You are making some errors here.Long time lurker, first time post:
I have an infrared heat lamp that I put on top of the cover in a 30G tank, for my tortoise to pass the night. It has a temp sensor that keep the temp around 78 deg. The heater raises the temp to 78.5F then shut off, and then restart when the temp falls below 77.5F. That eases the wife with her concern about electric billI bought the heater from Pedco.
I put the tank on a mover so that I can roll my tortoise outside (1/2 shade) during sunlight days, and roll them in when the sun comes down, around 3PM (in Southern Calif). In the summer, they are free to roam my backyard.
Hope this helps someone.
-Infrared bulbs are not good over tortoises. They need it dark at night. CHE or RHPs work better, keep it dark, and are less desiccating. They can plug into your same thermostat and work the same way.
-If this is a tropical species, like a sulcata, I'd bump the thermostat up to 80. If is a temperate species, you don't need night heat.
-30 gallons is too small even for a hatching.
-Open topped tanks don't work well for tropical species. You can't maintain that correct heat and humidity.
-Glass tanks should never be used in the sun. That is very dangerous.
-Babies shouldn't be outside all day. I'm assuming you have a baby because its in a 30 gallon tank. Too much outside time is not good for them.
-Tortoises shouldn't be roaming loose. You need to make an enclosure to contain them. People lose them all the time by letting them run loose.
I hope this helps you. Questions are welcome. Tell us what species, size and age, tortoises we are talking about when you come back.
