Heating up of tank

[umdfb77]

I have just recieved recieved my lights and thermometers as I begin to setup my tank. How long should it take for my tank to heat up. I was doing this after my children went to sleep (they are getting a beardie for Xmas and I want to keep it hidden from them). I want to spend the next 2 weeks figuring how to set up my lights. I have done lots of research through this site and others yet I still seemed to have run into some issues.

I have a dual light (NON DOME) setup with reflectors above the bulbs and a separate deep dome (looks like Flukers) lamp housing. With these 2 fixtures, I have the following lights:
Deep dome housing-
Mini Black Ceramic Heat Infrared Emitter Lamp Bulb for Reptile Pet Brooder AC 110V 100W
Dual light housing-
Exo Terra Repti-Glo 2.0 Compact Fluorescent Full Spectrum Terrarium Lamp, 26-Watt (Natural Light)
and
Exo Terra Repti-Glo 10.0 Compact Fluorescent Desert Terrarium Lamp, 26-Watt.

My issue was my tank barely heated up with the lights on for an hour. How long should it take to get the heat up? I would have thought the ceramic heat emitter would have easily raised the temp but the digital thermometer only said 73 degrees.

I trust this site more that the local "experts" at Petsmart but I want to make sure I have this thing up and running as soon as possible. Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[ruben0311]

Ok so you have your lights and all, how big is the tank? where are you taking the temperature readings from? remember the entire tank doesnt have to be hot, just under the basking lights and then with a gradient to a cool side. If you have any decorations in, ie basking logs, hides, hammocks etc, make sure you are reading at multiple points. aim for one spot being hot 100's, usually up off the ground where a perch or log gets them closer to the light, then underneath that 90s and then tapering off down to 70s at cool end. send photos if possible and we'll help you out. If you are getting them a baby beardie the compact bulbs will do fine for now, you'll want a larger UVB source to spread that good stuff out over a wider area when he gets bigger. post those pics though, it'll be a big help.

 

[umdfb77]

I posted a few pictures. Again, this is all not my final set-up. I am just trying to get everything together before getting the dragon so any advice is welcomed. Nothing is "set in stone". I have stick-on tile in there to protect the glass until I get a chance to get to the store to get the regular tile.

My tank is a 36" x 18" x 12" ExoTerra Terrarium. The side with the hammock and double UVB/Flourescent Daylight only got up to 75.7' and 28% humidity.

The side with the climbing objects sits directly below my CHE. That side low to the ground got up to 82.6'

The basking spot on the driftwood was around 80'

I do not have a tremendous amount of room on the top screen to add another light.

So a question would be... Should I get another dome with a basking/white light and have just switch it out daily? I was planning on setting everything up on timers.

 

[JessPets]

Okay, for starters, you need a new UV light. Coil and compact are bad for their eyes, so you only want the tube bulbs. ReptiSun 10.0 t5 Tube is the best. Tile is great, much better than sand or some of the others. You will want to take that hammock, because they are known for snagging little beardie nails and possibly even braking toes or feet. Get just a normal halogen bulb (I use a 50watt) and a light socket instead of a fancy reptile-specific bulb. The basking spot needs to be 105º-110º for babies and 95º-100º for adults.

 

[umdfb77]

Can I get away with this lighting set-up on a smaller tank? I also have a 30 x 12 x 12 that I got from a friend. I was planning on doing a 2nd smaller tank in basement for the beardie when we are down there but not having him sleep downstairs. I am lucky enough to have gotten multiple tanks and I would like to try and use them.

For the big tank: I can get the normal flourescent housing at Walmart then use the Reptisun bulb you recommend? And another normal fixture (not a deep dome porcelain housing) for the Halogen bulb 50 watt?

For my 2nd tank: Can i use the coil bulb and reflectors I already have and a halogen light for heat? Again, I don't plan on keeping him in the smaller tank for long periods of time.

Thanks for the help.

 

[JessPets]

How long are you planning to have him spend in the second tank? 1h? 2h? It depends. And yes, you can just get a fluorescent fixture. It works fine. Same for the halogen, just make sure it's not plastic that can melt.

 

[umdfb77]

I would say a max of 2-3 hours in my 2nd tank.

And the shade for the light is aluminum, not plastic. It's a basic portable work light with a clamp.

 

[ruben0311]

the coil bulbs are fine as long as you use them correctly at the right distance, always ensure you are using a ceramic lamp holder, for fire safety, and you can keep using all the hardware you currently have. you can easily get a halogen 100 W PAR38 flood light, if it fits in the dome, and use a table top dimmer switch to control the intensity. As i said before you have the start of everything, just gotta tweak it. temps are fine just got to raise the basking temp, easily done with the stronger bulb and dimmer switch. you can have all lights connected to timers and if your home gets below 60 F at night you can just keep the CHE running 24 hrs. If you get the linear tube lamps make sure the fixture you purchase matches the type of bulb you wish to use, a HO bulb will work best in a HO ballast equipped fixture. you will read that coils and compacts are bad for eyes, you need to make the call for yourself. As long as used properly almost all modern bulbs are safe, its when you just slap some in without checking distances that everything can become dangerous. It wont matter too much how long he hangs out in the second tank, you can even just have no UVB in the lower tank if its just a few hours. if the basement is somewhat beardie escape proof you can even set up heat lights in a corner of the room where he can free range and recharge as you let him explore.

 

[umdfb77]

Awesome, thanks for all the info. Just trying to experiment a little with ideas. Multiple people have told me the coil lights are fine likewise multiple people swear that straight bulb fixtures are the best. I think I will eventually move to the straight bulb once our children have their routines down. (couple of weeks probably).