First setup - UVB question

MsCarter, I went with a 3D background from universal rocks. I didn't get the ledge background (too expensive with shipping costs), but the one I ordered has a nice rocky effect, and should work well. I can't wait to see it.

I would like to try something homemade, but maybe a simpler project would be best for a beginner. Maybe I can make a dig box...

I got the cage ordered from BigAppleHerp yesterday. Very pleased with them so far, and am estimating that I might get my cage in abouut two weeks(it and the stand are both customized orders, so take longer). They're under hurricane warning at the minute though, so there could be delays.

I've ordered rocks (fake) and driftwood branches, and got my CHE and basking bulb ordered from lightyourreptile. The UVB arrived from lightyourreptiles and came packaged very well. I plugged it in to check it works - I actually kinda expected it to be brighter, but I think it is working okay. Light domes are on their way, plus food dish. Calcium and vitamin supplements also came today.

Link to CHE - http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/100-watt-repti-ceramic-heat-emitter/
Link to basking light - http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/120-watt-frosted-halogen-chromalux-neodymium-best-big-basker/

I hope my basking bulb will be okay in this dome - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OCWP1Q

I can't wait to get everything setup, and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.

I was looking at the basking bulb but it doesn't list the UVB. Does it on the package?

I advise against using a neodymium coated basking light. Just a plain PAR38 or BR40 halogen flood light from the hardware store should do the trick. The neodymium filters yellows which makes the light look nice to us, but may cause things to look odd and distorted to a dragon.

SpacialCoogs":20fs2xsj said:

I was looking at the basking bulb but it doesn't list the UVB. Does it on the package?

Click to expand...

I got my UVB here: http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/46-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/

CooperDragon - oh dear. I think I'll be sending that bulb back then. Thank you for the advise.

Would any of these work?

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-460550-Equivalent-Daylight-4-Pack/dp/B01CAL1FEQ

https://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Halogen-Equivalent-Daylight-Spotlight/dp/B01AFLJ5KO

https://www.amazon.com/PACK-Equivalent-Daylight-DIMMABLE-Lighting/dp/B01FGLZJOO

https://www.amazon.com/Torchstar-Equivalent-Dimmable-Daylight-WARRANY/dp/B017R8QCJU

Avoid LEDs because they won't produce the heat you need. The third link looks good to me. This is what I have (not saying it's the best, I just know it does the job) http://www.target.com/p/ge-90-watt-par38-halogen-light-bulb-2-pack-soft-white/-/A-14436501

You may need to play around with different wattages to get the correct temps. I have mine on a dimming thermostat to keep it within range. Sometimes they run at 100% and on warm days like today it was at around 45% all day keeping the basking area between 100-103.

Is the color you linked to (soft white) a good choice?

I found this on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/GE-Lighting-66282-Energy-Efficient-replacement/dp/B007V92OUM. Would that one work?

Yeah, that's the same bulb, just a bit brighter which is good. The only reason I have that particular model is because it's what was available at the hardware store when I needed a replacement. A bright halogen with a nice wide beam should do the job. I know these will dim well too so you can put it on a dimming thermostat or manual lamp dimmer with no problem.

I'm sure I've said so already, CooperDragon, but I want to thank you so much for all your help and advise. I really do appreciate it.

A few questions - I didn't see any mention of the bulb being dimmable. Can it still work if I connect it to a dimmer?

Found another bulb, would appreciate feedback:

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Lighting-62715-Energy-Efficient-replacement/dp/B007V92RJA

You're welcome. I'm glad to be able to help out. Mine is on a dimming thermostat (herpstat2) and it is good about dimming down to about 30% and then it starts to flick on and off below that which doesn't usually wind up being a huge deal - that only happens at sunrise/sunset. It doesn't make a humming sound the way the ZooMed Repti Basking Spot light does.

The last link you posted is a spot light instead of a flood light. It will work but is likely to have a more narrow concentration of light/heat. As long as it creates a basking area at least a diameter equal to slightly bigger than your dragon it's OK. I go with the flood lights to ensure a nice wide basking area. This allows them to bask evenly which is important (according to some articles I've read).

Thanks for explaining the difference. I ordered the first one (https://www.amazon.com/GE-Lighting-66282-Energy-Efficient-replacement/dp/B007V92OUM).

I have been looking at thermostats - the link you posted looked quite promising. Does that particular product allow the basking light to be set to totally shut off at night? Could I also plug my CHE in to the same thermostat and run it with separate settings? How easy is the product to use? I have a visual impairment, so I prefer things simple so I don't have to ask my husband for help all the time(not that he minds.)

That should serve you well. I use a Herpstat2 and it works well http://beanfarm.com/product_info.ph...=5984&osCsid=9bf513b95740036d749caebd76d44f68

It has two separate outlets which are each controlled by a temperature probe. I have one on the basking side which controls the basking light, and one on the cool side which controls a heat projector (no visible light). I set the basking side to sunrise (slowly increase dimmer) in the morning, then stay within 100-103 during the day then sunset and stay off overnight. This is on the dimmer setting. The cool side is set to not allow the temps to drop below 70 and shut off if the temps go above 73. This side is set to pulse which works better with the heat projector/ceramic heat emitter. The two outlets are independent and there is a display on the front showing the current temperature from each probe. Once it's programmed (which takes a read through of the manual and maybe 15 minutes) then it's pretty much set and forget. It retains settings after power outage too which is nice. It's only one option out there but I've found it to work pretty well.

The Herpstat2 looks like it's exactly what I've been looking for. I have ordered it from http://www.spyderrobotics.com/. I watched a few videos on YouTube and read the instruction manual online. It looks like being a great product, and I really like that it remembers settings if there is a power outage. Plus, with the day/night cycle, I'll be able to use the CHE during the day and nigt at different temperatures.

Thank you again, CooperDragon.

I assume you must have your UVB on a separate timer? Theres no way to add the UVB to the herpstat2 as well, is there?

Great. I think you'll like it a lot. If you have any questions about the settings let me know. I'll be glad to run through mine and let you know which settings I've got in place. I just followed the instruction book and plugged in the times and temp ranges I wanted though.

There's not much point in connecting the UVB light because that's always a constant. It would be nice to be able to ramp up the UVB output in the AM and down in PM but the lights don't allow that. My UVB light is on a simple wall outlet timer set to turn on a couple of hours after the "sunrise" of the basking light and goes off an hour or two before "sunset". That allows some heat without intense UVB at the ends of the day when UVB would naturally be lower.

Sorry it's been a while. But I'm getting my new dragon on Thursday! Can't wait.

I was lucky enough to be able to get a 36" x 18" x 18" cage, to use temporarily whilst I'm waiting for my custom cage. (My husband will be using it after for his hissing cockroaches).

I got a ReptiSun 10.0 (24") and hood to use until I can change over to the Arcadia In the larger cage. Today I'm working on setting up my lights. My basking spot is about 12.5" from light and UVB. I have heat set at 105 (my baby will be about 10 weeks - is 105 the right temp for him?). The UVB is on top of the screen. I'm controlling that with a standard timer.

I was hoping for some help with setting up the HerpStat2. How do I set what time I want the lights to come off and go off. I set up the system clock and time, and have the output mode on dimming heat. Kinda confused about what to do next to get the times set...

Did you get a T5 or T8 UV Tube? The T5 has a higher output and could be okay on top of the cage if it's wire/mesh but the T8 may not be as it needs to be within 6-8" of the basking spot.