Lighting - T-Rex Active UV Heat - 100 Watt Flood - Initial B

[sunkist]

Hey - got a simple question.... I know you are suppose to burn your bulbs for a while before you add the dragon to it. My question is how much does it change? Currently the temp in the tank is 139 at the basking spot. IS this going to go down? How much do you think? Wondering if I need to adjust the basking spot.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Yup, burn them in for 2-4 days. The temps will regulate out by then.
Janie.

 

[Embee]

Wow, 139! :shock: Our burn in with the T-Rex was the opposite... cooler at first, and then the lamp burned warmer throughout the first 4 days, and then leveled off. For example, the first day we had perfect basking temps (105-110) at the 12 inch minimum distance, but by the second day, we were having to move the lamp up incrementally to get that same temp. By the fourth day, we had the lamp at 14-15 inches from the basking surface, where it has more or less has stayed, except when the house becomes very warm due to weather. (We then just move the lamp up further to adjust temps--it's on an adjustable stand).

Is it very warm where you are? We did burn ours in in winter, when house temps were pretty even (68).

Em

 

[sunkist]

I keep my house in the low 70's so it's not hot in here. I can't really move the lamp up right now as much as I'd like to but can move the basking spot down. I know the temps will change - just trying to figure if they change a lot or do I need to go ahead and make some adjustments to watch the temps.

 

[Embee]

I keep my house in the low 70's so it's not hot in here. I can't really move the lamp up right now as much as I'd like to but can move the basking spot down. I know the temps will change - just trying to figure if they change a lot or do I need to go ahead and make some adjustments to watch the temps.

Hm. I wish I could be more help, Sunkist. Perhaps someone else has had the experience of the lamp running hotter to start and then taming down. I wonder if, as Janie suggested, it's just a matter of giving it a day or two or three? I can certainly see why you wouldn't want to mess with the basking spot if you don't have to.

In any case, I'm glad I saw your post as we'll be replacing ours in the late fall and if this happens, I'll know it's normal for the 'burn in' to take the opposite track as well.

Good luck in figuring it all out!

Em

 

[diamc]

Sunkist, what size tank do you have the T-Rex on? Are you using a deep dome with a ceramic top? When I used the same bulb, after the 3rd day of using it, the temperature was higher than the first day. I noticed the same thing with the Mega-ray. So, I would suggest that you do adjust the basking height. If your temp is that high already, you may have to make the basking area a very small distance from the bottom of the tank itself. How high is the basking area where you got the 139 reading now and was the distance 12"? What is the cool side temp? Are you using an infrared temp gun or digital with probe end to check them?

 

[sunkist]

The tank is a 4x2x2 and I have the basking spot 12 inches away. I lowered it about an inch from prior and it lowered it 5 degrees. I'm thinking I'm going to have to lower it again but it's going to kill his hidey hole if I do. The fixture isn't a deep dome but it is ceramic. The bulb sticks out below the fixture. I am taking it with a probe on the basking spot.

 

[GoFast]

I cant get 139 out of mine at 6 inches let alone 12. How old/new are the batteries in your thermometer?

 

[sunkist]

It's actually my newest thermometer sooo maybe 5 months old. I can switch them in the morning and see what happens.

 

[diamc]

The deep dome would give you a few more inches so that you shouldn't have to lower the basking area as much perhaps. Those bulbs get VERY hot so if it is protruding and resting on top of the screen, that is not good. What is the diameter of the fixture the bulb is in?

 

[sunkist]

It's not resting on top of the screen.. there is a circle cut in the top and the fixture is hanging down into the tank. The tank is 2 feet tall... the basking platform is only about 6 inches or so off the ground. There is the 12 inch clearance between the bottom of the bulb and the basking platform.

 

[diamc]

Oh, ok. Do you happen to know what the diameter of the holder is? A 10" one is recommended and I'm thinking that if yours is smaller than that, it could be causing the high temp in the basking area rather than dispersing the heat out into the tank further. What is the cool side temp?

 

[Reven1337]

My best guess is that the ventilation is lacking in the enclosure. Did you build it yourself? do you have vents on the sides and the back? I know when my temps get a little warm all i have to do is slide the doors open a half inch on either side and my temps adjust quite a bit. I use a melamine 2x2x4 with 5x8 vents on the each side and 3 4inch circular vents in the back with a Mega-ray 100 watt SB and my temps are perfect at 12 ish inches.

 

[sunkist]

Good questions.

I did not make it myself, I "inheritied" it from someone on the board. The diameter is about 7-8 inches across. It also has two 20x3 inch openings on the top of it that covered with mesh.

It also has a lift up door in the front that I could prop open if I need it. It's been on for 30 minutes this morning and we are sitting at 116... I'm REALLY hoping it stays there or cooler.

 

[zebraflavencs]

I burned mine in an empty viv, so i didn't have to worry about the temps getting too high, also, both my megas are 14" away from the basking spot, just in case
Janie.