Humidity.

[Thunderslide]

Okay in the morning. I mist the moss in the hides. the Humidity spiked up to 80% on the cool side. When the night cycle comes on the cool side becomes the warm side. Then the humidity drops to about 50%. is this okay or do I need to do something different?

Thanks in advance.

Rich

 

[Scott&Nikki]

That is way too much humidity. Especially for the cool side. My leo sheds fine with about 25% humidity. However, you do not need to measure the humidity in their tanks. The hot side should stay the hot side. I don't understand how the cool side turns into the hot side at night. Are you using an Under Tank Heater? If you are, you should be regulating it with a thermostat to keep the warm side about 90-93 at all times. The cool side should be closer to 80.

 

[Thunderslide]

That is way too much humidity. Especially for the cool side. My leo sheds fine with about 25% humidity. However, you do not need to measure the humidity in their tanks. The hot side should stay the hot side. I don't understand how the cool side turns into the hot side at night. Are you using an Under Tank Heater? If you are, you should be regulating it with a thermostat to keep the warm side about 90-93 at all times. The cool side should be closer to 80.

both sides get hot at different times the hood I am running has 2 lights in it that are seperated. click

I have a UTH, but I do not think it can support a 90°+F so I run a 75 watt red and a 75 basking. light. I was ill advised by a LPS perhaps I could try a compact flourescent. do they make them in red? So as the day night cycle occures the lights that are on switch ends. Therfore transitioning the warm from one to the other. I have a thermostatically controlled UTH but it is only 16 watts, is that enough?

In the morning the moss is bone dry. how moist does it need to be? what is the reccommended wattage for a 20L tank?

 

[Scott&Nikki]

No lights at all are necessary for leopard geckos. I believe the 10-20 gallon ZooMed UTH is 16 Watts and it works perfectly. Set your thermostat around 91 or 92 and you should be fine. You can get a temp gun if you want to make sure. If you use a light to supplement a UTH, you should use only a red, blue, or black light because they cannot see these colors and bright lights stress them out. This light should also be only on the hot side. Where is your moist hide with the moss? What moss are you using? You only need to spray it every other day or so unless your leo is about to shed. That is when you need to make sure it is moist for him/her.

 

[Thunderslide]

http://www.geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=6511

Here is the deal, I have moss in the catus and under the log.

Thet thermostat I have has not temprature settings rather a hotter/cooler dial. it does have a probe though. So day light can be natural and night light red. I will switch red and rem white.

 

[Thunderslide]

the 16 watt UTH will not keep up. Need supplimental heat. going to use red light left on 24/7 Will that work?

 

[Scott&Nikki]

Red light 24/7 is fine. However, the reason you need the UTH is because leopard geckos rely on belly heat to digest food properly. Especially when you have some sort of loose substrate in your tank (moss), you need to make sure that your leo is getting proper heating for digestion. I suggest finding a proper UTH and Thermostat rather than trying to fix the lights. What you described as a thermostat is actually a rheostat, which is more difficult to control and requires a temp gun or thermometer with probe.

You need to have a dry hide (or two) in your tank. Idealy, there should be a dry hide on the hot side, humid hide near the center and dry hide on the cold side. You can mix things around to your liking, of course. That is what I was suggested to do and it works great for me.

 

[Thunderslide]

sure appreciate your help.

I have the below thermostat.

[url-http://www.zoomed.com/html/thermostats.php]here[/url]


Repti-Temp 500R Remote Sensor Thermostat

Features include a 6 ft. remote sensor probe and a dual port plug receptacle to control multiple heating devices. Safety cover prevents accidental “bumping†of the temperature dial! Includes mounting hardware and extra adhesive pads. Can be used in conjunction with a timer for day/night cycle simulation. Range is from 70° to 110°F (21° TO 43°C.)

It just does not have temprature set points. It cycles the UTH off and on
(When the light its off. if it would keep up))

I will get a different heater tomorrow. I have an exo-tera 16 watt. I'll get a zoomed, The heater I have now was loosing ground without a light on. I can tell you he is poopin like a champ. he is only 3 weeks old and seems to be doing great.

I just got off the phone with petsmart. she said they NEED uv lighting to digest and absorb calcium. what is the truth on that?

thanks again!!!!!!!

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I just got off the phone with petsmart. she said they NEED uv lighting to digest and absorb calcium. what is the truth on that?

thanks again!!!!!!!

The truth on that is that pet stores are clueless. These geckos are nocturnal and hide from light as much as possible. They do not need UV lighting at all. Pet stores generally are not a good source at all. They do not go through proper training and would rather give false info than no info (at least it seems). They told me calci-sand was the best option for my hatchling and that was probably the most dangerous thing I could have done.

I have heard complains about those thermostats, but you will probably hear complains about any of them. Just keep an eye on it when you get it all set up properly.

Just a little insight on the UTH. The 10-20 gallon UTH will work fine, but some people prefer getting the 30-40 gallon UTH because it covers more ground. Because you have a thermostat, the 30-40 gallon UTH will not make it too hot. But, like I said, the 10-20 gallon works just fine and is a little cheaper.

 

[Thunderslide]

Thanks a bunch I'll check the wattage and make a more informed decision.

I had learned that they don't need uv lighting from Paul sage. just angers me that they provide the wrong information.

the t-stat seems to cycle fine. have an analog and digital thermometer in there. interestingly enough that in the 30" width of the tank 2 hygrometers read 85% and 25%.

Rich