new viv in progress

[d1ck0z]

hey all new to this site
been on this site for 1 week just browsing and gathering info, somewhat caught the building bug just scrolling from page 1-60 absolutely blown away by the time and effort put into the works awesome vivs all round i only hope i can create something even close to as good.

building a 6ft by 2ft by 2ft viv for my new beardie only thing i cant grasp is the wattage and how many bulbs or just a higher wattage one confused about what ill need for this set up regarding heat lights, my mate gave me some backyard flood lights said thats what he uses. (alot bigger than previous and i dont think the one lights gonna cut it) twice the size in fact.
any help or ideas would be appreciated thank you.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

 

[Soulwind]

Well, with a 6 ft viv, you'll probably want:

1) The basking lamp (Halogen flood or spot light works great for this, typically 65 or 75 watts is sufficient...just check the temps to be sure).

2) Two (2) other smaller wattage normal (clear or bright light) incandescent bulbs, probably around 40 watts or so. These will be spaced every 2 ft apart.

3) A 36" (or even 2 24") ReptiSun 10 or Arcadia 12 UV florescent bulbs (approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of the viv, including the basking spot, should be covered by the UV lamp).

So going from cold side to basking spot you've got:

...............................................{Repti Sun 10 or Arcadia 12 florescent UV bulb coverage}
{nothing} {small lamp at 1 1/2 ft mark} {small lamp at 3 1/2 ft mark} {basking lamp at 5 ft mark}

 

[DavidaDivine]

Thanks, Soulwind. I found that extremely helpful as well!

My beardy didn't come from the best husbandry situation and I truthfully am learning these things on the fly so detailed info like that is VERY helpful. I feel more confident now that my current plan for the new viv is a good one (or at least a good starting point!).

 

[d1ck0z]

going on man thanks for the reply was sorta thinking something along those lines, just wasnt sure of the distances,
have different brands here than them but i know what u man i already have a 24'' uvb 10 set up lying around so only one wouldnt be enough even if i placed in the middle?
ive recently brought a b1 dimming thermostat to control the viv and was told and shown by my mate he uses these and said that ceramic emitters will last alot longer than other bulbs due to dimming makes sense but they give no light ,
with the 3 lights all going at once or do they take turns heating?
thanks for the help helps alot

 

[Soulwind]

The ceramic heat emitters are great for generating a warm spot (or for general warming of the entire viv),
but beardies need bright white light over thier basking spot, not just heat.

The bright light causes thier pupils to contract and protects thier eyes from the UV being put out by thier UV lamp.

You want the UV to cover the basking area, so you don't want to put the bulb in the middle of a 6 ft viv.
Putting it over on the same side as the basking spot will be acceptable, if the 24" is all you have available.

The UV lamp and the basking lamp/spotlight/floodlight are the important ones, the other secondary lights
are mostly for just lighting up the viv (and to provide a little bit of heat since there's no way the basking lamp
is going to heat up the rest of a 6 ft viv by itself...that's why they are lower 40 watt bulbs, just to provide a bit of heat
without being too much).

Oh and I'm not sure what brands you have, but the only ones recommended by folks here are the ReptiSun 10 UV bulb
(Not the reptiglo, nor any kind of compact bulb) which are common in the US, or the Arcadia 12 UV bulb which are common
in the UK/Europe. I'm not sure what's common in other places.

 

[d1ck0z]

soulwind once again thanks mate,
so where clear im in australia yet the animals from here but there more info and whatnot in the uk also having a colder climate than us its hard not needing as much equipment if you know what i mean, but still need the fundamentals.
your information is very informative and helps alot, in the process of locating an arcadia 12 have a reptile one uvb 10.0 havent brought any other lights yet still debating with so many different opinions, acouple i know of are a reptile one daylight basking lamp (only one that actually looks clear to white bulb,) ceramic heat emitters, bunch of infra red bulbs, blue moonlight(dont need), mvb (no good for dimming so ive been told.) found those spot/flood lights at local hardware,
your info is very appreciated just trying to also figure out my lighting setup for viv, thermostat come wired this time so just need to plug powerboard straight in awesome, i have 3 timers to make 24/7 cycle just not sure which one and for how long
uvb 10-14 hours a day??? on a timer same everyday?
basking lamp will dim on/off only when needed yes ?
secondary lights you suggested i understand now good idea to little bit of heat and light how long a day or just connected like heat light into thermostat will do the lot, only every used ****ty stick on therms that only go to 30. thermo states put sensor in middle yet some state on the cold side? where should it go in the middle or between the secondary lights bout 2 1/2 ft in enclosure?
was going to make 4by2by2 but for some reason got 6by2by2 panels cheaper wanted to get rid of them lol
much appreciated.

 

[Soulwind]

To be 100% on temps:
You need to measure the cool side of the tank - it needs to be 75 to 80 F during the day, can go down to 65 F at night;
AND
You need to measure the basking spot at it's warmest point - it needs to be 100-110 F for a youngling, 95-100 F for an adult during the day.

If you can only measure one place, then measure the basking spot, it's the most important.

Just a couple of notes on lighting:

MVB are mercury vapor bulbs, they produce Heat, Light, AND UVA/UVB all at the same time. They make wonderful basking lamps
(and you don't need any extra UV in the area...although with a 6 ft viv, I might put a florescent UV over the middle portion of the viv anyway).
However, they are rather expensive, kind of fragile when hot, and you can't use a dimmer on them (you have to just move them away from the viv for temp control).

Over the basking spot you want bright white light, heat, and UVA/UVB using whatever combination of bulbs you feel like.

Over the warm areas of the viv you want some white light, a little heat (80-90 F max), and some UVA/UVB (1/2 to 2/3 of the viv space).

Over the cool side all you want is some light (even an "energy efficient" type is OK here, just want some light), and enough heat to keep things
comfortable (75-80 F) (probably don't even need any extra heat normally, the other lamps should be sufficient for keeping this part warm) and no direct UV.

Best of luck with them and be sure to post some pics of both the viv and your little one(s).

 

[d1ck0z]

once again soulwind legend thanks for the time starting to piece together a solid plan to make this happen uvb fluro will spread from basking spot til about halfway down enclosure then some smaller watt for light my thermostat sensors will be inbetween the lights 2 1/2ft in the viv therm will control middleish got a daul zone thermometer for basking spot and cold side can thermometer be stuck to ground stat has to be free from anything to measure air temp??? yes getting my materials tomorrow and ill start building it will definatelypost some pics of it mighten be as good as the one that ive been looking but ill give it a crack if i can make it that im actually happy with it that'll be awesome perfection is a curse