Lighting. Looking to add 5-10 degrees of heat.

[DavDe]

Currently I have a 20 gallon long terrarium. It's a consistent 65 degrees down in my basement where it's located. I have a full spectrum light that is good for the plants but doesn't add heat. What bulb would do good for adding about 5-10 degrees of heat while also being good for the plants? Or am I better off doing the heating pad affixed to under the glass? The only problem with that is I'm not convinced it would add much heat as there is 4-5 inches of soil for the substrate. Due to a lack of options right now for newts/salamanders I was going to add a Milk Snake to the vivarium.

 

[RusieckiR]

You might be able to use two regular light bulbs (like around 50 watts or something) on each side of the tank but experiment with it to find the right temperature.

 

[DavDe]

Yay, I'm experiementing with a borrowed bulb from a reptile set-up and the temp is around 78 degrees which is around the high end of what I want. I'll have to check the bulb - it might not be a full spectrum or good for the live plants. Also I hate the look of the spotlight dome. I'll have to experiement with a new type of bulb in the hood (which looks alot better). Anyway - I think it's all about experimenting at this point.