Help with ceramic Heat Emitters

[BabiieKakesxOx]

Recently I purchased a Flukers 8.5in Ceramic Heat emitter it's Rated up to 150w. I use a zoomed 60w bulb with this fixture. I purchased the larger fixture so I wouldn't have to purchase another when i move her to her 75 gallon enclose (the 5.5in Flukers is rated up to 75w). Any who, I put it on her cage last night for the first time (20 Gallon tank). The bulb got hot put out heat so i figured it was doing it's job. Around 3 am I woke up and noticed she was up. I picked her up and she was freezing yet the CHE was still turned on. How far is a good distance to have the CHE from her? I have it at the same distance her basking light is from her. It will only be used at night since she has a different fixture for during the day. It's September and already here the nights have dropped to below 40. I know her tank at night isn't supposed to drop below 70 degrees. Should I move it closer to tank since its a lower wattage? How warm should i expect her tank to get? should I purchase the smaller fixture since its a low wattage? I know her tank doesn't get freezing but I bet the temperature drop isn't comfortable for her. I didn't get a chance to get a temp reading since it was late. Any feedback would help. :study: Sydney Thank's you in advance

 

[ShannyBeard]

WOW I am in Florida and it is 70 degrees at night. You are sure cold already! Your dragon can get down to 65*F temps at night, so let the temp drop a bit more since the seasonal change in temps is good for them.

CHEs gently radiate heat, instead of concentrating the heat in a focused spot, so they can be tricky to get a tank warm, especially if your indoor temp is 40 degrees. I can't even guess what wattage you will need. Is the ambient temp in your house really 40 degrees? Sorry to ask that but I am incredulous and as a Floridian I would die if it were 40*F in my house. :lol: :shock:

Do you have a sensor/probe or other good digital thermometer to measure the tank temp at night? If so, what was the temp in the tank with the CHE running when you thought the dragon was freezing? That info will help me try to guess at what wattage increase you need. Under more 'normal' ambient temps the 60 watt CHE would be recommended, but if you are really that cold, the next size up would be 100 watt which is usually recommended for a 30-40 gallon tank and then there is the 150 watt which is recommended for a 50-100 gallon tank. I used a 60 watt CHE for a 20 long when my ambient temps were in the low 60's and it raised it to 82*F - that was for a sick dragon that needed higher night time temps.

Hope this helps you somewhat.

 

[BabiieKakesxOx]

where me and the dragon sleep at night is in the basement apartment. I have the house set so if the room gets lower then 70 the heat kicks on. It being a older home it takes a bit heat the basement up. The outside temps around here have been in the 40s at night, and with the recent storms knocking out transformers and power lines I like her cage a little warmer at night then 60's for the just in case. Last Halloween we had a snow storm that knocked us out of power for 5 days if i had my Sydney then i'm not sure what I would have done. The CHE brings the tank at night from the low 60s up to the low to mid 80s. I noticed if i don't use the CHE she turns her darker colors and gets the stress marks, with CHE she is a happy orange! I know they should have a heat drop at night but with the weather around here during the cooler months it makes me nervous.

 

[ShannyBeard]

where me and the dragon sleep at night is in the basement apartment. I have the house set so if the room gets lower then 70 the heat kicks on. It being a older home it takes a bit heat the basement up. The outside temps around here have been in the 40s at night, and with the recent storms knocking out transformers and power lines I like her cage a little warmer at night then 60's for the just in case. Last Halloween we had a snow storm that knocked us out of power for 5 days if i had my Sydney then i'm not sure what I would have done. The CHE brings the tank at night from the low 60s up to the low to mid 80s. I noticed if i don't use the CHE she turns her darker colors and gets the stress marks, with CHE she is a happy orange! I know they should have a heat drop at night but with the weather around here during the cooler months it makes me nervous.

She doesn't need temps in the 80's to sleep at night. She needs to have a nighttime drop in temps, so let it get to somewhere between 65*F - 70*F. Their bodies need to know it is winter time, and it is perfectly healthy for them. Keeping their night temps in the 80's year-round is not advised.

Trust me, I have over 30 bearded dragons from 8 weeks to 5 years old. She will be just fine.

 

[BabiieKakesxOx]

so i should raise the CHE a bit higher? With out a CHE on the probe says the tank is around 57 degrees and thats about 2 hrs after "lights out".

 

[ShannyBeard]

so i should raise the CHE a bit higher? With out a CHE on the probe says the tank is around 57 degrees and thats about 2 hrs after "lights out".

Do you mean raise it higher in elevation or get a higher wattage? The higher in elevation it is, the cooler it will be in the tank. You do have it directly on top of the screen, right? They are not safe to mount inside of the viv.

I would go for a higher wattage.

 

[BabiieKakesxOx]

its clamped on to the top of my custom built light fixture which is a good height from the actual screen itself. i meant raise it up height wise not wattage. I dont wanna bake her into a lizard nugget :lol:

 

[ShannyBeard]

its clamped on to the top of my custom built light fixture which is a good height from the actual screen itself. i meant raise it up height wise not wattage. I dont wanna bake her into a lizard nugget :lol:

LOL Gotcha. I read that two different ways...lol

I wouldn't raise it up height wise if you are trying to raise the temps because it will just make it cooler. Make sure there is the screen in between the dragon and the CHE for safety. You would lower the bulb if you can to make it warmer, or get a higher wattage CHE. Make sure you use it in a ceramic based fixture or the fixture can melt and cause a fire.

 

[BabiieKakesxOx]

i am using a zoo med 60w che, with a flukers ceramic and incandescent up to 150w. took me forever to find one local i don't like purchasing heat/light items online since my ups and usps man isn't the friendliest with packages..imagine the movie ace ventura in the beginning scene when hes the UPS man thats my guy lol!

 

[ShannyBeard]

Understandable. We have had boxes labeled LIVE HARMLESS REPTILE literally TOSSED onto our front step upside-down and the driver didn't even knock to let us know that they were there.

I truly believe people hate and fear reptiles so much that they do that on purpose. I privately hope they stub their toe really badly on their way back to their truck. :evil:

 

[ShannyBeard]

Your dragon is adorable, by the way.

 

[BabiieKakesxOx]

Thank you Sydney is like my scaley little puppy dog always happy to be held happy to be out running around. When It was warmer she went with me to buy crickets everyone adored her. I want her to be people friendly since im a outdoor go sit in the park girl I hope next summer when she's larger and not as easy to loose to bring her to some with me. My best friend was petrified of lizards I mean cringed at the little section we had in the pet store. I put Sydney on his hand one day she licked his freckles all the way up his arm and open her mouth and did the vent smile. Since then he has been wanting a bearded dragon thinks Sydney is as he would say "mad cool". her coloration is getting more redder and more orange with every shed just as the breeder promised. I tell all the normal colored bearded dragons in the pet store that their cute but not my Sydney :lol:

 

[ShannyBeard]

How sweet. It really is much easier when they get bigger! They are easier to keep track of, that is for sure. I like to take mine outdoors, but we keep them on little leashes so they don't get lost, scared or run off. http://oglerpets.com/

 

[BabiieKakesxOx]

Currently Sydney has a flukers x-small leash but still too big on her. Went on with no issues but it is too big just yet. My kitten and her seem like the best of friends which isn't what I would have guessed. Kitten licks lizard lizard licks back and sits on kittens head it's adorable