Lighting/Heating Big Enclosures

[Wolfeden]

I think winter will be easier to maintain temps...at least for me.

Right now we're getting highs in the mid to upper 80's and lows in the mid to upper 40's, at night, outside.
So our house temperature is fluctuating a lot also and that makes keeping stable enclosure temps difficult.

At least in the winter when the heat is running most of the time the house stays at a constant 70-72° which I think will make enclosure temps easier to deal with.

FWIW, I can still see some snow from where I am now, though at much higher elevation (I'm at work at about 8,000'ASL the snow is at about 12,000'ASL) and it will likely start snowing again before all of that is gone.
So don't feel so bad.

 

[Taterbug]

I'm jealous of your weather wolf :0

 

[Wolfeden]

I'm too boring for such extremes...Hawaii would be better for me.
But at least the humidity is low here.

 

[Kryton]

The humidity is very high and the temps are just above 90* here. I really hate it. Im thinking about lining the back of the tank with that foam insulation. By the time winter gets here Sarge should be big enough to open up the whole tank to him. I already see two ceramic heat bulbs in my future. OH and I can see the back of my tank lined up with these http://www.lllreptile.com/store/cat...ght-fixtures/-/exo-terra-lamp-holder-bracket/ LOL
On a side note temps on the cool side have reached 79.7*. But that took all day and here it is just after 8pm. My humidity was up to almost 58% today as well. My AC is set at 72*,just FYI.

 

[jarich]

I haven't actually tested an incandescent Tater, but will do so tomorrow and let you know. I would guess pretty low.

As for the basking lights, ya it's just pretty packaging really. The thing is, most people know about UVB levels now, whereas not many know about UVA yet. So it's an easy thing to kind of scam people on.

You might consider making a partial enclosure for the top if you're having trouble keeping the heat in, or just moving the lights down into the tank with some different supports. That's what I did with my 4x2x4 enclosure.

 

[Kryton]

How about some thoughts on an under the tank heater. I have a wooden stand not a metal one and the top of the stand is plywood. Would that be to much heat for both my beardie and the plywood. Actually would it be safe that close to the wood? I would think so and I could drill a hole for the cord to go through. Do they make a thermostat for an UTH? I know LLLreptile sells one for lights but will it work for this? HHMMM :?:

LOL rambling sry....Thoughts guys Please

Kryton

 

[Crewdog00]

FYI: http://zoomed.com/Library/ProductDBFiles/UVB-Reach.pdf

 

[jarich]

FYI: http://zoomed.com/Library/ProductDBFiles/UVB-Reach.pdf

Hmmmm if you believe that Ive got a bridge Id like to sell ya! :lol: Sorry, just kidding of course, but its unfortunate that they post things like that. If youd like to see some results of tests done in a controlled setting by neutral parties not interested in selling the bulbs they are testing, then head over to UVBMeterOwnersgroup on yahoo groups and they are in the category listed Files, then Lamp Test Results. I have personally tested nearly all those bulbs recently, and can tell you that with the exception of the T5s, none of those results are based on any consistent reality. The 100 watt MVB by Zoomed was almost useless straight out of the box (UVI of 0.9 at 12"), and they are known to have a fast decay rate, so you can guess what that would be after six months.

Kryton, as far as an undertank heater, I wouldnt recommend it unless you wanted to use it at night. These are light loving animals that live in the sunny outback of Australia. The more light you can shine into the enclosure, generally the better it will be for your dragon. I would say for your sized enclosure three or four lights would be great, and will give you a healthy, active dragon. When we limit their light exposure you start to hear people talk a lot about how lazy they are, or how often and long they brumate.

 

[Kryton]

The UTH was something that popped into my head as I was reading the replies. Also I wasnt thinking of less lights just something to help out with the heat when I do open the tank up to Sarge.

Good news though the lights that I ordered should be here tomorrow according to the shipping tracker.
Well it is the hottest (and very humid) day so far this year and the cool side is right up to 80*.Sarge is just hanging out on his hammock.
Heat index outside at 6pm is at 105 today.Its like a frickin oven out there.

 

[jarich]

The UTH was something that popped into my head as I was reading the replies. Also I wasnt thinking of less lights just something to help out with the heat when I do open the tank up to Sarge.

Good news though the lights that I ordered should be here tomorrow according to the shipping tracker.
Well it is the hottest (and very humid) day so far this year and the cool side is right up to 80*.Sarge is just hanging out on his hammock.
Heat index outside at 6pm is at 105 today.Its like a frickin oven out there.

Ya, its been pretty gross here all day too. Just kind of get used to sweating constantly from June to October!

 

[Crewdog00]

I M going to get command hooks and put the light into the tank. 6-8 inches in a 75 gallon tank???

 

[Kryton]

Crewdog,What Kind of UVB tubes are you going to install? T5 or T8?
T8-Then yes 6"-8" away from your Beardie.
T5 5.0 HO sry I need to read up some more on this tube ATM. Maybe someone else could chime in.
T5 10.0 HO would need to be no closer than 12" away from your beardie. This type of flourescent tube puts out way more UVB than the T8 and lasts much longer.

I can see that in the next two years these T8 stlye fixtures are going to be fazed out because being an Electrician by trade I can tell you that 3/4 all of the new installs that I have done were of new fixtures with the T5 tubes. I have also done a ton of taking out T8 style fixtures and replacing them with new T5 stlye fixtures. The T5 stlye fixtures are way more cost efficient to run than the T8's. Im not going to get into the new LCD fixtures I have recently started to install.

Hope this helps
Kryton

 

[Crewdog00]

T5 10.0 UVB ReptiSun

 

[Kryton]

T5 10.0 UVB ReptiSun

IMO your making a very wise choice

 

[Crewdog00]

T5 10.0 UVB ReptiSun

IMO your making a very wise choice

Aww thank you so much. I read the Reptisun 10.0 HO was the best option. So I got the best for my baby. My replacement bulb is a T5 5.0 HO, came free with the fixture.