Newbie with heat questions

[Kessed]

You guys are awesome. I'm glad I found this place. I have a couple questions about my viv.

Right now I am using an old 20g tank I had from fish. I have BIG plans to make a new one this summer as a custom build, but this is what I have right now. Zaxxi is ~7" right now so it works.

The problem I'm having is with the heat lamp. When I put the bulb enclosure on top of the lid, the tank isn't warm enough. It maxed at 85f. So then I hung the light from the lid. The air temp above the basking rock is 106f. That seems right. My question is the rock... It feels hot, so I put the probe right on it and it maxed out at 119f...



Is that too hot? Do I need to be concerned?

Right now Zaxxi seems to enjoy basking in an upright position rather than flat. Any thoughts? (also, I have more things to put in the tank, I just need to wash them and get them ready)

She waved at me when I came in today.

 

[Kessed]

And since Zaxxi seems to be on the arboreal side of semi-arboreal... I got her a plastic plant. It is now her favorite place to perch.

 

[JayceeBuddy67]

I think it is fine. Good picture of her waving at you! Mine has never done that.

 

[CooperDragon]

119 is a bit high so I'd raise the bulb a bit. It's tough to provide a good gradient in a 20g tank (I started with one too - then it turned into my dubia colony) The adjustable lamp stands are great for raising and lowering the lights as needed. You'll want to adjust the lighting based on the reading you're getting on the surfaces rather than the air temps. It's common for them to bask upright like that. She may be partly self regulating too (found a spot at a temp she wants and stuck there). The addition of the fake plant is good because in addition to giving her a place to climb, it gives her a shady area away from direct light and UVB which is helpful for promoting self regulation of temps and UVB exposure.

 

[Kessed]

The problem with raising the lights is that they are currently hanging from the lid of the tank. The next place they could be is ontop of the lid. Then the temp falls to 85f in the air. But I will try that and see what the rock temp is.

 

[CooperDragon]

Check the rock surface temp when the light is on top of the lid and see what you get. If it's too low, perhaps try a higher wattage bulb. If you don't have any other pets in the house that could get into the tank you may be able to remove the mesh top and put the fixture on an adjustable lamp stand and move it around that way (that's how mine is configured and it works well).

 

[Kessed]

OK. I will give those things a try.

The lid is necessary due to the 2 cats, dog and 2 kids. I'm confident that the dog would be OK and the young cat hasn't ever caught anything (not even a fly) but my old cat (15) still catches mice and small birds regularly.

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah cats are especially a no go with a lidless tank unfortunately. If you pick up an adjustable lamp stand (or lamp dimmer) and higher wattage bulb (double check the rating of your fixture) you'll probably be able to get the temps dialed in properly.