advice on a basking bulb that will not burn out

[ariel]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this forum and I have had such a constant struggle with basking bulbs. My UVBs have worked like a charm and I replace them every 6 months and use the old ones in my plant terrariums for my frogs (since frogs dont need UVB to metabolize)
anywho, the basking bulbs have been burning out at a very fast rate and have become very costly to buy monthly. I have a double deep dome lamp for my bulbs. I have been experimenting with different bulbs to see if there is a difference in brand or type. So far I have tried Zoo Med basking bulb and I tried the Zoo Med infrared light and that one burned out as well. is it me or is it Zoo Med? I do not believe the problem lies with my ballast because the UVB bulb has been up and running while 4 basking bulbs have burned out. I should mention that I do not touch these bulbs with my hands because I am very aware that the oils on our hands accelerates the degredation of the bulb.
Is there a different brand or type of bulb that I should use from now on? a different ballast?
I should mention that I have not tried ceramic heat bulbs yet. and that I have an exo terra sun glo 125 watt right now that is being used for my blaptica dubias. I was wondering if 125 watt is too much for a 40 gallon tank .
thanks for any advice.

 

[Germ]

First, I wouldn't use any Basking Bulb bought at the Pet Store, they are waaayy overpriced & don't do the job any differently than any other white or clear Bulb. Personally I use Halogen Flood Bulbs in all of my enclosures, found at any larger hardware store, such as Home Depot. I use the Philips brand. Halogen produce more heat per watt, so cheaper to buy & run too. Brighter, whiter light, BDs thrive in bright white light, basically that is all UVA is, is visible light. The Halogens have superb heat radiation\penetration into the enclosure. Any white or clear bulb of sufficient Wattage to provide the temps required will do the job, even plain household incandescent bulbs. But Halogens have been my choice for years now. As far as what wattage bulb to use, it varies greatly, as many variables will affect this, size of enclosure, distance to the Basking Spot, ambient room temps, screened or unscreened, etc. All setups can be a bit different, we all have to experiment with different types, strengths of bulbs & distances for our particular setups. What may work for many, may not work for someone else. If it is a 40 gal long, a 75 Watt Halogen may be needed, if it is a 40 gal breeder, a 50 Watt Halogen may do the trick for you, depending on the variables previously mentioned.

Any bulb will not take well to banging around or shock of any kind & more often than not, will cause them to fail. I don't understand what you mean by you think that it is the Ballast that is causing them to fail. Most Heat bulbs do not have a ballast, other than MVBs (Mercury Vapor Bulbs) & it does not sound like you have used one & I don't recommend it in a 40 Gal enclosure, as they are designed for much bigger enclosures. CHEs (Ceramic Heat Emitters) are great for night heat, if it is absolutely needed & they are used in combination with a dimmer or thermostat to control the output. But as previously mentioned, BDs thrive on bright white light, so a non-light emitting heat source is not really recommended for daytime heat.

Hope this helps somewhat ...

Good Luck

 

[ariel]

thanks

 

[ariel]

i apologize for my lack of knowledge on specific parts of a lamp. replace the word ballast with whatever the part is called that you screw the bulb into.

 

[Germ]

*SOCKET*

 

[ariel]

ok, so the ceramic socket doesnt seem to be the problem. it may be all the movement from moving the lamp around to feed her. I will go out and buy a halogen flood light and play around with the watts to see what will work best for temp. I just need a cheap bulb if they are going to be this faulty. the lady at my local pet store said that it could also be a power surge that burns it out but its the only bulb in my entire house that seems to ever burn out.

 

[Germ]

Could very well be the moving around, the filaments in the bulbs are very fine & really don't fair too well with any kind of shock, particularly when hot.

 

[BeardieBaby]

Germ, I have a question for you about the bulbs as well. I bought a regular household bulb at Home .Depot because as we all know the ones at the pet store burn easily and are expensive. Anyways, I got a 100 watt bulb and it barely worked! I even added a 75 watt bulb and it still was useless. I get so confused with all the different types of light bulbs, and I have been reading your posts about the halogen light at Home Depot, and some people say to use a flood light. I was wondering if you could give me information on how to figure out which one you have described because I'm very confused!! Thanks!!

 

[Germ]

This is what I use & get them at Home Depot, I think this one was $15 for the 4 pack of 50Watt. I also use 75 Watt & very rarely a 90 Watt. Depending on the enclosure.

