The Dragon's Lair

[magicmagni]

I'm understood, thank you!
I'll ask you a little more about LED light.
Now I use the Arcadia Jungle Dawn separately from the case ThermalZooPro and I noticed that the LED light heats up significantly, sometimes you can even burn your hand on the aluminum case. This worries me a little. I know this is a common feature of the Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED light.
Do you know that in the new Arcadia the LED lamp has become colder?

Yeah they get a bit hot. It's to be expected from high output LED such as this one that uses the housing as a heat sink basically. I was testing it out today and the LED housing is 130 degrees surface temp as verified with my temp gun running the lamp 100% for 4 hours. I can touch it and not quite get burned. It will help heat up the enclosure a bit, but adding a PC fan to the enclosure can help if you need to cool ambient temps down a bit. If a full screen top type viv like a Dubia branded enclosure.. I would be surprised if overheating is an issue since there is so much ventilation. YMMV.

 

[magicmagni]

So this is the lighting design I came up with which I'm planning to install... As you can see there will be no JD LED in the ZooPro fixture. Just two UVB lamps.. My thinking is that because the enclosure is 3 feet wide ,I would like to have a broader area of UVB coverage front to back. To help brighten up the basking zone more (lots of health benefits to this) I will include a high output LED Spot in one of the dome's to work in conjunction with the 150W Flood. Then the 48W LED Jungle Dawn will blanket the whole enclosure in visible light for good plant growth.

I've referenced some good iridescence charts available online from various sources, the ones below are from here.
Also, Thomas Griffiths has some good charts and updated ones for LuminIZE as well.. here

As you can see the spread of UVB is quite good along the length of these T5 bulbs, but from front to back not so much. So to help I'm running two Arcadia 24W T5 fixtures for more coverage front to back of the enclosure if that makes sense? Since UVB output is more with two units I've downgraded from 12% UVB to 6% UVB so as not to have too much UVB. I rigged this up to a test bench and getting very nice readings with my UV meter (around 3.8 to 4.2 UVI +- at the basking height of around 18" +- as measured by Solarmeter 6.5)

But you can't use 6% UVB for a bearded dragon can you??? Check out this great blog post from Thomas on the subject.. It's a great read..

 

[NickAVD]

Yeah they get a bit hot. It's to be expected from high output LED such as this one that uses the housing as a heat sink basically. I was testing it out today and the LED housing is 130 degrees surface temp as verified with my temp gun running the lamp 100% for 4 hours. I can touch it and not quite get burned. It will help heat up the enclosure a bit, but adding a PC fan to the enclosure can help if you need to cool ambient temps down a bit. If a full screen top type viv like a Dubia branded enclosure.. I would be surprised if overheating is an issue since there is so much ventilation. YMMV.

Thanks for the measurements! I don't have a temp gun, but I do have a kitchen steak thermometer and it reads 120 degrees on the surface of my Arcadia Jungle Dawn. If I touch it with my hand, I can withstand it for 5-7 seconds, I can’t do it longer. You're right, the LEDs get very hot, but I'm still worried that something inside will melt.
I've read complaints about the JD, often these lamps burn out, so I'm still afraid to use this lamp inside the TZP housing, because the ventilation there is not the best and the cooling of the LEDs will be noticeably worse.
I was hoping that the heating would be less in the LuminIZE, but it seems that this is not the case.

 

[NickAVD]

So to help I'm running two Arcadia 24W T5 fixtures for more coverage front to back of the enclosure if that makes sense?

Yes, it is a great idea to install two UV lamps for a 3 foot wide terrarium. But pay attention to how the UV lamps are installed inside the Arcadia TZP. They are located with tilt, this allows you to direct the UV beam to the center

which may prevent you from making a wide coverage of the UV light. you should think about how to eliminate the tilt of the UV lamp inside the Arcadia TZP

 

[magicmagni]

Thanks for the measurements! I don't have a temp gun, but I do have a kitchen steak thermometer and it reads 120 degrees on the surface of my Arcadia Jungle Dawn. If I touch it with my hand, I can withstand it for 5-7 seconds, I can’t do it longer. You're right, the LEDs get very hot, but I'm still worried that something inside will melt.
I've read complaints about the JD, often these lamps burn out, so I'm still afraid to use this lamp inside the TZP housing, because the ventilation there is not the best and the cooling of the LEDs will be noticeably worse.
I was hoping that the heating would be less in the LuminIZE, but it seems that this is not the case.

This is the temp gun I'm using.. very reasonable price... wow it's on sale for $14 now!

