Help please - Leopard Gecko tank

[CasXMochi]

So I have a Zoo Med tank for my little Leopard Gecko. It's 30L x 12W x 16h 25 gal tank with front opening doors. I use a Zilla heat mat under the tank, and it's my understanding that the heat mat should heat the tank up but I can't get the temp really above 78F. I don't really want to use an overhead ceramic heat emitter because from what I have read is that leos don't need them and they need the heat from under the tank. Are there any suggestions on how to get the tank to heat up a bit more? My leo seems to be really happy and wonders about a bit but I want to be sure to get the heat a bit better.
Any suggestions or advice would be helpful.

 

[acpart]

Is the 78 in the air or on the floor? If it's in the air, in my opinion, that's more than high enough. If it's on the floor, measured with a digital thermometer and probe, it needs to be higher and you probably need a new heat mat (but I'm guessing that you're talking about air temps). Very hot air temps will dehydrate the gecko. 78 is fine.

Aliza

 

[CasXMochi]

Is the 78 in the air or on the floor? If it's in the air, in my opinion, that's more than high enough. If it's on the floor, measured with a digital thermometer and probe, it needs to be higher and you probably need a new heat mat (but I'm guessing that you're talking about air temps). Very hot air temps will dehydrate the gecko. 78 is fine.

Aliza

Oh okay well at night it gets down to 81.3 on the warm side and 65.4 on the cool side. Im getting a slightly bigger heat mat tomorrow so hopefully that will help some.

 

[LZRDGRL]

Yes, heat mats exist in different sizes for differently sized tanks. I had the 8 inch small ones for the 10-gallon tanks, and the next high size of UTH for the 20-gallon tanks. You have to be careful, because if the heat mat is too big, the glass can crack! I had that happen once; it just got too hot. The heat mat is just on one side, so the other side of the cage can stay cooler, anyway.