so a halogen is going to be your best option because as of now, it’s the closest thing we have to the sun in terms of reptile heating. DHPs aren’t terrible, but heat sources that don’t emit light aren’t as good because it’s unnatural and they don’t penetrate their skin as well as halogen bulbs can. so if you have the choice, i’d definitely go with a halogen bulb.
you won’t need heat at night unless your room gets colder than 65f at night which is unlikely. however, in that case you wouldn’t be able to use a halogen at night because it’s supposed to be completely dark. that’s also why colored bulbs or night lights aren’t good; they mess with the gecko’s circadian rhythm. if you do need heat at night, you can either use your heat mat at night then or get a DHP. the heat mat will likely not work through the substrate though.
#Halo VS DHP, and UVB VS Calcium+D3?
warm gorge
UVB is necessary for them to thrive. they can easily overdose on supplements which is why it’s important to provide UVB so that they can regulate their intake themselves based on what they need. you need three different supplements anyway:
- calcium without d3
- calcium with d3
- multivitamin
not having UVB and supplementating with only d3 is really not ideal. so i’d strongly suggest you buy a linear UVB bulb (check our !shoppinglist for links)
warm gorge
it definitely wouldn’t be too much light for the gecko. if anything, our tanks are more likely to be too dark as their light perception greatly differs from ours. i use LED, UVB and halogen lighting without a problem for my tanks. i get that it’s a lot of electricity for one tank, but if you wanna save on that i’d get rid of the LED. it doesn’t really benefit the gecko at all aside from the visible light but UVB and a halogen are definitely needed for the gecko.
a successful bioactive does need an LED for the plants though. you can try to get by without one, but the plants might not thrive.
i’d also check out the !guide if you haven’t already
thick roverBOT
warm gorge
usually you don’t need it but it’s good to have at home in case your UVB breaks or you need to replace it and can’t get a new one in a tinely manner (which you have to do anyway)
here are some links at the bottom that answer the question !uvb
thick roverBOT
UVB light is essential to the vitamin D3 pathway in reptiles, and they would naturally get this from the sun in the wild. Reptiles cannot create their own D3, and insectivores, such as leopard geckos, and herbivores do not get enough D3 from their diet for survival, which is why supplementation is important in these animals especially. The big importance of D3 that reptile keepers pay attention to is that it allows the body to use the calcium it intakes, meaning that reptiles need D3 to properly get calcium. Without calcium, they will develop metabolic bone disease (MBD) as well as other issues, which can be deadly.
Unlike some reptiles, leopard geckos can get enough D3 through proper supplementation. However, it is still strongly recommended to provide leopard geckos with UVB to allow them to regulate their own D3 levels and for the additional benefits of UVB, such as bacterial and fungal management. The positives of UVB usage are well documented in the hobby, both with studies and anecdotal evidence, solidifying for many keepers that UVB is important to reptile welfare.
Leopard geckos in particular are Ferguson Zone 1 baskers, meaning they prefer to have fairly low levels of UVB, which makes sense for a crepuscular animal. We measure UVB exposure through UVI. **Most leopard geckos should have 0.5-1.5 UVI, but light sensitive morphs, such as albinos, should get closer to 0.5-0.7 at most. ** This is best provided with a linear/tube UVB bulb, for which there are two recommended brands: ZooMed and Arcadia. To find what bulb you need, look at UVI charts for specific bulbs, which show UVI levels at different heights. The Arcadia ShadeDweller or ZooMed T5 5.0 are good places to start looking. Keep in mind that T5s are much stronger than T8s and that screen tops filter out up to 30% of UVB.
Links:
http://bit.ly/2JQXKw4
http://bit.ly/3bdDv7a
http://bit.ly/3rZq14z