Basking Light Questions

[Jonathan95123]

Hey, so as some of you may remember, I joined the forum to learn from you. Skimming through this forum i've learn how passionate you all are and i'm learning a lot thus far.
I've been busy prototyping a custom basking light that addresses some of my friend's issues and I would like to hear from you about your critiques and comments on the basking lights you use.

It would be awesome if you guys could skim over some of these questioned I compiled. Don't feel obligated to answer all of them, it's really just an outline on certain things i would like to hear from you, but I'm all ears if you like to add anything else!

How many tanks do you have?
What kind of basking light do you use?
What features do you look for in basking lights?
Is there anything you would change about the lights you currently use?
How often do you have to replace your basking lights?
Is energy usage a concern for you?
How much effort do you put in adjusting the temperature of the basking area?
What would be your most ideal basking light versus the ones you use?

Really appreciate it

 

[Eavlynn]

With an ever expanding collection and incoming rescues, I currently have 17 enclosures. Only 3 require basking set ups.

I use "all living things" bulbs for my 2 dragons. They provide light and heat without creating an intense hot spot. Without ample cross ventilation, they have a tendency make the cool side a bit warm for my liking. I've had to make adjustments in location of the enclosures because of this. For my monitor, I use a Zilla basking spot lamp. The dual reflectors create a concentrated light that allow for a higher temp hot spot with lower wattage, which is great for my monitor.

What changes would I make? I would like to see a bulb with the same efficiency, only shorter. When it comes to interior mounting, I don't like that the bulbs come down 4 or so inches from the top of the enclosure, it limits the space that I have to work with as far as elevated platforms go, and reducing the wattage to create higher platforms for more surface area often leads to temps that aren't quite high enough.

Features: I look for bulbs than brighten the enclosure mimicking the sun's effect, while providing proper basking temps without overheating the entire enclosure. I also like packaging that gives the estimate temps according to distance away from the light source.

Replacement: I replace the bulbs when they blow out. Sometimes they last a week and others have been going strong for a few months.

Energy usage is definitely a concern. I've switched many enclosures to proheat radiant heat panels to save on energy, but don't have an environmentally friendly option for basking lights.

Recently I've been a lot more picky with my basking temps. Temps too low were causing digestive issues with my adult beardie, and temps too high make her uncomfortable and restless in her enclosure. For basking spots, I keep my adult female at 95 to 98, my juvenile boy at 105 to 107, and my monitor at 120 to 125.

My ideal light, for the beardie at least, would be a more compact bulb, with a whiter light output (without that fake looking yellow hue), and a decent heat dispersal, so as not to condense all of the heat emitted into one small area.

Wow, that seems a bit long winded. I hope that this can help you to create a better basking alternative! I've never thought so deeply about my feelings towards bulbs haha.

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[Jonathan95123]

That information was definitely more than i was expecting, and very informative. Thanks! Really appreciate the information. I have some parts coming in this weekend so let me see how many issues I can tackle.

I've definitely noticed some of the issues you mentioned like yellowish/dim light. Didn't know about sizing being an issue but it makes sense when so many people on this forum have enclosed tanks. I'll definitely try to look into it more, and hopefully more people respond so I can hear from all sorts of people.

Man, 17 tanks though!

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[Eavlynn]

Haha not all tanks. Many are pvc or wooden enclosures. I'm trying to phase out a lot of the glass tanks for better husbandry as well as the ability to stack without the use of shelves.

Best of luck on your invention! I can't wait to see the fruits of your labor.

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[Jonathan95123]

So ive been working on a basking light and testing on my friends tank. This is the second prototype.

She was using a 100w zoomed basking light (not sure which one exactly). But it is definitely yellow in my opinion.

The new basking light is using about 50w and has a daylight color temperature. It's 3 times brighter too, but you can't tell in these photos because my phone camera only has auto mode.

I'll try to get some manual shots to show the difference in brightness. But let me know what you guys think so far.

I'll definitely need some more beta testers closer to the end of the year (brumation time, I picked a bad time to design this)