I have a 3 month old beardie and I've been keeping my eye on the room temperature as summer winds down. I have a ceramic coil heater ready for when I need it, but Im not sure how to place it in her tank. I'm worried it will get too hot and won't allow her to cool down enough at night. Or do they not emit as much heat as a heat bulb? Do you typically have it at the same position as the heat lamp or should it be raised higher so as not to get too hot? What should be the ideal nighttime temp under it? Should I test it out outside of her tank to find a good temp distance ratio first? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure she's comfortable at night ?
It really depends on your enclosure, size and if it's wooden or has a screen top, basically how well it holds heat. You won't really get a good reading outside of the tank as you need to figure out how well it warms where it's actually going to be. You can try positioning it in the middle and see what the temps would be on the coolest part. As long as your house won't get below 65 you are fine without one. If you think it would get colder than that then I would go for temps 65-75. But it is something you will have to play around with a little. You can use a dome if you have a screen top and cover the rest of the top with something that will hold in heat but not catch on fire of course. Not all wattage are created equal. Different bulbs put out heat differently. I can't say for sure how well a CHE puts out heat vs wattage since I haven't had a need for one yet but I do have them on hand in case I do.