How do I attach a heat spot lamp on the inside of the cage?

[KristenT]

I just got a new, 100gal tank today (YAY! ) BUT we are hitting a few speed bumps. I will, in the end, need to make a new screen top. The one that came with it is fine, but doesn't secure to the cage. It just sits on the top, and with two nephews that think Taz is the most awesome thing in the world... I'd like to be able to be SURE Taz is only out when I'm around, if you get my meaning

But, my main problem... the new cage is about 8 inches, maybe 10, taller than the old cage. There's not really any good way to set a light on the top screen shining down for his basking spot, especially with the top that's on now, and I'm not going to be able to make a new top for a little while. I was hoping I could somehow attach a heat lamp on the inside of the cage, but I don't have any idea how to do that. Now his UVA/UVB tube is attatched on the inside with an under the counter light fixture and command strips, but I don't think I can get away with the same method for the heat lamp! I know a lot of you have the heat lamps, or A heat lamp, on the inside of your enclosures... I would really appreciate it if maybe we could get a thread going here on the different ways to accomplish this (pictures are always awesome too...). It could help people in the future as well, who are in the same delima as me at the moment.

Another thing, and I'll get some pics soon, but just under the lip of the top band on the tank, on the inside, there's a piece of glass about 7 inches wide or so that goes from the front of the cage to the back of the cage. The guy had his lamp clamped to this, shining down into the cage, but I'm not sure how he did this, as I can't get the top on with the lamp clamped to it, no matter which way I go. The piece of glass is RIGHT in the middle of the tank though, and quite honestly in the way for me. Does anyone else have a tank with this? Do you think it serves any structural purpose? The guy I got it from said he had set a heat lamp directly on the glass shining down, and so the glass is cracked all the way across and really not very safe either. If it's not essential to the structure, I guess I'll find a way to take it out, but I'd just like to be sure.

 

[Claudiusx]

Pictures would help us give you ideas.

The only thing I can think of would be to get a lamp stand and hang it into the cage with that, but that would mean you'd need to leave the lid off.

Either that or a stronger basking bulb, im fresh out of ideas lol.

-Brandon

 

[KristenT]

Agh, that means I have to get up and take pics, after scrubbing the daylights out of the tank for several hours earlier Just kidding. The tank DID take forever to clean though! It's been used as a fish tank I think... there are some calcium deposit lines near the top of the tank that I couldn't get off. I'll have to find something to take them off. And he'd had sand he said as the substrate, but the gunk on the bottom looked like regular old dirt, and it was a pain to get out too. Anyhow... ok...

This is the new cage with out the top on. You can see the clamp lamp I was messing around with, and some shelves I was using to experriment with basking spots and the light.

Here, you can see the lamp hanger I've got at the far end of the tank... turns out his basking spot wouldn't be all that high if I used that to hang the lamp, so that didn't really work all too well. You can also see the odd peice of glass across the middle. The squiggly line towards the left center of it is actually a crack that goes all the way across.

This is what happens when I try to put the top on with the clamp lamp. There's a big gap... it's bigger than it looks on camera. You can also sort of see the kind of top it is, jointed so the front flips up.

I can get more pics if needed, just let me know what you need to see.

 

[KristenT]

Bump? Getting ready to do a huge overhaul on the tank. Have decided if I can't find a lower stand, I'm going to take out the front glass pannel, and put in a sliding door. I have no idea how I'm going to do this yet, but I'll figure out. Any instructions, ideas.... help?
Sorry to be a pest, but I've never done something like this and I would really like some advise from people who have.

 

[bdalton]

This may be harder than it sounds....but i was thinking maybe use command strips to mount a shelving bracket, since it would stick out 4-6", keep the clamp on to use to hang it? That way you can put it however high/low you want it, and my command hooks hold my 24" fixture no problem, so dont think that would be an issue, or take the clamp off and wrap the wire around the bracket 2 or 3 times, or im sure theres another way to get the dome to hang, but the bracket would allow you to do that.
Seems easier than taking out the glass and replacing with sliding doors! LOL!

Just a thought that popped into my head....may be a horrible idea, IDK!

 

[scm133]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=6192&cmpid=07csegpl&ref=6111&subref=AA&CAWELAID=525395228
This is what I am presently using for my 30 gallon tank. Mine is the large size. Works good, and I can adjust the distance.