In a strange and possibly illegal situation (which really isn't that uncommon here in the ghetto), I don't have complete control over my heating. Room temperature can fluctuate wildly while I'm not home, which wouldn't be good for the skinky. I know a lot of people use dimmers to adjust the power of their lights according to the ambient temperature of the room, and I did this myself over the summer when things were predictable. But I can't stay home to fiddle with dimmers all day.
And so after seeing it in Jerry's (JWSR) setup, I got one of these to do it for me: http://spyderrobotics.com/products/herpstat2.html
It is absolutely that best investment I've made for Ping. I can be gone all day knowing that no matter what the building heat is doing, he is at a safe temperature. It can be used to monitor two tanks, or a larger tank with two temperature zones. I believe it's meant for things like heating pads and ceramic heat emitters, but I'm using it with two incandescents and it does maintain the temps. They do flicker a bit as it adjusts the amount of power to them, but I think of it like the sun going behind a cloud. I have both lighting devices configured as heating devices, but the Herpstat does have a "lighting" option where it will...get this!...gradually brighten and dim a light to mimic sunrise and sunset! If your house gets super hot in the summer, it can also control a cooling device.
It is $219 + shipping, and completely worth the money. For another $79, you can get some software and cables so you can hook it up to your computer (usb and broadband required). It will email or text message you if the temperature goes beyond a safe range. Kind of gimmicky, but very cool nonetheless.
Anyway, this all sounds like a lame corny ad. Maybe it looks like overkill. But a lot of people posted about how to keep temperatures consistent, especially in winter, and this is a very reliable way to do it. And in my personal situation with the building heat, without it I think I'd risk coming home to a cooked skink!
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I tried bulbs at different wattages until I found two that usually ran near maximum power to maintain the temps, so if it does fail "on" then chances would still be low that the skink would get flash fried.
