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I hope that this topic hasn't been discussed into the ground, if so please point me in the direction of the thread!

Chris H and this forum helped me build a great enclosure for my Uromastyx a few years ago (pictured below - it has been in use for a couple years now). I have since moved to an apartment where the ambient temperature fluctuates a lot more, and I am fed up with constantly adjusting wattages and which lights are plugged in, etc. Especially since I usually am having to guess at what the temperatures are GOING to do throughout the day. In the past I just kept the AC/heat on, but quite frankly that is getting really expensive. So, here is my main question:

*Is there some type of thermostat I can incorporate into my system that will help control the temps but not have to be tied into all the lights?

Possibly this is as simple as a "backup" light on a thermostat that comes on and off, but I didn't know if there were additional options, or more graceful solutions? I am in no way an electrician, so the solution should also be workable for us "lay people".

I currently have 3 heat lights, a ceramic heat emitter, and 2 fluorescent lights in the tank. If anyone has any ideas on a cheaper way to heat the tank without employing MVBs I would love to hear those too!

Thank you for your thoughts!

Elizabeth (and Mosca)

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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes (May he rest in peace)
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.0 Iguana Flik
0.1 Iguana Loki (May she rest in peace)
Madison, Wisconsin

It is possible to use a proportional or On/Off thermostat to control CHE or a RHP to help maintain ambient temps 80° and above or whatever your cool side is supposed to be.

You than can have a timer run a light source during the daytime hours. This could be heat bulbs, MVB's or 6 60 watt lightbulbs work well. These would maintain your day time spot heat of around 125° I would assume.

Some sort of vent would have to be used to allow excess heat to escape so the cool side doesn't get to hot.

The benefit of the muitiple Incandesent bulbs is that once the cage is set up you can swap out wattages to achieve the spot you need. Say the rock is lower compared to one bulb you can increase its wattage so that the spot achieves the basking temps.

I have used a Retes stack in my Dragon cages, and have been able to maintain a 125° spot and each subsequent level drops 5-10°, while still maintaining a 80° cool side.

The key is maintaining a given constant where ever that may be. In my case it was the facility however a single reptile keeper will find useing a CHE or RHP in an enclosure to maintain lower end temps they can better care for their captive.

In the oppisite end of the spectrum, many On/Off thermostats liek the Ranco ETC can be used for cooling, its possible when connected to a PC fan they can be used to vent an enclosure if the temps rise to much. Again its better to draw air out of a cage rather than blow air in...

Ranco even makes a unit capable of controlling a heating device and a cooling device, however its much more expensive and slightly harder to wire.

Good Luck
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

0.1 Snow "Khal" RTB
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.0 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
3.1 Red Bearded Dragon's
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0.1 Child

Elizabeth,

Good to see you here again and glad to here the cage is holding up.

I have a few thoughts.

One is to not get rid of the mercury vapor bulbs. I don't keep Uromastyx anymore but am convinced that they benefit from the bright intensity of the MVB's at least, if not the higher intensity of UVA and UVB as well.

If they are self-balasted MVB's then I would consider switching to externally ballasted ones as they give off a lot less heat, assuming the ballasts are outside the cage.

I would also consider seeing of you can wire the fluorescent fixture so the ballast is on the outside of the cage. Again, I'm going with the idea that more light is better than less.

Then run the CHE on either a on-off or proportional thermostat.

You run lights on proportional thermostats but I prefer to keep them going full blast for diurnal lizards.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

Chris,

Thanks for the input! I do not use MVB because the potential mercury vapor leakage, even a small amount is hazardous to my health. It has been a while since I have researched them, but my house is all about avoiding toxins (including things like MDF, etc), so even though the MVBs may be a good light/heat source, if I can come up with a system that will meet his needs without introducing a potentially very toxic (to me) source, that is the better path for me.

I will play with some of the other options. Thank you again! Glad you are still around helping!

Elizabeth
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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes (May he rest in peace)
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.0 Iguana Flik
0.1 Iguana Loki (May she rest in peace)
Madison, Wisconsin

Sorry about that. Somehow I read your post and thought you were already using MVB's. Things are a bit stressed around here...
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.

No Problem!

I hope things calm down soon!
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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes (May he rest in peace)
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.0 Iguana Flik
0.1 Iguana Loki (May she rest in peace)
Madison, Wisconsin