Planned Setup Opinions/Advice

[keykaye]

So now that i know what form of substrate im going to use for my future beardie. I wanted experienced owners opinions/advice on what I'm planning to buy and set up. I'm getting a 5 ft cage from boa master heres the link: http://www.boamaster.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=1_9&product_id=6
The maker is going to put in a screen mesh top for me so i cont have to work with tools to install lights (im not that good with power tools, and i don't want my step dad screwing up a $300 cage). With this cage, i want advice/tips on heating the over all enclosure, not just the basking area.
I'm planning on getting this UVB/UVA bulb, it'll be 46 inches with its corresponding 48 inch hood. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25696&pvid=97961&productnum=0082902
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25698&pvid=97967&productnum=0082906
Then i was going to get this heat emitter, but i dont know what wattage i should get, and what i should put it into.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...39&pvid=76855&productnum=0035316#BVQAWidgetID
This is where i get confused though. I'm not really sure on how to set up a gradient temperature inside the enclosure. Then when it gets colder during the winter months, do i need to heat all of the enclosure at night and if so how do i go about doing it. There have been times when it gets to the lower 60's where i live.
Sorry if im not explaining things well, im just trying to make sure i dont mess anything up.

 

[RaeAnn]

Everything looks and sounds good. If your temps are going to be in the 60s you will want a source of heat at night. You don't need to make the temps rise too much since they tend to prefer it to be a little cooler at night. I think just the heat emitter will be enough to raise your night temps up to at least 65-70. As far as daytime temps go you will really just have to play around with different basking bulbs and wattages until you can find what works best for your setup. Someone may have a good suggestion of something you can start off with and see how it does for that size tank.


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[keykaye]

Do i need heat emitters on both ends though is what i'm confused about. or would just one be enough. Also whats the best dome to put the bulb into.

 

[RaeAnn]

Since I do not use a heat emitter I would prefer one of the users who are more experienced with them to offer you advice in this area. They usually answer questions everyday, so someone should chime in soon.


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[keykaye]

Alright, thank you, but i am curious what do you use if you don't use heat emitters?

 

[RaeAnn]

My temps stay in the 70s at night. The only time you really need a heat emitter is for night time usage if your temps are falling below 65.

During the day it's best to use a heat light that is bright and well lit to mimic the suns color. But at night they do not typically sleep well with lights. So people with cooler houses typically use heat emitters since they do not produce light.


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[Hdrydr31]

Correct as long as your night time temps don't go below 65F your good, They will typically sleep in 1 spot that is on their cool side hide, so if your temps on the floor of the tank goes below 65F you should only need to use the CHE with a thermostat on 1 side (cool side)
I don't use a CHE because I have health issues so we keep our home no cooler than 72F so the coolest my 2 tanks get is like 71F
Just no lighting of any color at night so they actually go into their deep sleep that they need.

 

[keykaye]

For durring the day should i keep a heat emitter on the cool side as well just a lower wattage for the heat gradient and use it at night then to?

 

[Hdrydr31]

For durring the day should i keep a heat emitter on the cool side as well just a lower wattage for the heat gradient and use it at night then to?

I don't think you should have a temp need for it to be used during the day. You could if you wanted to I guess, but your basking lighting and UVB should be enough to reach the temps you need.. Most just need the CHE during the nighttime hours.

 

[keykaye]

What size wattage would you recommend for the size enclosure i want then? Then just buy a separate heat emitter to turn on during the night on the side of the enclosure the beardie sleeps on?

 

[Hdrydr31]

What size wattage would you recommend for the size enclosure i want then? Then just buy a separate heat emitter to turn on during the night on the side of the enclosure the beardie sleeps on?

In all honesty I have no clue what wattage you will need in a 5foot viv as I myself had a female grow up in a 55gal tank and I have a shelf of all sorts of watts I go by trial and error on getting the temp where she needed it to be.. Many of us are in the same boat and have all sorts of watt bulbs sitting around sigh
make sure the CHE fixture is ceramic to withstand the heat and should be on a thermostat that you can set the temp...

 

[PatsyB]

The wattage of bulb needed is going to be determined by how tall your tank is and how high your basking bulb is. You may have to play around with wattages until you get the one that works for you. Save your receipts, everything can be returned.

For a 5ft long tank, it wouldn't hurt to put an extra bulb in the middle of the tank, maybe a lower wattage than your basking bulb to help build that gradient over to the cold side. I would use a white light during the day not the heat emitter. You want to mimic daylight during the day so I think your tank will look great and your beardie will be happy with an extra bulb. The T5 UVB is the way to go. Make sure though with that length, if you are resting it on top of the mesh, that there is some kind of anchor bar in the middle of the tank so the weight of all your lights doesn't break the mesh.

As far as the heat emitter goes, I don't use one either but if it's not a self ballasted bulb, you can put it on a dimmer switch and set it to whatever temp you want. We keep our house around 72 in the winter so the lowest my tanks ever go is about 64degrees and they are fine with that. You want the temp at night to drop to about 70 degrees.

 

[JUNGLE JIM]

I agree with Patsy on two heat bulbs for this set up, very nice by the way. Probably 100-150 watts for the main basking spot and 75 watts for the middle. I bet shipping on a set up like that is expensive.