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Is there an easy way to raise the temps in the basking spot by about 5 degrees or so. I was checking stuff today and it appears that my dragons basking spot is right around 100. So either the digital thermometor I had before was wrong, or the light I have is getting weaker with age (does this happen?).

I would think going higher wattage (it's a 150w right now) would make it too hot. Also curious if the bulbs do loose heating power over time. Just looking to see if anybody had a quick answer before I go buy some new bulbs to test in about an hour (and hopefully save me some money). Thanks!

Depends on how your basking spot is set up... If it is a rock or something, you can try to raise it up an inch or 2 and that would take care of the 5 degree difference.

>>Is there an easy way to raise the temps in the basking spot by about 5 degrees or so. I was checking stuff today and it appears that my dragons basking spot is right around 100. So either the digital thermometor I had before was wrong, or the light I have is getting weaker with age (does this happen?).
>>
>>I would think going higher wattage (it's a 150w right now) would make it too hot. Also curious if the bulbs do loose heating power over time. Just looking to see if anybody had a quick answer before I go buy some new bulbs to test in about an hour (and hopefully save me some money). Thanks!
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

Can you raise the basking site or lower the bulb?
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TheClassyLizard

I can not lower the bulb. As for the site, it's a rock, but if I raise it much out of the sand it'll be a little uneven, and I'd worry about the small chance of it tipping... I'm sure it wouldn't, but I just worry about it a little...

What I just tried a little while ago is putting another light on top of the tank with a 100w GE Reveal light bulb in it (on the cool side). It raised the temp on the cool side up to 85, but also raised the temp on the rock up to like 104.

The easiest thing to do would be to get a taller rock. Better than spending money for more electricity and more bulbs. I can maintain a 100 degree basking spot with a 50 watt bulb by adjusting the distance between the basking spot and bulb.

I have the opposite problem lol
I have gone down and down in wattage to try to get a good basking temp in my new cages...... problem I have now is a 50 watt bulb is making the basking spot 117 degrees on the floor of the cage... forget any rocks or things to climb on in that side of the cage. I don't want to go any lower on wattage due to actual light output.... any lower would be a VERY dim lit cage.

>>The easiest thing to do would be to get a taller rock. Better than spending money for more electricity and more bulbs. I can maintain a 100 degree basking spot with a 50 watt bulb by adjusting the distance between the basking spot and bulb.
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

isn't the only thing to look for when selecting the bulb. For example a 40 watt frosted bulb that I have has a light output of 400 lumens and a 40 watt clear has a light output of 460 lumens.
Currently I am using a 150 watt flood bulb with a light output of 1350 lumens while a normal 100 watt clear bulb has a light output of 1750 lumens.
Lights also have a degree of beam depending on what type you use...flood, halogen, etc. And I've noticed along with that that the size of the dome that it is housed in makes a difference of a few degrees also along with the placement of the thermometer probe in relation to the center of the light beam.
This may or may not have made any sense. The point I was trying to make was the wattage isn't the only thing to think about when purchasing a replacement bulb. In some cases a lower wattage bulb could actually increase your cage temps. The lumens is what you really need to consider.
Hope this helps.

spec