Two lighting questions please :)

[Ted]

Hello all,

I'm a very new beardie owner (new as in a few hours!)

I was told by a Petco associate who seemed to know her stuff (and very friendly) that the following lights are good:

ZooMed Nocturnal Infrared Heat Lamp - Can keep on 24/7 and won't effect the sleep patterns. However, I read in a thread here the "red" light can hurt my Sam's eyes.

Zilla Slimline Desert Fixture - 50 UVB T8 Fluorescent Bulb - Good to turn on during the day for calcium absorption. However, I've read Jess's lighting thread (thanks, Jess!) and she mentions that this light is also harmful to beardies' eyes.

I probably can't return the red bulb since I've used it so much, but I can try to return the slimline.

Should I be such a worrier? Or are these lights okay? I know the ReptiSun 10.0 is good, but I don't know if I saw that at Petco.

Thanks for any advice. I greatly appreciate it!
Ted

 

[catUK]

Hi and welcome.

No your right, these lights are not very good. You will need a bight white basking bulb- a regular household bulb sometimes works just as well. The reptisun 10 UVB tube is the best and you can order it online- i think in USA (im guessing thats where your from) you can get good prices at petmountain.com. Temps can drop to 65 at night without a problem. If you find you need additional heat at night you can use a ceramic heat bulb linked to a thermostat- it only gives off heat, not light. I'd also advise to get a decent thermometer to measure temps to make sure its 110 at basking spot, 90-100 hot and and 75-85 cool end. The digital thermometers with probe or a temp gun are best- the stick on thermometers are not accurate. Hope this helps a bit

 

[Ted]

Hi and welcome.

No your right, these lights are not very good. You will need a bight white basking bulb- a regular household bulb sometimes works just as well. The reptisun 10 UVB tube is the best and you can order it online- i think in USA (im guessing thats where your from) you can get good prices at petmountain.com. Temps can drop to 65 at night without a problem. If you find you need additional heat at night you can use a ceramic heat bulb linked to a thermostat- it only gives off heat, not light. I'd also advise to get a decent thermometer to measure temps to make sure its 110 at basking spot, 90-100 hot and and 75-85 cool end. The digital thermometers with probe or a temp gun are best- the stick on thermometers are not accurate. Hope this helps a bit

Hi Cat!

The fact that you responded is a huge help and very much appreciated.

A couple of follow-up questions, please:

1. If I use a regular household bulb, what wattage is recommended?
2. I've seen ceramic heating bulbs! How difficult is it to link to a thermostat? Would I find a thermostat in a pet store such as Petco? Would I have that IN addition to the basking light? Would I have that on at night since the light may mess up Sam's sleeping pattern?
3. With regards to the Reptisun 10 UVB, what fixture do I need? Do I use a fixture such as the kind they have on fish aquariums? Or is there a special one?

Thanks again for your help! I'm very grateful.
Ted

 

[catUK]

Hi Cat!

The fact that you responded is a huge help and very much appreciated.

A couple of follow-up questions, please:

1. If I use a regular household bulb, what wattage is recommended?

It depends on the size of the viv. I have a 4foot viv and use a 100w basking bulb which gives good temps. However, sometimes its a case of playing around with different wattages until you find the one that gives good temps. if you have a small viv try a 50-60w, if your viv is larger try 75 / 100w

2. I've seen ceramic heating bulbs! How difficult is it to link to a thermostat? Would I find a thermostat in a pet store such as Petco? Would I have that IN addition to the basking light? Would I have that on at night since the light may mess up Sam's sleeping pattern?

