As of right now, all I use are lights for heat. I really like using these for garters, since they seem, in nature, to be real baskers and this seems to recreate that pretty well. As far as bulbs, pretty much any will do. I like to get the colour balanced basking bulbs myself, just so they don't "wash" out the garters when they're on. As far as wattage, depends on the temps., the size of the tank and if you're using a thermostat or not (something I highly recomend). Most pet stores carry lots of different bulbs from different manufaturers.
Roy