Building my first viv and need some help

[stevoluvmunchkin]

I am building my first viv and I have a few questions.

First I don't have the space right now for the normal 48" long viv so I am going to make a 36 1/2" long by 18" wide and 18" high. My question is if the 18" high will be high enough or should I just make it 24" high?

My second question is which light fixtures are best if I put the lights on the inside of the tank?

Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[gunkleneil]

I personally chose to go 24" height so there was room to hang lights inside as I hate the messy look of lights and wires on top. But that's just my opinion. As far as light fixtures make sure they can handle the volts and amps and heat of the bulbs you plan to use. I purchased a dual bulb spot light fixture from home cheapo for my basking and che. And a fluorescent fixture from Amazon that was rated to handle my repti-sun. May have to hang the fluorescent from small chains from the ceiling to get the right distance though. (Suggested on another forum)

 

[stevoluvmunchkin]

Thanks! Could you link me to the lights you used? Also if my viv is 36 1/2 long how long should the fluorescent light be?

 

[gunkleneil]

The spot light was a basic $10(I think) from home depot
This is the fluorescent I bought http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HJ75PW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm going against the normal recommendation and not putting one that takes up 3/4 of the length since the distance from the light to the floor is too far and almost all uvb rays will dissipate before getting there all I plan to cover is the basking area so I only need an 18" even though it's 4' wide. Here is the link with my thinking on it http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=197843
I won't be home for a few days so I can't be more specific about the spot light but I will check when I get home

 

[SnowDog]

Don't want to hijack your thread but I just finished building mine from an old entertainment center. I've got the rest of the pics in the DIY forum "Entertainment center viv". It's just under 46" long and 22" high and about 14 deep. I have a better picture of the lights in it but the one on the left is a 60w general lighting/heat bulb and the one on the right is a 125w Heat/UVB spot.

 

[gunkleneil]

this is the flood light fixture I picked up. $10.97
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia...-OFTH-300PR-120-WH-M12/100652905#.UkDpY4brzww
I liked it because it was cheap , and the wires were seperate for each bulb. Also both fixtures are adjustable so I can angle it to the spot I want it to hit.

 

[stevoluvmunchkin]

Awesome! Thank you. I picked up all the wood, vents, and the fluorescent light fixture this past weekend. Is it ok to use any of the spotlight fixtures? Right now I have a 40 gal breeder with the ceramic fixtures for the basking bulb and night glo bulbs. I don't really remember why I was told to make sure it was a ceramic fixture though.

 

[gunkleneil]

You want the ceramic element cause it handles the heat without issues. Plastic or metal and over heat. Most spot lights are designed to handle the excess heat generated by the bulbs. UL listed is also something to look for. Make sure what ever fixture you get can handle the watts of your bulbs

 

[stevoluvmunchkin]

Ah yea I figured it must have been because of something like that. Does anyone know of a place to buy colored melamine? My local stores only carry the white sheets in big sizes.