If you want to improve the quality of your water, you filter work efficiently and keep the water well-oxygenated, it is absolutely essential to frequently clean you tank filter. Many aquarium owners do not have the cleaning habit for their filters on a regular basis and this can lead to problems with water chemistry.

It is much more essential and require more frequency when it comes to small tank as 10 gallons tank. Even you get the best filter for a 10 gallon tank, you also need to include your aquarium filter in your routine cleaning schedule if you want to keep your tank clean and running properly.

#1 Mechanical filter

Mechanical filters need their sponge or foam pad cleaned around every 4 to 6 weeks. However, there is the note that you should do this work with the same time as you change a part of your aquarium water. Clean your mechanical filters after tis one or two weeks. This will help your fish avoid from two shocks at the same time and being stress.

Cleaning it by always swishing it around in water that you take out from your aquarium. Do not clean it under the tap, you just need to remove the dirt and debris by your hands and then replace the sponge or pad.

#2 Chemical filters

Chemical filters contain carbon and it requests to be replaced frequently, around every 3-4 weeks. This is mainly because carbon removes chlorine, tannins, and other harmful chemicals but it is only effective for a few weeks, and then you need to replace the cartridges.

Making the habit of doing this once a month along with your partial water change. I even do it more often when my 10 gallons tank becomes cloudy very quickly. However, the draw back if you have a cartridge in your chemical filter is that it can be difficult to clean and messy to maintain.

#3 Biological filters

Your biological filters contain a huge amount of bacteria to process fish waste. The more bacteria you have, the cleaner your tank will be in the long term Due to this replace your biological filters means that you will kill these bacteria.

So, biological filters do not need to be cleaned very often or at all. If you want to clean a biological filter, it is better to do it in the water from the tank, while you doing the partial water change.

If you are planning to keep a leopard gecko, then you first need to learn and research about their lighting and temperature needs to live in confinement. 

Leopard geckos are nocturnal animals, they are more active, do almost activities during the night and sleep all day. They do not need lots of light but the proper lighting also very important for the overall well being of leopard geckos.

These following are the best light for leopard gecko that we recommend to you in order to help you avoid overwhelming when choosing a light for your pets: OMAYKEY 100W 2 Pack Ceramic Heat Lamp VS. Zoo Med Basking bulb pack Day and Night Combo.

#1 Temperature

When it comes to best UVB light for leopard gecko, the temperature is also an important part because the lighting is the way to provide heat. Unless you are using the heat pads to warm up your pets from below, you will not need the heating bulb as the heat source.

The Zoo Med Basking Combo is the all in one since it includes a daylight spot lamp and an infrared heat lamp.  The reptile Basking Spot is 75 watts will do the work of provides heat for you leopard geckos during the day. Due to two heat bulbs, this combo will serve heat for your pets 24 hours a day.

The spot lamp also emits a concentrated heat source for your leopard gecko basking under. This lamp can be able to focus 35% more light and heat in one spot and can last for 2000 hours.

OMAYKET ceramic heat power is 100 Watts and the input voltage is AC 90-120V. Like Basking combo of Zoo Med, this ceramic lamp also can emit heat for 24 hours per day with 100% efficiency. 

It could last 9000-15000 hours and so on. When it comes to heating, there is no much lamp that can more effective than a ceramic bulb.

#2 Night time lighting

Leopard geckos are nocturnal reptiles, they mainly active in the nighttime. If you are providing them with a while lighting all day. It will affect on regulating your Leo’s internal clock. Instead, to avoid bother your pets at night, you should offer them red or blue light.  

A mention above, Zoo Med basking combo includes both daylight bulb and an infrared het bulb to use for the night. This infrared heat lamp is made out of the red glass with premium quality, which will offer a 24-hour heat source for your leopard geckos.

The 100W black infrared heat bulb of OMAYKEY is made of solid ceramics element. It has a perfect heat radiation feature with no light emitted. Which will ensure your pets will receive enough amount of heat that they need without being disturbed by white light at night.

Reptiles in the enclosure have to be provided with all the requirements if you went them to thrive well. Reptiles rely on external sources of heat to keep their bodies warm. Besides, when you keep reptiles as pets, you will need to serve them the best UVB bulb for processing vitamin D, and synthesizes calcium.

