Off Grid Dragon

[carlitos]

Hey lords of the lights, this off-grid eco dragon and I live in a yurt off-grid in the forest.

We have a big battery that can handle a lot but beardie's current lights eat a chunk of power and now that winter is coming I need to make sure that I have the most electricity-efficient system. She has a 120-gallon tank and currently using a 100W Mercury Vapor Lamp.

I'd love some help if anyone has any light setups that are good but lean towards low voltage. I'm no expert on lights and have been using the all in one but would love to get the right setup to get my beardie the right light while still being conscientious about my usage so we can avoid the risk of running out of power. I'm an amateur in the light department so def need help.

Thank you from New Hampshire!

 

[KarrieRee]

Hey lords of the lights, this off-grid eco dragon and I live in a yurt off-grid in the forest.

We have a big battery that can handle a lot but beardie's current lights eat a chunk of power and now that winter is coming I need to make sure that I have the most electricity-efficient system. She has a 120-gallon tank and currently using a 100W Mercury Vapor Lamp.

I'd love some help if anyone has any light setups that are good but lean towards low voltage. I'm no expert on lights and have been using the all in one but would love to get the right setup to get my beardie the right light while still being conscientious about my usage so we can avoid the risk of running out of power. I'm an amateur in the light department so def need help.

Thank you from New Hampshire!
View attachment 85007

Let's have cooperdragon help you- @CooperDragon

 

[Claudiusx]

100w is going to be about the lowest you're realistically going to get with a lighting setup. Unless you switched to a two bulb setup and you were somehow able to make a 50w heat bulb sufficient and could use a standard 22inch t5 bulb for UV (24w). This will require very good insulation in the enclosure though, and still might not provide you the temperatures necessary. In that case, which would realistically be best case scenario, you're still only saving 26 watts.

Realistically, in the winter especially, you're more likely to need a 75-100 watt heat bulb for basking, and your 24 watt uvb t5 bulb for UV. Insulation can save you a bit on the wattage required for the heat bulb.

-Brandon

 

[carlitos]

Thank you Brandon! Yeah in addition to the Mercury Vapor bulb I also have a ceramic heat emitter in the center, a pad that heats the floor and a UVA 23 W bulb for the right of the tank. The room its at is actually steady at 65 minimum with a propane heater so let me know if this helps.

 

[SkittlesK]

Thank you Brandon! Yeah in addition to the Mercury Vapor bulb I also have a ceramic heat emitter in the center, a pad that heats the floor and a UVA 23 W bulb for the right of the tank. The room its at is actually steady at 65 minimum with a propane heater so let me know if this helps.

You could save energy by shutting off the lights during 'brumation'.
A slow-down phase where they 'naturally' shut down during winter months to store energy for summer.
It's easily replicated in captive-bred species; especially if your Dragon Hibernates.

IDK why everyone isn't doing it.
We should almost see a re-emergence of some of these techniques, especially with the boom of the 'morph market'. "Genetically altered dragons, if you will."

I also use an MVB.

 

[Chris.]

The dragon does look a little to young for brumation, though.
65 °F would at least mean you do not ned the CHE.
You want your basking spot nice and hot (depending on the age of your dragon, I'd guess around 110/115 isch) and if your cooles spot is somewhere between 75 and 85 you are fine.
I'd stay away from the heatpad. They don't really put out heat very efficiently as lots of it is blocked by the substrate. Also bearded dragons recognize warmth from above and not from below.
I'm using a 125W mvp, an arcadia t5 34W and an incandescent bulb 100W (dimmed to 40% at the moment). My tank is a 210 GAL.

 

[carlitos]

Yeah, I need to brumate a little this winter myself. Slowing down with the seasons feels like a healthy thing for dragon and dragon owner. I appreciate the feedback so much, helps paint a clearer picture. We appreciate you.

 

[SkittlesK]

The dragon does look a little to young for brumation, though.
65 °F would at least mean you do not ned the CHE.
You want your basking spot nice and hot (depending on the age of your dragon, I'd guess around 110/115 isch) and if your cooles spot is somewhere between 75 and 85 you are fine.
I'd stay away from the heatpad. They don't really put out heat very efficiently as lots of it is blocked by the substrate. Also bearded dragons recognize warmth from above and not from below.
I'm using a 125W mvp, an arcadia t5 34W and an incandescent bulb 100W (dimmed to 40% at the moment). My tank is a 210 GAL.

I have a similar setup.
With mine, I have it with a smaller T5 10.0; The fixture version.
& then the 125W MVB with a 210 GAL.

 

[AHBD]

Hi Carlitos, the other poster is correct that you don't want a baby to have brumation type temperature, they are too young and can stunt their growth or even bring on an illness. Keep your temps. as constant as you can. It will be interesting to see how everything goes. Are you getting a constant supply of insects for him/her ? What's her name, how big is she and did you have her checked so you know the sex ?

 

[carlitos]

Ho Carlitos, the other poster is correct that you don't want a baby to have brumation type temperature, they are too young and can stunt their growth or even bring on an illness. Keep your temps. as constant as you can. It will be interesting to see how everything goes. Are you getting a constant supply of insects for him/her ? What's her name, how big is she and did you have her checked so you know the sex ?

Hola! Carlitos is actually the name of my old bearded dragon . Sadly and unfortunately, I lost him to the forest two months ago. I was very close to him, and I had him on a leash outside with me, but when I wasn't looking he somehow got off his harness and took off. I never found him, but glad he died living free in a beautiful forest.

My heart was sad and I got a new baby dragon that waved at me in the pet store as if he was Carlitos reincarnated and was calling to me. It's a she, I'm almost sure. Her name is Eclipse.

I had inherited Carlitos from a previous owner so I had their light setup, but I think I'm realizing it's not enough for Eclipse and I've had to update my knowledge pretty quickly. Been reading so much today about the lights. It's a lot of fun. But yeah I'm getting the Arcadia t5 and a halogen uva light to replace what I have because I can barely get it to 100, especially as winter comes closer.

She's beautiful and elegant and absolutely loving. I live in a yurt she walks on the wood frames of the walls and stares at the trees and sun. Pura Vida.

 

[AHBD]

Oh, sorry about Carlitos . I guess there are extra dangers there with that lifestyle so be extra vigilant ! How big is Eclipse and what is her diet ? If you'd like one of us here to determine the sex you can post a pic of her on the ground or in your hand with the tail arched up high. That is only if you want to do that of course.

 

[carlitos]

She's eating her veggies well and also started her with crickets and now moved on to dubia roaches. Sounds great! I'll do that tomorrow for sure, thank you!

 

[Chris.]

You could also look into those new hid lamps if you want to safe energy. They are crazy expensive and need a little more technical setup with a ballast, but are really energy efficient. Also they don't have the greenish tint from the mercury.

 

[NickAVD]

You could also look into those new hid lamps if you want to safe energy. They are crazy expensive and need a little more technical setup with a ballast, but are really energy efficient. Also they don't have the greenish tint from the mercury.

Could you clarify the name of the lamps? Did you mean metal halide?

 

[Chris.]

High-intensity discharge lamps

High-intensity discharge lamp - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org