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ok, so im kinda worried about morning temp in my tank. I turn off the lights at like 10 or 11 pm, and back on at 830 every morning, but the water seems awful cold in the morning. At night its really warm from all the lights being on all day, and ive got a heater in too, but should i turn the heater up? i dont want to cook them durin g the day with all the lights. how do i regulate the temp better? i cant leave the lights on all the time can i? any help would be much appreciated. im a newbie and im still learning and i figure ill never know if i dont ask

I just keep my heater at the same temp and have never changed it. The day temp is usually 78 degrees while at night the temp will go down to 77 or at rare times, 76. What is the temperature of your water in the morning? I would think it would be OK just to leave the heater. In the wild the water does get a bit colder at night and in the day it heats up.

You might need a stronger and better (more accurate) heater. How big is your turtle and how much water do you have in the tank?

It could also be that the light is too strong for the tank size. If you have something small like a 10 gallon tank, even a 60W bulb can really heat things up.
Do you know what your water and basking temps are?

What's the difference between the water temp during the day and at night (in the morning when you first check on your turtle)? You need to check with a thermometer...

It can be more difficult to maintain a stable temp in a small tank (if that's what you have)...How big is the tank? What wattage heater are you using? Are you sure it's working correctly?

I couldn't really tell from your post...are you using a both a heater & thermometer?

so i did check the temp first thing this morning as i posted and i just checked it again. AM temp 78 and PM temp is at 80. So i guess i was just worried for nothing. It is a 10 gal for now, but i think im gonna go shopping around tomorrow for a 35 long. 10 gal was just temporary anyways, we rescued the turtle babies from becoming soup. and i realize the 35 gal will even be temporary in the long run. Eventually gonna get a 110 or so but seeing as the turtle babies are only about an inch and a quarter across i figure i got time. The 35 gal is definitly this weeks top priority.