Amazon.com

TZP is metal so I wouldn't have any concerns with heat.. metal also acts as heat sink. Additionally putting a JD inside enclosure shouldn't be a concern. Think about it... an incandescent with ceramic base will get twice as hot. That said I've designed some custom brackets for mounting the JD inside the enclosure that provides some thermal isolation between PVC enclosure ceiling and also allows tilting of lamp. Stay tuned

 

[magicmagni]

Yes, it is a great idea to install two UV lamps for a 3 foot wide terrarium. But pay attention to how the UV lamps are installed inside the Arcadia TZP. They are located with tilt, this allows you to direct the UV beam to the center
View attachment 86777
which may prevent you from making a wide coverage of the UV light. you should think about how to eliminate the tilt of the UV lamp inside the Arcadia TZP

Thanks for this.. You're absolutely correct.. there is some overlap like shown above with the TZP.. it's not quite that drastic though, but that's why I had to swap out the 12% for 6%.. Even still I'm really happy with the results so far.

 

[NickAVD]

That said I've designed some custom brackets for mounting the JD inside the enclosure that provides some thermal isolation between PVC enclosure ceiling and also allows tilting of lamp.

I also have a custom device for mounting the Arcadia lamp, which allows you to change the height of the lamp, but does not change the tilt. If you have the opportunity, please tell us about your solution, I think it will be interesting to everyone!

 

[NickAVD]

Thanks for this.. You're absolutely correct.. there is some overlap like shown above with the TZP.. it's not quite that drastic though, but that's why I had to swap out the 12% for 6%.. Even still I'm really happy with the results so far.

You can try installing a triangular wedge between the Arcadia TZP case and the UV mounting bracket.
This can be done when the 6% lamps will used up and there is a need to install 12%

 

[NickAVD]

This is the temp gun I'm using.. very reasonable price... wow it's on sale for $14 now!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B71HFH9...KH2L0HSV1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

Thank you! Really good price!

 

[magicmagni]

So now that my enclosure is all assembled.. let's cut it up LOL

I wanted the ThermalZooPro Fixture to sit on top of the enclosure ,but we need a cutout for the light to show through...

Time to get the saw out! This was definitely a measure twice cut once situation!! I actually must of measured 10 times LOL. I let Kages know what I was planning and they where really cool to offer a replacement panel at their cost if I just totally messed up so at least I had that to fall back onto Luckily, I did not have to take them up on their offer!

PVC is really easy to cut. I was going to use my jigsaw, but I found that power tools were not the best as they are too powerful and ended up melting the material more than anything so just went "old school" on it with the saw. I used the arcadia fixture as my template and with a colored pencil marked it off. Then I just took the cut in about 1/8". If I cut the same size of light it would fall through the hole and we don't want that! To get the cut started I just drilled 4 holes at each corner so I could get the blade in there.

Ended up looking like this once it was all cut out.... I took a file to the edges just to clean it all up, but probably not necessary since the cut will not be seen.

This is the final result.. I used foam weatherstripping to get a better seal between the fixture and ceiling as PVC is quite flexy and light was showing through at some spots here and there were it would sag. To keep it all in place I used some 1/2" L brackets with brass sheet metal screws that went into the fixture and some brass wood screw for the PVC side.

 

[magicmagni]

Today I worked on mounting up the HUGE 48" 80 watt monster LED light Bar!!

LumenIZE Jungle Dawn LED Bar, 1240mm (48"), 80 watt

LumenIZE Jungle Dawn LED Bar, 1240mm (48"), 80 watt LightYourReptiles.com was founded on one simple idea: To bring the best in full spectrum lighting products to the herpetological community. www.lightyourreptiles.com



I settled on mounting the light in the in the front section of the ceiling- forward enough not to block the ThermalZoo Pro fixture, but at this location the light would only illuminate the front area and not so much the back. I needed a way to tilt the Jungle Dawn LED Bar so to light up the enclosure more evenly

So I came up with this custom bracket..

It's really quite simple, but effective. Here is a breakdown of the parts picked up from my local HW store excluding the new plastic clip that comes from Arcadia with the LumenIZE stuff. I suppose you can also do this with the older metal ones too, but just be careful that the head of the screw doesn't stick out too far or else it won't clip into the light. This isn't so much a problem with the new plastic ones from Arcadia since it has a countersunk screw interface and is much thicker. I elected to use a nut with lock washer for added security. Also a nylon washer is sandwiched in-between the two L brackets to act as a bushing since this is the pivot point. Once tightened you just grab the light and adjust the tilt how you want and it stays in place. If you are constantly adjusting it you may need to tighten it again, but I have not had to. I chose the lowest profile to keep the light as high as possible, but I suppose a longer bracket (or even en extension piece between the two could be used to get it closer to a basking spot if needed.

 

[magicmagni]

Next step is a watering system for the enclosure.. My problem with Bio is that I get busy and forget to water the plants and they die!! Automation to the rescue .

I decided to use what I know and stick with a drip irrigation system that I have used for many years on my Leopard Gecko and Ocellated skink bio enclosures. Through experimentation I've found that watering the plants/ substrate in this manner raises the humidity less than misting systems.. this is well appreciated by the arid species. For my critters it's run about only once every week for 10 to 15 minutes - enough to keep the lower levels of substrate from drying out. It's a bit of trial and error, but I use a moisture meter to check and dial it in. The warmer enclosures definitely use more water, but also substrate depth is a factor.

