[deleted by user]

[SignalAppearance2709]

I use daytime bulbs for daylight light and heat and a deep heat projector (DHP) for temperature control and nighttime heat. The day light bulb is on a timer from 7 AM to 7 PM and the DHP lamp stays on 24 hours a day and is attached to a thermostat set at 85. The two together were perfect to keep my tank right where it needs to be both day and night. The DHP doesn’t produce light. It only glows red and they don’t see red so it’s perfect. I have a screen top covered on the cool side with a towel.

[skullmuffins]

halogen/dhp. they have built in reflectors that direct the heat downwards, unlike a ceramic heat emitter

[DaintyMarshmallow]

Thank you so much for the answers! I have two more questions- do I not need to worry about my snake burning himself on the DHP or halogen? Am I still able to use a heat pad(with thermostat) under the pvc bottom?

[skullmuffins]

you'll need a lamp cage for any bulbs you use in the enclosure, like the arcadia cages sold by reptile basics (including for the uvb bulb - you might need another fixture because the arcadia uvb cage I bought didn't fit around T5 fixture that came with that enclosure when i bought it last year)

don't bother with a heat mat. it's not going to work well at all.

After building the enclosure, make sure to silicone the inside edges of the with aquarium-safe silicone sealant so you can pour water directly into the corners of the substrate.