Grrr...looking all day. NO ceramic/porcelain fixtures at ALL

[Sherri]

around here. *sigh*. I want to use a regular household bulb with one of the *shop light* housings/fixtures. You know, the kind that usually clamp on...aluminum type...cheap...we have a bunch in our garage but none of them have a ceramic socket for the 100 or 150 watt bulb.

Lowe's...Home Depot...Walmart...a bunch of lighting stores...Ace Hardware...to name just a few. I have literally exhausted so many places here. And our little guy is supposed to be delivered on Tuesday. *sigh*. By the time I can order one and get it here he will have grown 2 more inches :shock:

Depot did have a ceramic light holder, but my son and I do not want to have to look into the tank and directly into a bare lightbulb .

Sorry about the rant, have any of you come across this problem?? My husband will not want to drill a hole for one fixture just to turn around and patch it up to drill a different one.

Any suggestions? We aren't going to use flood lamp b/c of the cost.
Thanks for listening! lol It is just frustrating to want such simple things and not have them around. I have to go out of town to get the T8 fixture as well lol. Walmart here does not carry them, but Lowe's in the next town does

Sherri

 

[diamc]

Sherri, you're right, those places don't carry the clamp lamps with ceramic sockets. Have you tried a petstore? I know they will be more expensive but they should certainly have them. Let us know how you make out.

 

[Sherri]

Thank you! I had not thought of that lol. I don't care what it costs any longer :shock: I just don't want to wait for one to be ordered.

Thanks again, can't wait until tomorrow to call Petsmart!
Sherri

 

[diamc]

You certainly should have no trouble finding one there. Something else to keep in mind is that they come in different sizes, I would recommend a 8 to 9" diameter. The 5" diameter is too small and would only give out a lot of heat in one small area. I would also look for the black coated hood with the ceramic fixture as the aluminum ones get very hot and most of the time only have a plastic fixture. Let me know how you make out and good luck. :wink:

Oh, did you decide what you're going to use to hold the strip UVB yet?

 

[Sherri]

Hi,
Yes I plan to get this one; Fluker's Porcelain Clamp Lamps Black, 8.5" 150watt My husband is going to very securely attach the UVB fixture...we won't use velcro strips. I am just relieved to hear there is ONE place within a 50 mile radius that carries the fixture :shock:

We picked up all the building supplies tonight and they will build it tomorrow For now I will only be using rubber kitchen shelving on the floor and walls while we save for the background we want. We are going to attach it with velcro so that it can be removed easily when the time comes.

I found the NEATEST background for the viv, but......ouch! it is nearly $60! lolol. We really want it so we are saving for that. When you consider that when this all began I told my husband; '$29 for the beardie, $59 for the tank............lolol. Kind of TNT'd that whole story! :lol: So the background will be boring for a while. (We will only have eyes for our little Razzle anyway.

I will take the frame for the front door of the viv into the glass shop Monday morning and they will install it. Then it will be piano hinged at the bottom and we have a slip/spring lock for the top.

So sorry I rambled! I am excited that it is all coming together! Thank you so much! I don't know why I did not think of Petsmart! We are in there all the time! (we have a Labrador and fish tank).
Pics to come when finished!
Sherri

 

[diamc]

Don't worry about rambling, I know how exciting it is. And, it's all coming together, good for you. Did you purchase a probe thermometer yet? If not, Walmart has the AcuRite brand digital with probe that will give you both basking & cool side temps at the same time as well as a humidity readout for only $12.00. The round gauge or digital strip thermometers that the pet stores have are very inaccurate. Just thought I would fill you in on this too.

 

[beardie parents]

A few years ago, I found ceramic fixtures, including the silver dome with a clamp attachment at Home Depot. If they no longer have them, it's possible they discontinued them, or because of the extreme cold, they were sold out. The one's we got were rated for about 300 watts. We wanted them because we wanted to go with the MVB's, like the T-rex when they were still good bulbs, now during the summer, we use the 60 watt Mega ray eb setup.

 

[Jess]

I got 3 5" ceramic lamp fixtures at the thrift store for $1 each, LOL. They work well for me though, since I only have a 40 gal. I have a light holder too like the one you described, and it wasn't that bad. I prefer the lamps though.

I ordered an 8" Zoomed ceramic lamp for my CHE off Petmountain, and it was only $12. So if you need any more lamps in the future, online is always an option too!

 

[ImaMainer24]

Just thought that I would ask...what is the difference between a ceramic fixture and a porcelain fixture?

 

[Sherri]

Just thought that I would ask...what is the difference between a ceramic fixture and a porcelain fixture?

Hi, actually porcelain IS a type of ceramic so in this application they are basically the same. There is a difference when buying tile, porcelain is harder and less fragile than ceramic tiles

 

[ImaMainer24]

Hi, actually porcelain IS a type of ceramic so in this application they are basically the same. There is a difference when buying tile, porcelain is harder and less fragile than ceramic tiles

Thanks!