Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've come up with the following solution to fix my light and temperature problem.
Im going to buy an 100 watt infra red lamp and place it on the left of my tank and use a little device to reduce the power on it so i can set it to 84 F i let it burn for 12 hours with a timer and then my other infra red lamp which will be setup the same but on the right sitewill start burning and providing a temperature of 80 F.

Good or bad idea?

Do i have to buy an infra red lamp at a pet store or can i just buy 1 at any store just as long as its an infra red ?
Because my local pet store dont have infra red lamps higher then 40 watt
And do infra red lamps provide more heat then normal basking spot lamps?

Michiel,
I think it's a good idea to use ambient heat produced by incandescent bulbs. I personally do not like the look of the red lights so I use the blue night lights made for reptiles (get the spot light type bulbs which direct the temperature), these cast a very pleasant, 'natural' looking light. If your local pet store does not supply them, or in insufficient wattages, you can order them from many of the herp supply companies advertised here.
I'm going to assume that your setup is large and that the lights are inaccessable to the snakes (a false top made of a heavy mesh with the mesh size small enough that your little guys can't crawl through). I would not use a timer or a thermostat that turns the lights on and off; you'll get much more life out of your bulbs if they burn 24/7. Use a rheostat with the sensor located at the hot end and have a lower watt bulb over the cool end. Keep your babies in rubbermaid containers as described elsewhere on this forum until you've got your main cage dialed in. If your cage is tall enough, put in branches and shelves so they can utilize the vertical temp. gradient.
Keep seeking advice; this is a great forum to learn from.
Good luck,
Paul

Thanks for the info on the bulbs, ill look into it.
And as far as my cage is pretty big, but they seem to be comfortable in it. They eat like crazy and are very peacefull,
the female likes to climb up in a branch and sleep in it for a few hours and the male likes the hiding cave i have, i just bought a misty volcano for the humidity where my female is now sleeping in... but every morning i find them in the hiding cave of my cage where they both sleep on eachother (how cute).
My tank is 40x16x20 in inch (pretty big eh).
I have several plants and a water dish, misty volcano and 2 hiding places and some rocks. I also had a lil box with moisture in it but they dont want to go in it.... do i still have to leave it in? Or can i place it back later and see if they go in when they are about to shed?
And do i really have to put them in a smaller environment?
And also tell me how the snakes would benefit from it since they seem to be very happy with this terrarium.

Your snakes sound really well adjusted and, no, you don't have to put them in plastic containers. I was thinking that if you were still tinkering with your big enclosure you could house them temporarily in a cheaper, easier to maintain, alternative. It seems to me your putting alot of thought and effort into your animals. Good job.
I really can't emphasize enough the importance of keeping your heating elements separate from your animals. Someday I'll share a really embarrassing story about when my female gave birth, but trust me on this; they will get burned.
Paul

I wish i had a decent camera so i could show you my terrariums i have at home.
I really stick a lot of money and time into them to make their environment look the same as their natural home =)

I made 2 quick shots with my bad quality webcam

my kingsnake in his ter

and this is the tank of my 2 brazillian rainbows (currently hiding)

but sadly cuz my stupid webcam these pics will prolly end up being shown way to dark to see =(

They are both nice.

its 40 inch long, 16 high and 20 deep and made of glas.
I bought it for $160 at a reptile shop.

I really like your setup. Now if you could only get a small Incan priest to carry a fuzzy up the volcano....

hahahaha lol yea