Which bulb for a 30 gallon tank?

[TwoSixSided]

Hey guys, I'm trying to get everything sorted out before ordering a ABF. I will be purchasing a 30 gallon tank tomorrow and have a heating question since that topic seems to confuse me the most. I'm planning on buying a dome fixture from Amazon, but I'm not sure which bulb will keep the tank between 80-82 degrees or so. The house is mostly always 74-77 degrees, and I will be using eco earth and tape half of the tanks top to keep humidity in, and the dome fixture will be right over the big water bowl I intend on putting in. I plan on turning it off at night for the drop in temperature, or is that to drastic of a drop?

This is the fixture I plan on buying if it makes a difference, http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-11596-Pr...=reptile+light

[Lija]

You don't need that huge of a fixture, 5,5" with a dimmer is enough. And get 60w ceramic heat emitter or 50w infrared lamp.

[TwoSixSided]

You don't need that huge of a fixture, 5,5" with a dimmer is enough. And get 60w ceramic heat emitter or 50w infrared lamp.

Thank you Lija, so the 5.5" won't have any issues using a 60w ceramic heat emitter and will make the whole tank over 80 degrees? I can't find any people in the Amazon reviews saying they do that.

[Kickinwing]

If you have a dimmer, overheating shouldn't be a problem.

Honestly, I have trouble keeping my 29G at the correct temperatures. I needed two lights to keep both sides warm enough.

Also, I don't know if I would turn the light off completely at night for a temperature drop. That might be a bit much. That's where the dimmer comes in handy.

[TwoSixSided]

Thank you Kickinwing, I'm thinking I will buy the 100W ceramic heat emitter, I picked up a Flukers clamp lamp today with a dimmer, so if it's too hot I believe I should be able to fine tune it.

[Kickinwing]

No problem.

Also, something I wish I knew before I bought mine...They eat like CRAZY! I'm not trying to discourage you from getting one, I just wish I knew how much they really ate before I bought one. If I could do it over, I would have started some sort of feeder colony before I bought my mine.