 

[BeardieBaby]

Oh awesome, thanks!!! So basically this type of bulb puts out more heat, therefore I can get a lower wattage?

 

[Scotty]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this forum and I have had such a constant struggle with basking bulbs. My UVBs have worked like a charm and I replace them every 6 months and use the old ones in my plant terrariums for my frogs (since frogs dont need UVB to metabolize)
anywho, the basking bulbs have been burning out at a very fast rate and have become very costly to buy monthly. I have a double deep dome lamp for my bulbs. I have been experimenting with different bulbs to see if there is a difference in brand or type. So far I have tried Zoo Med basking bulb and I tried the Zoo Med infrared light and that one burned out as well. is it me or is it Zoo Med? I do not believe the problem lies with my ballast because the UVB bulb has been up and running while 4 basking bulbs have burned out. I should mention that I do not touch these bulbs with my hands because I am very aware that the oils on our hands accelerates the degredation of the bulb.
Is there a different brand or type of bulb that I should use from now on? a different ballast?
I should mention that I have not tried ceramic heat bulbs yet. and that I have an exo terra sun glo 125 watt right now that is being used for my blaptica dubias. I was wondering if 125 watt is too much for a 40 gallon tank .
thanks for any advice.

Lol, so how about I read this, and said to myself "well Atleast I just got a brand new bulb last week... This won't happen to me any time soon" well, came home about 25 minutes ago to a burnt out bulb. Lol. going to exchange for a new one tomorrow.

 

[Germ]

Oh awesome, thanks!!! So basically this type of bulb puts out more heat, therefore I can get a lower wattage?

That's pretty much it, and have a brighter light to boot . With a 75W, with my ambient room temps (Mid to higher 70s F), no screen, I will get 110F on a basking spot 15 or 16" away with the light pointed at it diagonally.

 

[ariel]

Thanks for your help germ. I just got a bigger basking platform for Corona because she has been staying in her water bowl since I changed from bark to carpet and took out the log hide. hopefully the platform will help her acclimate.
I am using a 125 watt exo terra sun glo bulb but the temp gauge is still between 90-95 degrees in my 40 gallon tank. I am going to wait a few days to receive my digital point and click thermometer to see what the actual temp is on the basking platform.

 

[Germ]

What type of top do you have? Is it a full screen top?

Infrared Thermometers - Temp Guns

 

[ariel]

Yea i have a full screen top

 

[Germ]

Then as explained in the above attached thread

my digital point and click thermometer to see what the actual temp is on the basking platform.

will not give you accurate temps because you will have to move the lights to get in to take a reading. Infrared thermometers are great in the right application, your's is not one of them. A digital with a sensor\probe is what is needed to take accurate temps in an enclosure with a full screen top.

 

[ariel]

no can do. I have heard way too many bad things about probe therms. the point and click is mainly for my frogs but I can get and accurate reading in the dragon enclosure since my screen folds in half. i just lift one side of the screen while the light is in place, point, click, viola!

 

[Germ]

Ahhhh, ok, so it is not a full screen one piece top which is what I meant, I guess I could have worded that better . Now you have my curiosity up ...

I have heard way too many bad things about probe therms

Please explain, what have you heard bad about them? Analog stickons are a problem, but this is a first to hear anything about digital with sensor\probe. Enlighten me please.

 

[ariel]

Digital therms with probes are notoriously terrible in tropical enclosures. after a few months the high humidity will damage the therm causing it to either break entirely or give very false readings. the reason I got the point and click is so it wouldnt be exposed to humidity for an extended period of time. I have analog stick ons which are faulty but they give me a generalized reading which I can then determine accurately with a point and click. however,bearded dragon cages are very low humidity, but very high heat. is there a specific desert digital therm that you recommend?

 

[Germ]

LOL - Don't mount the digital readout inside the enclosure ...

That is the whole point of having the sensor\probe on a wire . Used them for many years with no issues, yours is the very first complaint I have ever heard on them, ever, so they are not that notorious & it just does not make sense . I mean they are used for aquariums so outside humidity can't be much of a problem to them.

I now use temp Guns, but there is nothing wrong with Digital with a sensor\probe. They are the only thermometer that I recommend for a full one piece topped enclosure.