HEATING!!

[AJBD]

Hi there, I am wondering what the best basking light to get for a 4ftx2ftx2ft viv would be and what thermostat to buy to make sure my hot and cold end stay within the correct temps. Also should i buy 2 thermostats, one dimming for my baksing and one pulse proportional for my CHE. As I live in scotland its pretty much cold all year so a CHE would be neccesary but what temps should that not drop below and not exceed at night? Thanks Thomas

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

If its a screen top usually a 150 watt heat bulb works to get it to 100-110. Depends on how your basking spot is though and if its higher or lower.
If its a wooden enclosure with the bulbs inside your going to have a much better chance at keeping heat in, so it wouldn't be too hard to maintain temps in there at all.
It truly depends on the temps inside your house during the day and at night and the basking spot position.

You'll want to go for a bright white basking bulb, I usually use zoo meds basking bulbs however a halogen bulb works extremely well.

You could if you want to buy 2 thermostats but since the basking bulb isn't going to be on during the night you could just switch between them. For during the day if you struggle to keep it in the 100-110's and have to have the CHE on beside it you could just plug both in and put the probe on the basking spot so once it gets up to lets say 105 both will turn off until it lowers a bit.

Night time temps shouldn't go below 65, and the temps probably no higher than 85. That is throughout the tank, you could probably have a hot spot where the beardie usually basks at around 90 during the night.

Also I personally use zilla thermostats, they seem to work well but there are better brands out there that show the exact temp you have it set to in digital form.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Just a note : MVBs will not work with a thermostat on account of the control circuitry in them.

If it's very cold in you house , and you have a open topped viv , a mesh screen lid will do nothing to hold the temperatures in your viv , you need to invest in a sheet of MDF or plywood to place on top to
>> mount the basking , UVB and CHE from , remove the mesh lid
>> and invest in a switching thermostat with a remote probe that can be dangled into the viv at a strategic spot, these are available on EBAY and need not be fancy programmable types with built in timers

 

[AJBD]

Thanks for the help?