This is what it looks like installed. I use zip tie mounts to the ceiling which the dripper line is tied to. The Arcadia light is rated for water contact, but even still I made sure to route it so no water would drip onto the fixture. I payed special attention to put more line in places that will be more heavily planted/ areas of refudge for Clean up Crew.

I used these parts:

1. Rain Bird 1/4" Emitter tubing..​

Rain Bird Drip Irrigation 1/4" Emitter Tubing with 6" Spacing 50 Ft.

It has pressure compensating drippers built in. These work the best as even with the lowest pressures you get even amount of dripping throughout the line.

Rain Bird Drip Irrigation 1/4" Emitter Tubing with 6" Spacing 50 Ft. Rain Bird Drip Irrigation 1/4" Emitter Tubing

2. Medical Pump​

Amazon.com

This is super affordable and has a really nice potentiometer installed that you can use to adjust the speed/flow. It can lift the water at least 6 feet high-- if not more. It's a powerful little pump. Hobbyists often use these for dosing in Reef Aquariums.

3. Timer​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08X448XHR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Big fan of the GOVEE products. They have a really good app. You just use your smartphone to program the days and times to turn on and off. Bluetooth and Wifi required to setup, but then once you program it will work with no connectivity if needed.

4. Reservoir.. anything can work, but I found this nice one on Amazon..
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VGPKN26?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

[magicmagni]

Now for the substrate...

I've done a few enclosures now with Tara Sahara from the Bio-Dude.. but those have been much smaller enclosures. I really like the product, but for this massive enclosure I'm figuring something like 250+ quarts of substrate would be needed and that was just not cost effective.. time for DIY

I'm using a variation of a Bearded Dragon Substrate that SerpaDesign used on his Enclosure build. It seems like a commonly used formula so I decided to stick with that..

Materials sourced locally from hardware store. For the clay though I ended up going with Exo Terra Stone Desert- Outback Red
It was super hard to find, but worth the effort as it gives a bit of a hint of red color to the soil like the Australian outback!

 

[Claudiusx]

Any reason for the drip system at the top of the enclosure instead of buried in the substrate?
The substrate should look good.

I might have missed it, but do you have your dragon yet for the enclosure? Or are you waiting to get it all situated before purchasing?

PS, went ahead and added your build thread to the DIY sticky. You didn't build your enclosure, but you've built about everything else you possibly could lol.

Big List of Members DIY Tank Builds | DIY

Here is a list of all of (or most) our members custom tank building project threads. Hopefully it helps give ideas and know how into DIY tank building :) Build Links Claudiusx New Fully Custom Double Stacked 4x2x2 My New DIY Enclosure kingofnobbys New Enclosure Build concept to completion...

www.beardeddragon.org

-Brandon

 

[magicmagni]

Any reason for the drip system at the top of the enclosure instead of buried in the substrate?
The substrate should look good.

I might have missed it, but do you have your dragon yet for the enclosure? Or are you waiting to get it all situated before purchasing?

PS, went ahead and added your build thread to the DIY sticky. You didn't build your enclosure, but you've built about everything else you possibly could lol.

Big List of Members DIY Tank Builds | DIY

Here is a list of all of (or most) our members custom tank building project threads. Hopefully it helps give ideas and know how into DIY tank building :) Build Links Claudiusx New Fully Custom Double Stacked 4x2x2 My New DIY Enclosure kingofnobbys New Enclosure Build concept to completion...

www.beardeddragon.org

-Brandon

Right on! Thanks Brandon.. Yeah really.. I wanted it to be a complete DIY build ,but PVC panels were not available in my area and to ship them in was about the same as just getting a "prefab" enclosure LOL.

Yeah Jackson.. AKA "Baby J" is living-- and growing fast.. in his Exo-Terra temp home

https://www.beardeddragon.org/threads/baby-js-temp-home.268550/

I want the "Flora and Fauna" to get a head start before I put him in there. I always setup my enclosures first and make sure everything is dialed in 100% before putting in the animal ,but I do admit I got a little ahead of myself when I saw Jackson.. I just had to have him.. He just hit 5 months old now and have had him since 3.5 weeks old!

For the drip system, I did consider what you are saying, but...
I like Drip system on ceiling because:

1. No way he can dig it up
2. If it were to somehow mafunction I can access it easier to fix it
3. I feel better visually seeing that it's working.
4. It looks really cool when it's on.. like a rainy day ;-) albeit not very long one for an arid setup, but it would be way cool to try out on a Chemeleon or other tropical setup for sure!
5. I figure it's just more natural for the water to come from the sky anyways.
6. BD seem to like moving water.. we all know how they almost never touch a water bowl of still water. I like that there is a possibility that a drop lands on his nose and he drinks it or maybe runs down a rock or a stick and he laps some up or even lands in the water bowl itself and causes some movement to stimulate drinking if thirsty.
7. Lastly, it's "tried and true" for me on a few setups now so I was comfortable going for it again.