Is a halogen heat lightbulb safe?

[Noella]

Just wondering if a halogen heat lightbulb's safe to use as a basking bulb?

http://www.petmountain.com/product/...2-504675/zoo-med-repti-halogen-heat-lamp.html

 

[Germ]

Halogen flood bulbs are all I use for heat. But I have never used the pet store ones, just go to the local hardware store to get one, cheaper & every bit as good & likely last longer, I use Philips brand. You have to remember that a halogen bulb is a much hotter bulb per watt, brighter, whiter light & generally better penetration distance into the enclosure. So you won't need near as high a Wattage as with a normal spot type bulb, so they are also cheaper to run.

 

[Dizzy]

Germ,

As discussed in another topic I'm going for a halogen lamp instead as recommended.

What watt lamp do you use?

Thanks

 

[Germ]

Depends on the size of the enclosure, ambient room temp & distance from the basking spot. I use Philips Halogen Floods - 50W, 75W & 90W for different sized enclosures. A 90W will heat my 90 Gallon enclosures in the winter, a 75W does the job in the summertime. I have a 215 us gallon - 53"L x 36"D x 26"H - wooden enclosure divided in 2 with an eggcrate fluorescent light difuser so there is very little air flow restriction between the 2 & use a 75W Halogen Flood on each side in the winter, I get Basking temps of 105-110F @ 15-16", 50W in the summer. A 50W Halogen Flood should easily take care of a 40 Gal with the Basking Spot 8-10" from the bulb & the ambient room temp in the lower mid 70s F. At least they do mine .

 

[Noella]

How about the GE Edison, Flood Halogen 75? Is this safe to use as the Phlips and it's the only thing I can find for now.

 

[Germ]

Yes that would be fine, the specific brand doesn't matter much, I only mentioned the Philips because that is the one that I have found to have the longest life over the other brands like GE & Sylvania that I have tried. Be sure to keep an eye on your temps every couple of hours for the first few days, a 75W Halogen Flood is a hot bulb & radiates heat a long ways.

 

[Noella]

TY Germ. My Ceramic Heat Emitter decided to be a defective product after two weeks of use. Then the emergency infrared bulb I had kept in a box also decided to stop working. And before that, both basking bulbs blew so I had been using regular household bulbs. They didn't work so I wound up taking Allie out for walks in the sun and basking in the sun for about 10 to 15 minutes. She enjoyed herself while I sweated in a sauna. Things we do for our beardies.

 

[ThDude]

if your having problems with getting the heat just right then move the basking spot further or closer to the light. all i could get was a 100watt halogen bulb for my bd the other day and i just moved the basking spot far away from the light and it did fine.

 

[Germ]

Yes that is the way to adjust the heat for the Basking Spot, but if you have too hot of a bulb, then your cool side may be too hot. You need the right wattage bulb to provide both temps simultaneously. A 100W halogen sounds like a lot for a 55 gal. A 75W heats my 90 gals in the Summer time, no problem.

 

[ThDude]

well, it is working out fine, my cool side stays in the mid 80s, and i have a hide in there for him now which he does not use so i assume everythings fine

i have two digital thermomitors in there so it works out good

 

[Noella]

Been having connection problems lately, so please bear with me. I bought a 75 watt halogen bulb which does keep the beardie nice and warm. I use the defected CHE at night because it's cold in our house. I'll have to wait for next month to buy the CHE from Pet Mountain.

 

[ThDude]

unless your temps get down to the mid to low 60s night heat is not needed or wanted.

 

[Germ]

well, it is working out fine, my cool side stays in the mid 80s, and i have a hide in there for him now which he does not use so i assume everythings fine

i have two digital thermomitors in there so it works out good

If my memory serves me right, you used to keep the heat fixture hung quite a bit above the enclosure top, do you still have it set up that way? If so that will definitely make a big difference over most, sitting on the screen.

 

[ThDude]

i actually use a oven grate as a lid, not a screen, it lets light through and animals out. i have it mounted on one side of the tank, its almost shining sidewase at the basking spot now.

 

[Chris Baez Jr.]

Again, sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread, but I'm getting worried.

I will go and buy two thermometers, one for each side of the tank.
My tank is a 20 gal. long, so I think I'll need a pretty low wattage heating bulb.
My lamp seats right on the screen, not hanging.

In late September or early October, I will be moving her to a 55 gal. tank. I'm trying to get rid of the fish in the 55 gal., so the move might be sooner rather than later.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Noella]

No problem.

 

[Germ]

Again, sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread, but I'm getting worried.

I will go and buy two thermometers, one for each side of the tank.
My tank is a 20 gal. long, so I think I'll need a pretty low wattage heating bulb.
My lamp seats right on the screen, not hanging.

In late September or early October, I will be moving her to a 55 gal. tank. I'm trying to get rid of the fish in the 55 gal., so the move might be sooner rather than later.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

- Confused ... What are you looking for ideas on?

 

[Chris Baez Jr.]

- Confused ... What are you looking for ideas on?

OK, I wanted to know what wattage for heating bulb to use for a 20 gal. long tank.

Also, my lamps seat right on top of the screen, they are 8 1/2 inches wide at the bottom, so it is kind of difficult to put the heating light and the UVB light directly on top of the basking place, being they are so wide. I do have them as close together as possible.

 

[Germ]

I wouldn't recommend a Halogen for most instances in a 12" tall enclosure. The wattage & type of bulb you will need varies from setup to setup, depending on usual ambient room temps, density of the screen & distance from the basking spot, to name a few determining factors, which are generally different in each home & setup. We all have to play with individual types & wattages, for our particular situation until we get it right, measured with proper, accurate thermometers.

Wide domes are not the best choices for fixtures & don't work very well in this application, for the exact reasons you have just mentioned, they do not allow the bulbs orientation in relation to each other to be very close to cover the same specific area.

When purchasing thermometers, be sure to get digital with sensors\probes that can be placed or attached at\to specific areas.

 

[Chris Baez Jr.]

Thanks Germ. I will get these domes changed as soon as possible. From the info shared here by you and others, I think a 40 watt Zoo Med bulb will do for now, together with the UVB light.