Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a red heat bulb today.. 50 watts. How much "light" do they give off.. it doesnt look very bright, but it is getting hot. I dont have a therm. yet, the kids found the last one and well... lets not go there..LOL Anyhow, she has the UTH and the 50w bulb,. that should be good right? have ordered a new probe thermometer.
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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

When all the lights are out in the house you cant tell its on unless you pick it up and look inside. Did I get a bad bulb???
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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

What kind of bulb is it? If it's just an incandescent red bulb and you can't see the light, then yes, something's wrong. Secondly, with the UTH, you probably don't even really need the bulb. I have a normal lightbulb that I turn on during the day. It adds a little heat, but I probably don't need it, other than just to help replicate the day/night cycle.

I use a 50W infrared light bulb primarily for nighttime viewing with a UTH. Room temperature in my place if 72 degrees F, and I have found that I need a dimmer to regulate the IR lamp and UTH to keep temps down. Without the dimmer my tank temperatures will get up to 98 degrees, which is way too hot. I got a dimmer at Home Depot fot $9 (cheaper than the $30 one at Petsmart) and turn it down a little past half way. Also keep in mind that with summer comming, your room temp may increase, and the IR lamp and UTH will just raise your tank temperature that much more. It got to 80 degrees here a couple of weeks ago and my tanks got a little hot. Make sure you keep checking your temps, preferably with a digital thermometer. I have found the dial gague types to be wildly innacurate. Good luck.

if you turn the lights off in the room and have the IR lamp on, you shouild see a red spot light without having to look at the filament. if a red light isnt coming out then yes, it sounds broke to me, although it shouldnt work at all if the filament is broke. i also agree about the gauge type thermometers, even though i use one myself, i figured out how to keep the needle steady. only problem with them is that if a light is shining on them, that'll increase the temp on the gauge, making you think the temp is higher than it might be, as the light will give it a higher surface temp, aswell as the temp in your tank. my leo has light all the time so i dont use an ordinary white light, and sliding the UTH in and out helps my temp, and use the red bulb to boost the temp a little bit if it looks a bit under/over. and yes a digi therm would be best.