This post will help you easier to choose UVB light bulbs by introducing to you two popular bulbs: Repti-Sun 10.0 UVB VS. Evergreen Pet Supplies 100 Watt Mercury Vapor Bulb.

#1 Types of bulbs

Repti-sun is Fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs are the ideal options if you are a beginner or limited on budgets since Fluorescent bulbs have reasonable prices and fairly easy to mount.

Fluorescent bulbs are also safer to use if you do not have any experience for reptile lighting. These bulbs will provide only UVB rays for your reptiles. That means they do not radiant heat and you will still need a basking bulb as well.

Evergreen Mercury Vapor bulb, on the other hand, is the all-in-one bulb. It will be the solution for reptile keepers, who’ve got some experience in reptile lighting. A Mercury Vapor Bulb will provide UVA, UVB and heat for your reptiles.

You will not need to set up the complex lighting with more than one bulb in your cage. Mercury Vapor Bulbs are more expensive, lasting for longer and also stronger than Fluorescent UVB bulbs.

#2 Life span

In order to get the best result from the bulbs, it is better to replace the bulbs for a period of time. Even if the bulbs still emit the light, but they may no longer effective and provide enough amount of UVB that your reptiles require.

Repti-Sun bulb will provide an adequate amount of UVB for most of your pets and will last anywhere from 6 to 12 months on average. However, you should replace it with the new bulb for about 6 months.

Evergreen mercury vapor bulb will last for longer than Repti-Sun. You can replace this bulb every 12 months. This will ensure that your reptiles still receive an optimal level of UVB that is being put out.

#3 The tank to use for

There are differences between Repti-Sun 5.0 and 10.0. You should use the Repti-Sun 5.0 for the tanks that re 10 gallons. And 10.0 Repti-Sun bulb can work great with at least 40 gallons tank.

Evergreen 100 Watt bulb also should be used for 40 gallons tanks. If you are keeping more than 40 gallons tank, you can use the 160 Watt Mercury Vapor Bulb.

Bedding is the material placed on the floor of the bearded dragon cage. Bearded dragons spend most of their time in the cage, so the bedding will directly impact the health and enrichment of your pets.

Wrong bedding can lead to impaction and disease for them. The best bedding for bearded dragons is very important for them to enjoy along and happy life.

In this post, we will look at two of the best bedding for bearded dragons: Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Substrate VS. Zoo Med Eco Cage Carpet.

#1 Safety and non-toxic material

Above all things, the primary concern of bearded dragons owner is the safety of pets. Whatever bearded dragon substrate you are using, ensure that it is natural and does not contain any harmful dyes or colors, which might cause irritation to bearded dragon’s skin and eyes.

Zoo Med Eco Cage Carpet is the product made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic bottles. This makes it is environmentally friendly and extremely affordable as well. Moreover, with the carpet bedding, you can totally remove the concern about the risk of accidental ingestion like some other loose bedding.

Zoo Med Loose coconut Fiber is an all-natural product that means it is completely safe for your bearded dragons.

Because this bedding is so fine, it is not caused any problems with digestion ore impaction if you bearded dragons accidentally ingest. However, this bedding can be a bit messy and dust when it is dry.

#2 Easy to maintain

It is obvious that bearded dragons bedding requires frequent cleaning. Choosing the bedding that easy to reduce and replace can save much of your time and effort.

Zoo Med coconut fiber is quite easy to clean. You can spot clean and remove solid waste from loose bedding with spoon or scoop. And once per month, you should completely change the substrate.

Coconut fiber is also very well absorbs, which makes it an ideal product for odor control.

Zoo Med Carpet is easier to clean than the loose since you just wash it under the running water and wait it dry then put it back in the cage. To replace, it comes in 13 x 48 inches. This size is ideal for 55 gallons tank but it can be easily cut and used for a smaller tank.

Bearded dragons are omnivores; they eat a variety of insects, vegetables, and fruits. Bearded dragons are not picky eaters; they readily accept any food that you feed them.

Feeding bearded dragons is not a different task but you should keep in mind that the variety of food is the key. This will make mealtime become more appealing to them.

