Quote Originally Posted by BigDan35
What do you mean when you say I need a thermostat to regulate the heater pad I got? I thought you can just plug the heater pad in then just unplug it whenever you need to?

I know the warm side of the tank should be 90 - 94 degrees and the cool side should be 80 - 84 degrees...what about at night though? Should these temperatures stay the same or should they cool down a bit?
They should stay the same 24/7 unless you're breeding. As for unplugging it when it gets hot, you're gonna have to be sitting in front of the tank all day if you want to keep the temp steady. They get very hot very quickly and cool down quickly as well. I would rather invest in a heap rheostat like the one here. I use one and have had no problems. The hides also need to be identical(I use these ,they are tighter fitting than shown in the pic); just make sure they aren't the little half log hides, they aren't very secure. Branches are optional, but not necessary. And no, if your temps are fine with the UTH, a lamp is not necessary.