Heating set-up for my 55G.

[TurboSE]

I'm finally taking my ball out of her Tupperware and putting her in an aquarium. She's 7 years old, about 48". From what I read, she shouldn't feel overwhelmed at the size of her new home.

Here's the quick & dirty of my set-up. Feel free to make suggestions.

Lights/Lamps:
2 - night bulbs in regular clamp lamps. (Not a lot of use for heat, but sometimes I like to watch her crawl around while I'm in bed. Won't be on most of the time.)

1 - 100W Zoo Med Ceramic Heater in Fluker's dome. (Is 100W big enough or should I have gone 150W?).

All on a wall-mounted rack over the tank w/mesh lid (Any ideas how high to mount them to achieve the appropriate temp?).

1 - Zoo Med 18x8 UTH with Home Depot lamp dimmer for safety and a stick on thermometer on the glass above the pad to check the temp. (What is a safe temp to set the pad at?). I use about 2" of shredded Aspen bedding if that matters.


2 - Half log hides, one at each end.

I've been told the light cycles in the average bedroom are acceptable and I don't really need lights on a timer. True?

Is there any need to have the heaters on a thermostat such as the 500R? Or just the ceramic heater maybe? I've read it should be constant.

Any other suggestions are appreciated!