new leo mom

[char.7777]

hi so I'm starting to get everything set up for when I buy my gecko in a few days, I've been reading everywhere about lighting and heating but honestly, I am beyond confused. some sites say to do one thing then others say not to. for the day do I need to have the light on in the warm end? and at night do I turn everything off? what bulb is the best for leopard geckos in the basking zone? any and all replies are welcome I need as much help as I can get!
thanks,
C

 

[acpart]

The reason you see different information is because there's more than one way to do things. Most people provide under tank heat on one side by using a heat mat or heat cable along with a thermostat to keep it from getting too hot. Low 90's is best. The heat mat should be on all the time. Some people prefer to heat their enclosures with lights from above, figuring that it's more like what it's like in the wild. In my opinion, as long as the gecko is in a room where the ambient light tells them when it's daytime and when it's nighttime, you don't need lights. I have about 15 leopard gecko cages and none of them have cage lights at all. My oldest leopard gecko is nearly 18 and has been fine with this for his whole life.

Aliza