they may get too hot.
It takes some experimentation, and your results will probably
be different from mine.
You may have to buy several different watt bulbs to find the
right combination.

 

[LIZARDLOVER]

I use one UTH and one 75 watt inferred bulb.

 

[Blacksupra94]

I use one UTH and one 60 watt red bulb at night to see her and a regular bulb during day. The cool side is about 70 and the warm is about 85 with the 60 watts for me.