Why is a ceramic heat emitter a better source of heat than a black light heat lamp- for a ball python? And can it sit in a fixture directly on top on the mesh lid as the black light heat lamp can or would it require a stand? I see they come in 60-250 Watt. Right now, I use a 75 watt black light bulb. What ceramic heater wattage is best for a 20 gallon vivarium? Thanks!
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Ceramic heat emitters do not deliver any visible light when they are used at night to heat an enclosure. They do get kinda hot sometimes. It is best to use a rheostat or, a thermostat with any heating device to help regulate temperatures and, the heat output of the device. A stand would probably be best. I have one on one of my enclosures and I never really have to worry about the screen top from ever becoming red hot because a lamp or a heat emitter is pressed too close up against it. A snake could easily burn itself by touching a screen top that has a super hot spot on it. For a 20 gallon, a lower wattage (50-60) emitter hooked up to a device heat controller is recommended for night time heating. I do use red night lights as well when I want observe the nocturnal behavior of some of my ball pythons. The light from these bulbs is very low-vis to snakes and, they also generate heat.
you want your snake to have a completely blacked out night rather than something glowing in purple overhead.
I would go no higher that a 75W CHE for a 20 gallon. It also depends on what other heat sources you have, if any. Make sure that you use an open dome style holder for it. The closed domes that you would use with a regular bulb will not allow for enough heat to escape and can cause the CHE to explode and no one wants that. Yes the open dome will still allow the heat to penetrate down into the tank. I use one in addition to a red night cycle for my blue tongue skink.
