Substrate question - slate

[BeeBopper]

My daughter is getting her gecko in about 3 weeks and she really loves the look of slate tile. I mentioned the slate tile to the guy at Pets Unlimited and he said definitely don't get the slate tile, he said it doesnt hold the heat...I've read ALOT about geckos lately and many owners seem to praise the slate tiles....what do you think? She has no problem using paper towels but she had her heart set on the slate

 

[jemjdragon]

I use slate. It holds heat fine for me and looks nice. Some people put sand UNDER their tile to help with heat absorption. I can post pictures of my tank if you'd like.

 

[BeeBopper]

That would be great if you could post pics!! I'm in the process of making her some hides and stuff out of foam, like on lizard landscapes. I think we'll go with the slate and keep a close eye on the surface temp. We can always swap the tile out for paper towel at any time if we're having any issues

 

[jemjdragon]

Mift's Tank:

Mift does not have sand under his tile like my first leopard gecko did. But the temperatures stay constant. I use an infrared thermometer to check temps. Warm side is 90-91*F and cool side stays at 75*F. He loves his tree hide.

Ryoo's Old Tank:

This is my first leopard gecko's tank. She had more hides, this was when I was cleaning her tank so it was pretty empty. Also the large water dish in that tank was temporary because I broke her other one while cleaning that day. You can see sand under the tile in this tank to help with heat.

Both tanks have/had UTH that covered 1/3 of the bottom of the tank.

EDIT: Also you can see that both tanks have those stick on thermometers. They are not accurate and should not be used to measure the tank temperature. I just don't know how to take them off.

 

[BeeBopper]

Thank you very much!! Your set-up is awesome, I will have to show it to my daughter in the morning...she will love it! I'm definitely going with the tile, I don't think I'll bother with the sand. If I have any issues with the temp maybe I will try it to see if it helps but fingers crossed everything is fine. I love the look of the slate tiles! Thanks again!

 

[jemjdragon]

No problem. Hope slate tile works out for you. =]

 

[Ozy]

I also use slate tiles, mine have sand underneath for more even heat distribution. Here are some pics of my set up. First pic is cool side with water dish/hide combo, second pic is the hot side, third is the whole thing. She's in a 20 gallon long.

 

[BeeBopper]

Very nice! What kind of sand is underneath?