basking question

[Omri]

hi! my tanks is pretty big and its cold in my house around 65 f all the time I have thought about gettin 2 ceramic lamps : the exoterra PT2048 and the PT2047 my question is can I just get one and it will cover the whole tank or should I get 2? thanks for your answers.

 

[PatsyB]

You only need a ceramic heat lamp if the temp in your whole tank drops below 65 degrees. They need a temperature drop at night to help regulate their body temps.

 

[Omri]

the do LOL, right now the temp in my house is 61.7 its like an ice cube
so look thats my tank plan:
http://i.imgur.com/3zHaEdL.png

 

[cold blooded]

It sounds like your room temps fluctuate a lot. My old house was like this and made it really challenging. I think you will have better chances of success with a wood enclosure because it will be better insulated. A glass tank will be very hard to work with. Imagine you are standing next to a campfire on a cold night. It might be really warm up close but just a little bit away it's freezing cold. A wood enclosure would allow a more comfortable gradient and also save you $$ on electrical costs since you will need less wattage to heat it up.

In addition I would put a ceramic heat emitter in a proper ceramic base on the side opposite of basking (the cool side) 100 watt should do. This is to maintain a min temp in enclosure. Hook that up to a thermostat so that it maintains a stable temp. You will use this to maintain your cool side temp to go no lower than 72F 24/7...yes they can handle lower temps at night, but by doing this you should get more stable temp at your basking site on warmer days when perhaps the room gets to 70 or above to a degree ( no pun intended- OK maybe a little).

Lastly for basking site I would certainly recommend a halogen bulb because they produce more heat. A 75 watt should do. Hook it up to a dimmer and play around with the adjustment until you can get a proper basking temp.

Most importantly invest in a nice temp gun. Every reptile owner should have one. This will let you easily and instantly check temps.



Best of luck,

Jeff

 

[Omri]

Wow ! Thanks for your reply you really helped me! Unfortenatelly I already built a plastic terrarium thats ill cover all the open areas that the only openning will be the door to keep the heat in. And Im planning to a ceramic heat emitter by exo terra for the basking spot and of course ill mesure the temp to the correct ones. Should it be fine? Oh and in the terrarium the temps are a bit higher than the rest of the house

 

[cold blooded]

I'm glad I helped. The plastic Terrarium is ok I think. Just avoid stuff that has an open screen top as all your heat will rise out the top. If you do have a screen top you can cover it up by getting a sheet of foam insulation at the hw store or a non flammable piece of hardy board and make cutouts in it for the lights, just make sure that you have enough venting on the sides of enclosure to compensate Be careful if closing off vents. You actually want some ventilation so fresh air can come in. Also if not enough ventilation the humidity levels can get quite high which opens the door to upper respiratory infections and fungal infections. It's worth loosing some heat to have ventilation!

Also I wouldn't use the CHE for the basking spot. Beardies don't really respond to it as a basking spot. You want a bright light that puts out heat like a halogen bulb. Use that CHE on the cool side to maintain the minimum temps of 72 24/7 in your case. Naturally it will rise when the basking light come on, which is fine even if the cool side hits low 80's during day. This is natural and actually desirable.

Lastly do yourself a favor and use a thermostat. They are only around $30 (see link in above post). It will add a level of safety to your enclosure- no fried lizards if it happens to warm up in your house when you are away. It will also make life much easier on you as you won't have to always adjust the temps. I highly recommend it.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Good information Jeff!

 

[Omri]

http://imgur.com/d4ahmue
thats my final plan I counting on you reptile experts

 

[cold blooded]

Cool Omri! Not sure what fixture you have or what you are planning on getting, but I would really recommend the T5 fluorescent fixture and not the T8 for your application if can swing it. Reason being is the height of you tank. T8 will struggle to produce enough uvb at the distances you are working with. Also I would try to find a fixture that fits the top. No reason it has to only be 3/4 in length, although I know some people say so. This way here you have nice even light throughout.

 

[Omri]

thanks!

 

[Michael persky]

What's the best uvb bulb and brand for my beardie?

 

[PatsyB]

What's the best uvb bulb and brand for my beardie?

The ReptiSun 10.0 HO fluorescent tube bulbs are the best to use as well as the Arcadia bulbs.

 

[Bobbi]

I was under the impression that halogen lights shouldn't be used because they can cause burns? Or am I thinking of something else?

 

[Michael persky]

Thank you patsy b

 

[Elders]

I was under the impression that halogen lights shouldn't be used because they can cause burns? Or am I thinking of something else?

From my revised understandings after talking with someone on this site; the mini-halogen lamps are too tight a beam and can cause burning because the dragons will not move until the entirety of their body has heated up to the same temp. If the beams too tight it will burn them where it hits directly.

Halogen bulbs can be used since they do give off a god amount of heat however; they should be at a good distance away to allow a nice even distribution of the light beam. So a bigger dome w/ a bigger light at a further distance is OK.

Again just from my understanding after being told about the mini-halogens.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Ditto ^^^^

 

[Bobbi]

Okay, thanks guys.

 

[jarich]

Yes, halogens are great to use, but as mentioned above you want to make sure and get a nice wide beam flood light, and not a spot light. Ideally you want a halogen that creates a basking area big enough to encompass the entire body of the dragon at a similar temperature. As a general rule of thumb, go for the PAR 38 outdoor flood light. There are some specialty PAR30 that have a wider beam angle, but generally the PAR 38 will give you the nice wide basking area you want. You can also find them at any hardware store, online, etc for quite a good price.