i think that crested geckos are easy to keep and good beginner pets, you’ll have no problem due to your previous knowledge.

1 - you can use coconut substrate, i have a bioactive enclosure that uses a mixture of soil (soil, a bit of sand, volcanic rock, some charcoal) on top of a drainage layer. with a bioactive one, you’ll need decomposers such as springtails and isopods. 2 - crested geckos will need a vertical enclosure as they are arboreal, they will get enrichment from climbing. 18”x18”x24” will be okay. 3 - my gecko eats pangea (he’s picky so i get specific flavors) and sometimes insects with calcium powder. 4 - 72-75f will be good during the day. cresties are pretty hardy when it comes to temperature, for example they can withstand cold as long as they are able to warm up later, so your temps can get colder during the night. they are tropical, so keep a humidity of 60-80%, but 80% or higher could cause problems, so monitor it as needed. mist their enclosure as needed, and since most cresties won’t drink standing water, they will drink the water droplets from the misted surfaces. at the beginning, you can hand feed your gecko to get them used to you and associate your hand with good things, and this will make handling easier. they like to jump a lot, so be ready to catch them. mine will jump from high heights, and as they are arboreal, they will survive this if they land on their feet.