As a bearded dragon keeper, it is your responsibility for choosing the best foods for bearded dragons so that they will reach their optimum health.

In many different types of the best food commercially made for bearded dragons, we recommend that you should try the two packaged foods: Fluker's 72023 Bearded Dragon Medley Reptile Treat VS. Zilla Reptile Munchies For Pets.

#1 Ingredients

It is obvious that ingredient is the most important thing that you should consider when choosing commercially food for bearded dragons. The food should be made of safe, rich nutrients for bearded dragons. You should check the full ingredients of the food from any bearded dragon supplies.

Zilla Reptiles Munchies are made from real ingredients such as Sun Dried Bok Choy, Freeze Dried Zucchini, Freeze Dried Green Beans, Freeze Dried Peas, Freeze Dried Bananas, Sun Dried Carrots, Freeze Dried Crickets, Freeze Dried Mealworms, Freeze Dried Silkworms with Calcium.

These ingredients include both meat-based and plant-based food. It is easy and quick to provide your pets with a variety of desirable green vegetables and insects that they prefer.

Fluker’s medley freeze-dried is made from freeze dried mealworms, freeze dried grasshoppers, freeze dried crickets. These are all real dead insects instead of being in pellet form. The free-drying process will keep the flavour and the freshness of this food for along time.

#2 Nutritional value

If you are feeling tired of finding the high sources of protein in order to provide for your bearded dragons with all the energy they need for the day, then choosing Fluckers Medley can be a great alternative.

Fukers Medley provides essential proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals for complete and balanced nutrition.

All bearded dragons keepers will know that calcium is essential to reptiles for proper bone health. To avoid the calcium deficiency illness in bearded dragons, you can provide them with Zilla Reptile Munchies since it contains quite a much amount of extra calcium.

Reptiles can be a unique and excellent animal that become popular to keep as pets. However, they also have some requirements that should be adopted that other normal pets wouldn’t. One of those important requirements is the proper temperature.

The most effective and safest heat source you can get for your enclosure is reptile heat mat. This heat mats not only an economical way to provide heat for your reptiles but also keep your pet comfortable and healthy.

What is reptile heat mat?

The best reptile heat mat is the pad that emanates heat for reptile tanks and takes a portion of the tank. Almost heat mats are designed to be placed under the tank and prove heat from the bottom up.

There are quite many types of heat mats that come in a variety of sizes and wattages. The heat mat is ideal to use for animals that do not require UV light and do not prefer to basking, they are usually nocturnal animals.

Heat mat compare with the other heat sources

There are many different methods to provide heat for reptiles. Some owners can use heat tape in reptiles tank but this product was not made specially to use for animals in captivity. It tends to overheat your pets.

Ceramic heat emitter is also another heat source but it consumes a lot of electricity than heat mat. Sometimes it can cause the damage of burning your skin if you are any old how.

Hot rock is a common method to provide heat but it has been known to causing burns since reptiles will lay and spend a lot of their time on it.

The reason that the heat mat is valued over other heating systems is that it takes less cost to buy and bring more efficiency. The amount of heat that the heat mat provides is gentle and barely. It won’t take you lots of effort to maintain and its life span is much longer than another heat source.

The best reptile heating pad will maintain a constant temperature inside the tank during the day and night without bothers your reptiles when they sleep.

If it is the first time you keep bearded dragons, setting up the enclosure habitat for them can be a daunting task. There are some basic factors that bearded dragons require to live healthy and happy.

In order to create the perfect bearded dragon setup and keep them safe; you have to offer them the comfortable cage, the heat and lighting systems, proper substrate and decoration and the bowls of food as well.

#1 Cage for bearded dragon

It is obvious that terrarium is the most important thing that you have to prepare for your pets as soon as you take them home. Your bearded dragons will spend most of their time in this cage, it is will be their home so you will want it to be safe and secure.

In the first years of age, bearded dragons will grow about a centimeter a week. They also prefer to walk around their cage and like to climb on the rocks or perches for basking.

Therefore, you should provide them a cage that is large enough for their growth and easily moves around or doing exercise. The best tanks bearded dragons should large about three times than your bearded dragon’s lengths.

#2 Heat and Light

Bearded dragons’ natural habitat is desert. So you need to mimic this high temperature in their captive environment. They prefer to bask under the direct sunlight.

