Daytime lighting?

[Tandksmommy]

I have a 55 gallon aquarium with a Homes Hingeback in it. I'm just getting her set up as she had nothing that she needed before at her last owners.

I have a red heat lamp that I got from Walmart (industrial size lamp with a pretty big red bulb that emits heat) for on her to keep her temp up at night. We keep our house fairly cool, so she needs it on.

What should I use to keep the temp up during the day?

 

[Benjamin]

I have a 55 gallon aquarium with a Homes Hingeback in it. I'm just getting her set up as she had nothing that she needed before at her last owners.

I have a red heat lamp that I got from Walmart (industrial size lamp with a pretty big red bulb that emits heat) for on her to keep her temp up at night. We keep our house fairly cool, so she needs it on.

What should I use to keep the temp up during the day?

Be VERY careful with that redbulb! Those infared bulbs get way too hot for a 55g glass tank. You will end up drying things up too much.
I keep a small room heated to 78-82F with a nice southern exposure for light. This works very well but probably is not an option for your application.
Homeana can tolerate(tolerate is the key word) mid 60s at night.
Heat pads, ceramic heat emitters, those would be viable alternatives.
Someone else needs to chime in regarding suggested ideas please.

 

[Jacqui]

I myself have no experience with how much a red bulb may dry things out, so no help to you there. I use the heat emmiters when I need more heat for my hingebacks. That way they get the warmth without my having to worry if the light may bother them.

Now, when I have a tortoise in an aquarium, I do use the UTH (Under Tank Heater) pad. I like it cause it keeps the substrate warm and helps aid in humidity levels. With the fact that the hingebacks like to burrow into their substrate it's an added factor. I should add, that I place one of their hides (an open bottom one such as one of the half log hides) would be covering this spot at my home.

For the most part my hingebacks make due with the light that comes into the house and the ones I do give lights to are using the bright long kitchen lights or old aquarium toppers with the better bulbs in them. I also do not keep the lights on for the full 12 hours like I do for some of my other species.

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I have a red heat lamp that I got from Walmart (industrial size lamp with a pretty big red bulb that emits heat) for on her to keep her temp up at night.

Oh wait, are you talking one of the ones used for like baby chickens? Yeah those put out way way too much heat!! When red lights were talked about in the hingeback thread and Kristina's caresheet, the red light is just a regular type light bulb (just red).