The reason why she said crumpled up news paper is because that tank is far too big for such a small baby. And whatever hide is smallest is where he will spend the majority of his time. You should definitely pick up a GOOD thermostat, asap, for the heat pad. Hotspot 89-90 ... cool side 80.
Throw away that temp gauge and get a couple of these... http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermom...l-thermometer/