Best fixture for DIY enclosure

[HKzForDayz]

Alright, so I have ordered a few of the 4 foot pro enclosures from coldbloodedenclosures.com, as well as a few of the sunblaster t5 fixtures. For those of you who aren't familiar with CBE, they use 1/2inch PVC .

My first question is a double question. Do you prefer to use regular ceramic light sockets or a par38 fixture? Also, could you please provide a link to a fixture you would recommend? I really would prefer a fixture that swivels, and so far it seems a lot more of the par38 fixture do that versus the regular sockets. All of the guides I have found or threads on the subject have just said to use a ceramic socket that you can get at home depot, I have yet to see a link to a particular product.

My second would be, what are the best ways to mount these sunblasters inside the enclosure? I have read a couple places that these fixtures are good because you can hang them. Does anyone have a link to what I would need to hang these fixtures? I know the description on amazon said these fixtures come with flat mounting hardware, but I wasnt sure what that entailed and If it would be sufficient to mount my fixture in my enclosure.

 

[Taterbug]

How tall are the enclosures? I ended up swapping my articulated fixture for a flat socket in my 24" tall to save the height. The swivel is nice, but the space is more valuable. I don't have a link but they are in the electrical isle, by the gang boxes I think.

The flat mount hardware is designed for screws, but the fixtures are light weight, I imagine epoxy would hold them well.

The flat mount is similar to the suspension but of course doesn't have the eyelet.

 

[HKzForDayz]

It is a 24" as well. I was hoping for a screwable mount for the uvb, so thats perfect.

I will probably just go with the flat socket if its easier that way.

 

[HKzForDayz]

Is your enclosure a four footer? if so, do you just use one bulb for heat? in my 40 gals and in 3 foot enclosures ive had in the past I have always used just one bulb for basking and then the uv, but i would imagine I will need more in a four footer. I was planning on running a low watt ceramic heat emitter in the center of the cage, and then the basking bulb on the far end of the hot side.

 

[Taterbug]

In the 4'x2x2 I used one bulb
In the 4x2x4 I use three.

 

[Ed707]

I believe 3m command hooks work for hanging the sunblaster fixtures. I have the same fixture but didn't use the command hooks, I used eye bolts and nuts with spacers and tie wire but my enclosures wooden and not pvc so I don't know if you want to drill holes in the pvc. For extra lighting and temps it's something you'd have to evaluate as you go. I'd hang your basking light and your uvb and then triple check temps throughout the day. If temps are good but you need more light you can hang another strip light fixture with just 6500k daylight bulbs that don't produce uvb. If there not correct or to your liking then you'd have to add separate heat bulbs in different sections. I'd always use a ceramic fixture with as high a wattage as you can get. As for the swivel fixtures I didn't know they had them at home depot, I never seen them at mine but they might be there as I didn't look to hard. I bought a smaller one from lightyourreptiles.com but I think it's only rated for 75 watts or so. I built a ceramic fixture from stuff I bought from home depot. It doesn't have a dome but it's for a halogen light so I really didn't need one. I found all the stuff I needed in the lighting section and was directed there from a store employee that helped explain to me how to do it. Was pretty easy I can try to find a link to the stuff I used later, might take awhile to search and find it on the web.

 

[Ed707]

I believe this is the porcelain fixture you hear everyone talking about

http://m.homedepot.com/p/GE-Medium-Base-Keyless-White-Porcelain-Lampholder-18304/203716800

You'd use this type of cord to attach to it, they also make the cords with the on/off lamp switch attached to it

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Westinghouse-8-ft-SPT-1-Brown-Cord-Set-7010100/204836008

I used something similar to this, it's not the same but looks somewhat similar

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Westinghouse-2-1-8-in-Porcelain-Threaded-Socket-with-Ring-7042900/206601192

The only problem with the porcelain diy sockets is that you leave the cords exposed on the oustside.
You can search diy ceramic fixtures at home depot online and alot of different things pop up. Hoped this helped. I know it's alot of trouble hanging your own fixtures, I went through hell doing all of mine

 

[HKzForDayz]

What I was looking at doing was taking a fixture like that, and then taking a dimmer and cutting the wire after the dimmer, then wiring that to the porcelain fixture, i guess I need to figure out how to cover wire connections, maybe some kind of butt connector wrapped in electrical tape?

oh and the manufacturer of the enclosures assured me you can drill into it like wood, as long as you drill you pilot holes first and dont just screw into it.

 

[Ed707]

I have another cleaner option you can do if this is for your basking light let me search some more for some links. I did it for my basking light

 

[HKzForDayz]

Alright cool , yeah any input is appreciated, I have a few weeks at the minimum until my enclosures will arrive.

 

[Ed707]

Using this fixture you can mount it to the top of your cage. It's the only fixture with the holes in the top that you need to mount it. The only one that I've found readily available anyways. Zoo med might make one but I don't know if it has the holes that you need. I looked at ceramic domes at home depot and none of them have the holes either. It needs to be that particular fixture and not the deep dome that they make. I have a flukers deep dome fixture that I hung in my enclosure for my megaray but that's a harder task.

http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-lamps/11442-603038/flukers-flukers-clamp-lamp-with-switch.html?utm_source=googleproductads&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KEQjwxI24BRDqqN3f-97N6egBEiQAGv37hOpWPKJygfhiyCOyhLozbTw0g8WYhIwl8Z-lSPUqIpsaAvDf8P8HAQ

Here's the link to how I hung it in my enclosure

viewtopic.php?f=75&t=220998

 

[Ed707]

I don't know if you've done diy type lighting before or how experienced you are with it. I did all of mine though and went through many a trial and error. I can give quite a few suggestions on how you can do certain things. If I can save you the headache I went through I'd be more then happy too.

 

[Ed707]

Just thought I'd add if you do mount the 10 inch dome inside your viv remember to consider the width of it when hanging your uvb light. You don't want the dome blocking your uvb to the basking area.

I searched home depot for some type of cap to put over the wiring of the ceramic socket but I couldn't find one and neither could the store employee. He suggested I could use a type of heat tape that's resilient to high temps but I didn't go that route. You might be able to find or rig something online or in your travels. I didn't put to much thought into it, i just make sure not to put anything at all on top of it so there's no chance of fire. I'm no electrician but I think as long as you don't stick your finger in the wiring you won't get electricuted

 

[HKzForDayz]

Im looking for an open fixture , not one with a dome , being as its enclosed , heat escaping is not so much an issue, so i probably wont go with the flukers dome. What i will probably do is get the porcelain fixture from home depot and just cut off the end of a lamp dimmer, and use that to wire it, that way i have a dimmer built in.

 

[Ed707]

I'd use the 3m command hooks for the sunblaster. If I could do it over again that probably what I'd do. Really easy.