New 40 gal tank, tips for keeping the temp up?

[ozzybabe77]

In Ozzy's previous 20 gal, we were having trouble fitting the tube UV light as well as the basking light and our awkward setup was somewhat stressing out the little guy. He's just a little baby, only 5.5 inches long, but we figured he would need the viv eventually and we'd be able to fit everything we needed! how great!
Only now I'm having trouble keeping the tank warm enough the basking spot is perfect, but the rest of the tank is is like 80 degrees (F) - even the "warm" side.. anyone have any tips on how to keep the whole tank warmer?
I'll give you a picture of my setup (I currently have the night heat bulb on as well, but it doesn't seem to be helping as much as I'd hoped i didnt want to put it on the "cool" side, obviously
I've also tried to move around the branches in hopes that by moving the basking spot I'd be able to fix it. It's a 100W bulb, but I have it on a dimmer switch so that I could get it just the right temp, but by dialing it down it's not heating up the entire area. But I'm also afraid to turn it up because I'm not sure if its possible for him to get burned if the surface is too hot? :shock: Help please!

 

[Aboyle143]

Sorry, don't have any advice for you on your issue, but was hoping you could help me with something:

Pardon my ignorance, we're newbie owners as well, but what is a viv? Our little guy is in a 20 gallon starter tank as well. I know we'll need bigger soon.

I've seen other posts using that term, & I just assumed it's a kind of tank, but not sure!

Thanks,
Amber

 

[ozzybabe77]

Viv just means vivarium (aka, the tank), its not anything special, just a little abbreviation :wink:

 

[diamc]

What type of thermometer are you using to ck the temps and where exactly are you checking them? If you're using any type of stick-on, a round gauge (dial) or digital strip, you're not going to get accurate readings and the only 2 ways to get a good reading is with either an infrared temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end. Once you fill me in on the thermometer you have now, I can help you further.

 

[ozzybabe77]

i do have a digital thermometer, just like the one you described, and I've checked pretty much every spot in the viv :?

 

[snazzyglasses]

The pics aren't loading (probably because my internet connection dislikes me), but I also have a 40gallon breeder. The lighting that works best so far is a 75W basking lamp in an 8.5" dome on a dimmer (dimmed to about 75% strength) for my basking temps, and since my house is kept at 70*F in the winter I added a second dome for a bit of extra heat/light on the cool side for the colder months. It's a 10" dome with a 40W regular household bulb. I'm not sure if dome size makes a huge difference, but I imagine it would affect temps a little. :study:

I think there are screen or grate type things you can get to put over the bulb to make sure the dragon can't touch it, but I'm not sure where to find 'em. Or maybe you could make your own! Hmm.

 

[ozzybabe77]

no for some reason they won't load for me either haha, I think I must have just done something wrong! but oh well :roll: but ok, I will definately try using a lower wattage bulb for the cool side thanks a ton! but hm that's not quite what I meant by burning, I was mostly wondering if it's possible for a branch or other thing that makes up his basking area to become too hot?

 

[diamc]

Good that you have a digital probe thermometer. Make sure the probe is actually resting on (touching) the basking spot and then wait about 45 min to an hr for the temp to stop rising before getting the final basking reading. Is that what you have been doing?

One of my tanks is a 40 breeder also and I only need a 50 watt basking bulb to get a temp there of about 102 and on the cool side, I have a 40 watt household light bulb to get a temp of about 80 to 82.

You actually shouldn't need a 100 watt bulb for the basking spot unless the basking log or rock is quite far away from the top of the tank or your room temps are quite cool. What distance is your basking area and UVB at?

 

[ozzybabe77]

yes, that's what I've been doing with the thermometer. and i know it's a little much, but since it's on a dimmer, I'm not going to bother getting a lower wattage bulb. And ok, great, I'll just plug in a 40W on the cool end but as the basking spot is 6 inches away from the light and the cage is 16 inches high, how do you keep the temps up on the ground level of the viv?

 

[ReptileAddiction]

No it is extremely unlikely for it to get burned by a hot basking spot. They arent stupid, they just move...

 

[diamc]

What size dome is in the clamp lamp on the basking side?