I'm not sure which thermostats are available in us. i use the habistat controller, all you do is plug the plug from the Ceramic bulb into the thermostat and select desired temp. You may not need it if temps don't fall below 65 at night. You wont need it during the day. i use mine in the winter set to 70 in case temps go low- the ceramic bulb doesn't give out any light, just heat so it wont affect sleep. UVb and basking lights should be left on 12-14 hours and turned off at night

3. With regards to the Reptisun 10 UVB, what fixture do I need? Do I use a fixture such as the kind they have on fish aquariums? Or is there a special one?

yeah you can use that and make sure theres no plastic or glass screen (sometimes there is but it can be removed). I use a fixtre that just fits on the end of the uvb (arcadia ultra seal controller) and hang it from hooks like so:

and here's my set up- the basking bulb on the right, UVB almost the length of the viv and yellow ceramic heat emitter off centre, only used at night:

Thanks again for your help! I'm very grateful.
Ted

 

[Ted]

Thank you for the photos, Cat.

I did see a ReptiSun 10 at Petco, but it wasn't a long tube... it was the light to fit in the incandescent fixture.

I may have to find something online. Your set-up is great, but I don't have the room to do something like that. I was hoping to have it set on the screen like the current Zilla is.

I found the CHE at Petco, but they were asking $42. I thought I'd ask around here and shop around to see if they're less expensive.

I also found the thermostat... for around $50. It was made by ZooMed.

 

[catUK]

Thanks. The compact / coil bulb UVBs are not good at all. I really wouldn't worry about the CHE just yet...you probably wont need it. I live in the UK and my house never gets that hot...about 74F maximum and drops at night- this keeps night temps at about 72. It may be something to save up for in the winter months. The UVB will be fine set up on screen...just make sure your beardie can get withing 6 inches of it in basking area...thats why i have mine dropped down nearer my beardie. Realsied i put the wrong 2nd photo on in last post so you couldn't see my light set up properly- here is the one i meant to put for an idea

 

[Jess]

Hi Ted! I'm glad my thread was helpful!

Pet Mountain has really cheap CHEs. I got my 100 watt CHE for $17! Pet stores are rip offs.

And if you want your ReptiSun to sit on top of the screen like your Zilla UVB is, you can cut out the screen under where you set the lamp. (As long as you don't have cats or other animals that would think I beardie is a good snack. You don't want them squeezing through the hole in the screen!)

 

[Ted]

Hi Jess and thank you for chiming in here!

Well, I found a CHE at PetSmart and wanted to get Sam away from the red light (the associate at PetSmart mentioned how the red light was causing her beardie to be aggressive!).

I do have a question about the ReptiSun 10:

I found ReptiSun 10, but it's for the regular incandescent fixture (I think I mentioned that).

Is there a reason that it HAS to be 18" long?

At PetSmart, I found the FIXTURE for the ReptiSun (hood), but no bulb. Go figure! I'm wondering: as long as the beardie is getting the UVA and UVB, why does it have to 18" long? Can't it just be a regular bulb? (again, the bulb is ReptiSun 10) and you can see it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun%C2%AE-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B00061V53Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1309302117&sr=8-2

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Ted]

Thanks. The compact / coil bulb UVBs are not good at all. I really wouldn't worry about the CHE just yet...you probably wont need it. I live in the UK and my house never gets that hot...about 74F maximum and drops at night- this keeps night temps at about 72. It may be something to save up for in the winter months. The UVB will be fine set up on screen...just make sure your beardie can get withing 6 inches of it in basking area...thats why i have mine dropped down nearer my beardie. Realsied i put the wrong 2nd photo on in last post so you couldn't see my light set up properly- here is the one i meant to put for an idea

Oops! I just realized you replied again before I asked my question, Cat. LOL! Thank you!

Hmm... I don't think the hood will allow six inches, unless I get another climbing structure near it. Here's a picture of my current set-up:

and a close-up

To the far left is his/her "basking" area. Currently, I took a red light from that cone fixture and replaced it with a CHE. I was planning on putting a regular "garage light" 150w bulb in a similar cone fixture in its place and moving the CHE to the center.

You can see the Zilla there... but it's more to the right, and therefore isn't with 6" of the basking area.

I guess I'm at a complete loss.

Please tell me I'm not that much of a dummy! LOL

Thanks.

