Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just scooped up a Breeder enclosure along with a standard wire lid. I plan(ned) on just laying the 100W light enclosure right on the wire, creating a basking spot. I would prefer some sort of glass aquarium-style lid, but I don't know how heat lamps would fit into that equation...

1. Is 100W's enough to get up to 100-110F degrees?
2. What about the rest of the enclosure? Will the heat from the ONE light create the desired temperature gradient or do I need another (cooler) light source down at the other end?

Thanks all, this forum is great.

well the net top is good for ventilation.. and you need more than just a basking light. you also need a ceramic heater. the ceramic heater just keep somewhat close to the middle of the tank, and it stays on all the time. then the basking light you put on for a few hours during the day so he can enjoy the rays. you also need a uvb light lol... not sure on the temps

The 40 gallon breeder sounds good. Maybe you could modify the top somehow to prevent moisture from escaping. You want to maintain an even humidity level. At this time of year, with the heating and what not, it can be quite dry.

The spotlight can be enough. There's no need for a ceramic heat emitter. With all that light and heat, it'd be next to impossible to have a temperature gradient. The uvb is not necessary, but certainly doesn't hurt. If you choose not to use UVB, supplement with Miner-all or something similar. It is good to have night time temperatures drop too. By covering up part of the terrarium, you make it easier to heat.

We could all probably describe our exact setups to you and every one of them would be wrong for your tank. Each tank is different because of the size, construct material, substrate, cage furniture, home conditions, outside temperature and climate, even whether or not the door to the room is open or closed or whether you have a fan on. The best thing to do is get a few fixtures and a few different wattages of bulbs and try them. Monitor them VERY carefully with a good quality digital thermometer (no plastic stick-ons) in the warm end, the cool end, and the basking spot until you get it right.

You may need to try different things - different wattages, more bulbs, higher or lower lights or basking spots, etc. Remember lots of change is stressful to your little guy, too, so balance that with the need to find the right temps.

I have an 80 gallon glass tank, screen top, millet seed substrate and currently have a 160w MV bulb, a 50w incandescent next to it, and a regular fluorescent (my ESU 8.0 blew). I'm changing next time back to an 8.0 UVB fluorescent, but lower this time, and I'm going to give those halogen bulbs a try to see if it lowers my out-of-control electric bill.
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Torey
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
0.0.2 Sunset Dwarf Gourami
0.0.6 Bloodfin Tetras
0.0.1 Corydora
0.0.2 Aquatic Frogs
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

if u ask me, just one bulb is not enough!my setup has 1 UV light(60 cm long), 1 sunlight(60 cm long), 1 100W bulb for his basking spot, and 1 undertank cable heater to keep his belly warm...lol!
and with those lights my temps are just wright
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1.0.0 Ball python (Oz)
0.0.1 Hardwicki Uro (Amon)
0.1.0 Black cat (Tomika)

I have a 40 gallon breeder tank and I use a 150 watt basking bulb (I will be changing it over to a flood light when it dies) and a 100 watt heat light (I only keep this on during the afternoon hours). I cover the other half of the wire top with a fleece blanket to help keep the heat in and to cut down on excessive ventilation.

What brand of digital thermometer is considered good quality and where can I get one, and how much does it cost?

Here's a pic of my setup

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1 Mali Uromastyx named Ra

I went to the local garden supply store (most anything will do - Target, Fred Meyer, Lowe's, whatever they have around there). They will have a section with outdoor thermometers. For about $10 - $15 bucks they have digital thermometers with a long sensor probe.

Some have a high/low memory which is good for knowing the extremems of the temperatures in one spot in the cage over 24 hours. Some will take two readings - one on the unit and one on the probe. These are handy for setting up at one end of the tank and attaching the probe at the other end. I got a nice one from Big Apple Herp that has both a digital thermometer probe and a hygrometer probe so I know the humidity, too. Each cage has at least one thermometer, plus I have a temp gun from Pro Exotics (thanks, Robyn!) which is a VERY handy tool for knowing surface temperatures.
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Torey
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
0.0.2 Sunset Dwarf Gourami
0.0.6 Bloodfin Tetras (including the one-eyed Captain Morgan)
0.0.1 Unidentified Corydora
0.0.2 African Dwarf Frogs
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

digital min/max thermos work hand in hand with Temp Guns to really master your cage and setup temps.

you can get the digital thermos at a lot of different places, just be sure to get one with minimum and maximum readings.

check our site for more details, we sell both the digital thermos and temp guns there.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

I have a screened top that is made for the tank on the top. I have a 100 watt bulb on the hot end, with their basking area being one of those little stone hide out thingys..and it reaches basking temps of 120. On the cool end, I have nothing and it stays at 80 degrees. I do use a UVB lamp across the entire top also.

Hope this helps since I have the identical tank as you.