New tanks...need help with lighting!

[mcforeal]

hey everyone. for years i've been using the standard 40 gallon tanks you can purchase at reptile stores (with the screen top, two panels that swing outward in front). However my girlfriend and I just bought two new tanks along with a rack for them from someone else. I'm having trouble figuring out how to properly set up lighting on them. They're advertised as "snake and reptile cages" and the two we purchased are almost exactly the same as the attached picture. when they sit on the rack the top of the tank is angled slightly downwards and there are two 3x6" oval vents on the top of each tank, but nothing else.

Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[roddy]

Sorry to say this, but this looks like an awfull design, can you return them? For a start it seems any substrate you put in will spill out whenever you open them. It also looks plastic so the heat lamps you need for a beardie will certainly have an effect on it, even if you dont melt it you will surely smolder it and release gasses that could seriously harm a beardie.

The only advice I would give would be to not use these.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Yep.... they are hopeless .... you'd be better off returning them and buying a flatpacked timber tank with sliding front glass doors.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

 

[Taterbug]

What size are the cages and can you tell what material they are made of? How much space do you have in the rack, do you have a picture? Does the floor slope when it's in the rack? You'll need to make some modifications for them to work but if they are big it might be worth it.

Heat will be trickiest and depend a lot on the size of the enclosure. If it's tall enough (24"+) you could use a socket inside (I would avoid this if possible) otherwise you will need to remove material to make an opening for the light. You don't want to heat the plastic (especially if it is PVC) but as long as the opening is as large or larger than your light dome and you use an internally reflected bulb it should not get much more than warm.

A sunblaster fixture could be mounted to the ceiling for UV light, just need to drill a couple holes.