My only remaining problem is heating the tank. I bought a heating mat but I guess maybe it wasn't big enough? The brand is BN LINK, it's 8 x 12 inches and comes with a built in thermostat. That alone wasn't bringing the warm end of the tank to 85 degrees, so I put on a second smaller heat mat that I already had (also by BN LINK, 6 x 8 inches) and it was still only bringing the tank to an average of 79 degrees. So I bought a ceramic heat bulb (by BOEESPAT, 150 wats) and a heat lamp (by Faveetie). When the heat lamp arrived, I noticed the quality was pretty bad. The clamp that came with it wasn't strong enough to hold the lamp upright or properly hold on to anything. The clamp also didn't fit the lamp very well. The mechanisms seemed loose inside when I tried to screw the bulb in. Also, the bulb was way too hot to be safe. Since the clamp didn't work well, I just set the lamp directly onto the glass piece that was covering the mesh lid and holding humidity in. That was my mistake. The lamp got so hot that within a few minutes, the glass had cracked. I tried to set the lamp down on the floor after I thought it had cooled down, and it burned a small circle into the carpet.
Maybe 150 watts is too much. BOEESPAT also sells 60 watt and 100 watt bulbs. Should I get one of those? Which one would be best for a 20 gallon? Also, where should I put the light? On top? On the side? Should I keep it a few inches away from the glass? I'll be returning the lamp that I bought. So, does anyone have recommendations for a good one? And can anyone tell me how I should place it? Or if I should just get another, bigger heat mat? I'm a little lost at this point.
ps: I'm gonna be adding more climbing opportunities to this tank, just haven't gotten around to it yet)
