Best Tank For Your Leopard Gecko

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So you need a tank for your leopard gecko. And you want to know what the best one is for your budget.

Firstly, there’s two ways you can go with this.

1. “Cheap & Cheerful”?

If you really don’t have much money to spend, then either an old fish tank or a cheap tank from a pet store can get you started.

But remember, cheap tanks will be lower quality. It will tend to be thinner glass (so not as strong) and you may not be able to see through it quite so well. Also check for rough/sharp edges.

Fish tanks also don’t have much in the way of ventilation – they are of course designed to hold water, not air smile

2. Or You Can Choose Quality That Will Last

A good quality tank will last you a lifetime, particularly if you get the right size to start with (see what is the best tank size for your gecko below).

This is actually the cheapest option over the long term. If you pick the right size and the best tank for you gecko to start with.

It’s up to you which way you go, but personally I think your Leo deserves a home you can both be proud of smile

So, here’s our top picks of the best tanks (or ‘terrarium’) for your gecko.

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Best OVERALL Leopard Gecko Tank

Exo Terra Short All Glass Terrarium

Why this is a great tank to get:-

  • specially designed by herpetologists for reptile use
  • perfect size at 22 gallons (24 x 18 x 12 inches)
  • front glass doors for easy access
  • screen top (i.e. not solid glass) for good ventilation
  • bottom panel is raised for easy heat pad install

Get The Exo Terra Short Tank On Amazon Here

Best Tall Tank

Exo Terra All Glass Terrarium

Sometimes you just don’t have enough room to go wide. This is a solid alternative, although I would recommend wide over tall if you have the space – it will give your gecko more room to move around. If you go tall, you really need to add even more objects/levels to give the same amount of usable space.

But if you just don’t have the space to go wide, this is a great choice of tank.

Get The Exo Terra Tall Tank On Amazon Here

Best ‘Starter Kit’ Tank

Exo Terra Rainforest Habitat Kit (Medium)

This is a really nice looking setup with a cool ‘rainforest’ theme to it. And looks do matter with your tank – nothing wrong with that smile

So with this kit you get a solid good quality tank (size: 17.7 x 23.6 x 17.7 inches) which is a proper big 32 gallon tank size. Plus you get a nice water bowl, humidity and temperature monitors and a bunch of decorative stuff like hanging plants, ropes and a foam backdrop. So this is basically the tall Exo Terra tank above, but with a whole bunch of extras thrown in. It’s not everything you need (no heater for example) but it’s a good value kit.

Get The Exo Terra Rainforest Starter Kit On Amazon Here

ONE TO AVOID

Exo Terra ‘Leopard Gecko Starter Kit’

At first glance this kit looks great – it’s even nicely branded with lots of leopard gecko pictures.

But be warned – this tank is too small (it’s only 10 gallons)!

To be fair, they do call it a starter kit. And they are NOT saying it’s big enough for when your gecko gets bigger/older (because it isn’t!).

I see this one recommended quite a lot, but it’s really not a great choice. Apart from being too small, the tank is more your standard ‘fish tank’ style. So it doesn’t have the front doors and raised floor that better designed tanks have.

I really don’t recommend this one, you can do better for the price.

Questions?

What is the best size tank for a leopard gecko?

Always aim for a tank around 20 gallons in size. Yes, you can get away with a much smaller 10 gallon tank to start with – but it’s really only suitable for a hatchling. You’ll very quickly need to move up to a bigger tank so it’s a waste of money to start too small. Baby geckos do NOT mind a big tank.

What are the dimensions of a 20 gallon tank?

Typically around 24in wide x 18in deep x 12in high (for a low wide tank – which is best). This gives 3 cubic feet which is about 22 gallons.

Where to buy a leopard gecko tank?

You can buy tanks from local pet stores. But you can buy online too quite easily and get one delivered to your door. They are packed well so rarely get broken, and if they do, trustworthy retailers like Amazon will replace damaged items without any problems. Wherever you buy though I’d recommend investing in a quality tank of the right size to start with. Exo Terra and Repti Zoo are good quality brands to look for.

If you have any other questions not covered here – just ask in the comments section below smile