acwood04
Hatchling Member
OK so I am building a 4x2x2 vivarium... I just got a birch face frame on it to make it look nice, like a piece of furniture. It is going to have three drawers on the bottom and the top will be 4x2x2 and have sliding glass doors. I have purchased a 100watt self ballasted Mega-ray bulb that I will be using on the hot side. I am building a little box on the top to mount the fixtures so all you will see is the bulb. I have two vents in the side like the crossfire model. One of my questions is, do you think that the Mega-ray will be enough to heat the entire right side(hot side) of the enclosure? I also provided a spot for another bulb there just in case. I figured its easier to take out a bulb or turn it off then to add one later. On the cold side I will be using a CHE. I am wondering what wattage I should use. I am basically hoping that someone with a viv similar to mine will chime in. The ambient temp of my house is about 70, but it has been getting to 65 at night. (Believe it or not, it actually gets cold in Atlanta.) I have selected some peices of slate from home depot that are 12x12 so I will be using 8 of those. They look great and will do a great job keeping in the heat. I've also got rocks and I plan to build a basking spot as close as 12-15 inches from the Mega-Ray. Thats the spot I'm hoping will get to around 100-105. Anyways, the other question I have is about sealer or a varnish of some sort. Do I have to be careful with this since I am housing live animals? I dont want any chemicals to hurt my butthead!! Does anyone have experience with staining or sealing their enclosure? If so, please let me know what you did.... THanks..
-Alex
P.S.- Here are a few pics of the viv.
(Without the face frame.) Formica interior.
-Alex
P.S.- Here are a few pics of the viv.
(Without the face frame.) Formica interior.