And this feature should be reproduced by a baking area that places underneath a baking bulb in the cage. There are some specialized bulbs that are designed to provide heat for reptiles.

Bearded dragons also require UV light in their cage. UV light includes UVA and UVB rays. These lights can help bearded dragons maintain the internal o’clock, and also help them absorb vitamin D3 in order to synthesis calcium for strong bones.

#3 Substrate and decoration

Bearded dragons should not live and walk on a bare glass floor. Therefore they need substrate. There is sub material is considered as safe substrates for bearded dragons such as newspaper, paper towel, reptile carpet, etc.

Bearded dragons also need large and stable rock for basking. Driftwood, grapevine also the good stuff for the cage decoration and encourage your bearded dragons more active.

#4 Food and water bowls

Bearded dragons should be offered adequate food and water bowls to be fed. The bowls that you choose should be shallow for the dragons easy to access and see the food. It is also should deep enough so the live insects cannot escape.

When it comes to keeping pets at home, these animals like god are cat has been thought firstly. However, bearded dragons are rising in popularity as a pet in the family. What makes them highly appreciated like this? Do bearded dragons make good pets?

These following are some reasons that make bearded dragons a good pet and why you should keep for your own a beardie.

#1 Breaded dragons are easy to care for

Like the other pets, bearded dragons also need a proper environment to live healthy. But once you know how to correctly set up the best UVB bulb and temperatures for these cold-blooded animals, they are incredibly easy animals to care for.

Bearded dragons are omnivores that meant they eat both plants, vegetables and animal-based food; they are even like to eat fruit too.

#2 Bearded dragon is well behaved

They are tent to move slowly and prefer to be passive than aggressive. They are known as their character of docile and affectionate. Bearded dragons hardly ever hurt you. They would like to communicate with their owner. Furthermore, bearded dragons like to be cuddled by human.

#3 Bearded dragons have a long life

You can bring you bearded dragon home when they are 3-4 months old and keeping them for more than neat decade. Because in the captivity, a bearded dragon tends to live about 10-15 years and more under proper care. Providing for your bearded dragons a correctly diet, temperature and lighting, usually bring them to reptile veterinarian to prevent any illnesses. And your pets will have a healthy and happy life for a long time.

#4 Bearded dragons have a special appearance

They are having a unique look since there are no two bearded dragons are the same. Each bearded dragon is unique due to their own patterns, colors, behavior and character. It is a great experience to see each of them has its own personality.

If you are finding a way to set up your crested gecko’s enclosure habitat, do not forget to add crested gecko accessories. Crested geckos are vertebrate tropical species, there are three basic requirements of them that you should provide when you set up and decoration their cage: places to hide, things for them to jump or climb water accumulation.

Besides, you should ensure that you are present the cage in the correct way. Your crested geckos require enough space to hide and cover them in order to avoid stress by exposing; enough height and branches for them to climb; and the proper humidity with the best reptile fogger.

Why you should add gecko accessories in their cage?

Environmental enrichment for animals in captivity is necessary but not every crested gecko’s owner takes notice of it. There are some benefits of environmental enrichment are: improve the development of neural and cognitive functions; improve activity frequency; decrease stress levels and susceptibility; improve immune ability and build up resistance:

In captivity, your crested geckos tend to live much more sedentary than their wildlife. So it is important to provide them enough space to adjust their body temperature and doing some instinct behavior.

Adding accessories in their cage can simulate their activity; decrease the risk of obesity and some other health problem.

According to the study, doing exercise and activity play an important role in improving neural and reduces stress. It allows your geckos to exhibit their natural behaviors.

What are accessories you should put in crested gecko cage?

Branches, vines, live plants, fake plants, tubes, hide boxes, PVC pipes, bamboo, moss, food dish platform, etc

How to choose safe accessories?

You can buy these accessories at any pet stores or even DIY it for your pet but whatever you use as accessories, ensure that it safe for your crested geckos. Ensure that not get any things with sharp or rough edges or with dangerous electrical wires. They also should be free from paint or dyes.

There are also some plants can harm your crested gecko, so before buying, you need to do some little research to discover types of plans that safe for them.