 

[Ted]

And a follow-up question: I couldn't find a 150w heat lamp at Lowe's. I found at 100w and a 250w. I did find a 150w "garage light" and it would work, but I'm wondering if it has to be "cone-shaped" or could ANY 150 watt light provide enough heat during the day?

Thanks.

 

[Jess]

Try a 65 or 75 watt, 150 watts would be too much. The highest wattage I ever needed was 65.
And you can use the Zilla fixture for your ReptiSun. I GTG now, but I'll answer your other questions when I get back.

 

[Ted]

Try a 65 or 75 watt, 150 watts would be too much. The highest wattage I ever needed was 65.
And you can use the Zilla fixture for your ReptiSun. I GTG now, but I'll answer your other questions when I get back.

150 watts would be too much? But the CHE I bought was 150!

Even at that, the temperature near Sam's basking area is only 90 degrees. Wouldn't 75 watts be cooler and so the temperature wouldn't be 100 degrees (like it should be?) Am I not understanding?

Or do I leave the CHE on IN addition to the light but then at night, turn the light off. If that's the case, then, won't the temperature drop considerably?

*sigh* I wonder if I'll EVER get this.

I do appreciate your patience, though. Thanks very much!

 

[Fuzzyviper]

150 watts would be too much? But the CHE I bought was 150!

Even at that, the temperature near Sam's basking area is only 90 degrees. Wouldn't 75 watts be cooler and so the temperature wouldn't be 100 degrees (like it should be?) Am I not understanding?

Or do I leave the CHE on IN addition to the light but then at night, turn the light off. If that's the case, then, won't the temperature drop considerably?

*sigh* I wonder if I'll EVER get this.

I do appreciate your patience, though. Thanks very much! [/color]

The light bulb will give off more heat than the CHE will, especially at 150 watts. I think the most I've seen anyone use on the forums is maybe a regular 100 watt bulb. I've got a 40 gallon breeder tank and I'm using a 67 watt household bulb. The CHE is usually used in the winter when house temperatures are colder or if you just live in an overall cool climate. Do you know the temperature that your thermostat is set on at night in your house? As long as it doesn't drop below 65 at night, they do just fine. What kind of thermometer are you using in the tank? The stick on kind don't always read the correct temperature so a temp gun or a thermometer with a probe that can be placed on the basking area is recommended.

I'd just like to mention that fine screen can block about 15-35% of the UVB from your Reptisun bulb so cutting a hole in the screen or putting the light in the tank are recommended to get the full use of the UVB. I have a tank with a built in screen lid so I slide mine open about 2 inches during the day and position the fixture over the gap. As for your question about the 18inch model, the bulb should span at least 50% of your tank and many people, including myself, use a 40 breeder tank, which is 36 inches long so it covers 50% of the tank. Larger bulbs are also harder to find in stores. The larger bulbs and fixtures are also more expensive.

Oh, and if you want a cheap way to get your dragon 6 inches from his basking light, you can sterilize branches from outdoors by baking them in the oven at around 350 degree for 15-20 minutes. This will kill anything growing on or in the branch. I have a long, thin oak branch in my tank that spans nearly the entire length of my tank. My dragon moves around to different heights on the forked end to regular his temperature and he even sleeps on the other end.

 

[Jess]

Ted, what kind of thermometer are you using? Even in my 4x2x2 viv, I only need a 75 watt bulb. Are you sure your therm is accurate?

Are you using the greenish colored tree branch as your basking spot? Because if it is that close to the light, than 150 watts is definitely too much.

If you need too, you can use the CHE in addition to the basking light. I only used mine at night over the winters though, because it gets pretty cold here in MN.

And for now, your UVB light length is fine. If you want to buy a larger fixture then go ahead, but a 18" is OK for a 40 gal.

And I promise, this will get easier!! :wink: The initial set-up can be really confusing, but once you get all the lighting stuff down it's a piece of cake.

 

[1beardie]

Where did you get that UVB fixture????