Lighting Help for Newbies (:

[1beardie]

Ok so I couldnt get the basking spot close enough without making it too hot or melting the uvb so I bought a Zoo med light stand...... now my basking spot is at 106... I get my beardie back on tuesday.... and my new reptisun 10.0 bulb will be here the same day.....

 

[cheddamash]

Hello! I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. I just wanted to say thank you to Jess and the others for contributing. I've been scoping out the forum for a while now and I've learned a lot from this place. I'm getting a beardie on Thursday finally. I can't wait to pick her up and setup her new home. I just went crazy overboard on Amazon with lights and other accessories and have even been drawing up blue prints for her habitat layout. It's getting a little out of hand. I'll take some pics when she's all settled in.

Thanks again guys!

 

[Jess]

I'm glad you got it figured out, 1beardie!

@Cheddamash: You're welcome, I can't wait for pictures of your new little guy!
Ha, trust me, once you actually have your beardie is when you'll really go off the deep end. :wink:

 

[WyattKB]

thanks for the help, never knew screens block out UVB. Now i got my Reptisun mounted inside the viv =D

 

[Jess]

Yay! You're welcome.

 

[DracoSolis]

Wow! Very informative! Thank you so much for posting this Jess..

Sadly, my boyfriend and I fell into the Zilla trap Friday . We spent (well, he did. ) $200 on a 44 gal tank kit with all of the necessities (gauges, bulb housings, bulbs, carpet, bowls, etc). Needless to say I am now paying for that mistake by purchasing my ReptiSun 10.0 UVB 24" Bulb, along with a fixture and hooks!

So thanks again for your helpful information! I want our Draco to be healthy.

Btw, where did you get your desert backdrop? I didn't see any in my Petsmart store...

 

[Jess]

You're welcome! I'm glad you have the right lighting for your baby now!
BTW, you should be able to return the lights and gauges pretty easily if you still have the receipt and stuff.

And I got my background at this one cute little privately owned pet shop. I've seen it at Pet Supplies Plus too, but it is a smaller version of it.

 

[Skira]

This thread is great and filled with lots of helpful info. Thanks for taking the time to create it Jess! I was wondering if you wouldn't mind adding some information about the actual basking lamp. For example what wattage to use on the light and also the distance between the light and the basking spot. Sorry if its already added in here, I haven't had the chance to read all the posts yet.

On a slightly unrelated note* I am in the process of having an adult cage built, however I see some enclosures have mesh tops where others are completely closed off. I am unsure which to chose. I would think if the top is closed, it would retain heat better? But then again the mesh tops promote better airflow. If you have any advice, I'd really appreciate it thanks.

 

[Jess]

Hi!
Sure, I can add a little more info on that. Since the wattage depends a lot on how far away the light is from the basking spot, the room temperature of your house, the kind of cage you have, ect. I can't give an exact amount of watts that will work for everyone, but I can give the general idea.
And the distance from the basking light doesn't matter at all. You can make as far away as you want, as long as the temps are right. The distance only matter for the UVB light. :wink:

And it's awesome that you are building a custom cage, your beardie will love it! I actually have a 4x2x2 now (I made this thread about 40 gals, since that is what most people start off with), and mine has a solid top. It insulates the heat really well: I only need a 30 watt flood light to get good basking temps! As long as you put plenty of vents in it, the airflow will be fine. I have a screen door on the cool side of mine to help keep it ventilated, because it only has 3 tiny vents in it (I bought it that way). I really like that the light fixtures are built into the ceiling of it too.
You can use a mesh top too, if you want. There are plenty of people who build there cages like that as well.

I'll go edit the first page now, so tell me what you think.

 

[sickygnar89]

This is a great thread and really helps out everybody! But I do have a couple questions. First, the fixture from Wal-Mart, it's safe to use with a Repti-Sun 10.0? Or is it a fire hazard? And second, what wattage of light would you recommend for a 20 gallon tank for a baby?

 

[Skira]

Hi Jess,
I can't thank you enough!! I might have to use different lights for summer and winter by the sound of things. Your guide is awesome, I think the added info completes it Hopefully I'll have a chance to post pics soon and introduce my little guy.

 

[Jess]

@sickygnar89: Yes, the Walmarrt fixture is safe to use with the ReptiSun. I've used mine for about a year and a half, and nothing's exploded yet. :wink: You can start with a 50 watt flood light (That's what I used), and get a higher or lower watt bulb from there depending on what your temps are. It's a good idea to get a couple of different watt lights to experiment with, and just return the ones that you don't need.

@Skira: I'm glad it helped you! I need to use different lights depending on the season too. Can't wait to see some pictures!

 

[scistar11]

Thank you for this information! I've been working with the lighting and temperatures, so this has helped me get my enclosure in better shape. One question I do have is in regard to the CHE bulb. Is it okay to have the CHE bulb inside of a deep dome lamp fixture? I have one that I got for use when winter arrives. I was going to put it in a 5 inch deep dome lamp, but the box said not to use CHE bulbs with this fixture (Zoo Med 5 inch Deep Dome). It said to use a wire cage clamp lamp instead. I noticed in your picture that your CHE bulb is in a dome fixture that appears to be bigger than the other domes you have. Have you had any issues with using the CHE in a dome and what size dome are you using? I was thinking maybe a bigger dome would be okay.

 

[DracoSolis]

You're welcome! I'm glad you have the right lighting for your baby now!
BTW, you should be able to return the lights and gauges pretty easily if you still have the receipt and stuff.

And I got my background at this one cute little privately owned pet shop. I've seen it at Pet Supplies Plus too, but it is a smaller version of it.

Well, we bought it as a kit. Everything came in one box, so I don't think we can return it. -.- Lesson learned I guess, lol.

Okay, yeah there's a small pet shop here that I will have to check out! Thank ya.

 

[Jess]

Thank you for this information! I've been working with the lighting and temperatures, so this has helped me get my enclosure in better shape. One question I do have is in regard to the CHE bulb. Is it okay to have the CHE bulb inside of a deep dome lamp fixture? I have one that I got for use when winter arrives. I was going to put it in a 5 inch deep dome lamp, but the box said not to use CHE bulbs with this fixture (Zoo Med 5 inch Deep Dome). It said to use a wire cage clamp lamp instead. I noticed in your picture that your CHE bulb is in a dome fixture that appears to be bigger than the other domes you have. Have you had any issues with using the CHE in a dome and what size dome are you using? I was thinking maybe a bigger dome would be okay.

I had to get a bigger lamp for my CHE, because my 5" lamps were only rated for 75 watts and my CHE is 100 watts. I got a 8.5" Zoomed lamp that I think it rated for 150 watts. I don't remember a warning on my lamp that said I couldn't use a CHE with it? Maybe there's just something about deep dome lamps that aren't as safe to use with them. Most people I know of use an actual lamp with their CHE, and not a wire cage lamp. I haven't had any problems with mine though.