Reptile & Amphibian Forums

can i leave a blue light on at night for heat or can they see blue light?

I find that blue,red and the special blacklight bulbs all work pretty well for nighttime use. They're outside the visual spectrum for many animals and most nocturnal species seem completely unaffected by them. I use (2) white 25 watt household bulbs and a 40 watt nightcycle(Blacklight)bulb for my ball enclosure. The regular white bulbs go off at night and the blacklight is on constantly. At night it provides enough light for goood viewing and keeps the enclosure warm. The other option is to alternate between light and day cycle bulbs as the day progresses. The key is to give them a regular photoperiod and maintain the proper temperature gradient. (My ambient temperature drops to about 80 at night) The difficulty with the blue bulbs is that you dont often see them above 25 watts very often. You may want to opt for a red bulb since they're available in higher watts. Either way good luck.

np

lol sorry I left out a crucual detail. It's a ten gallon for an 8 month old ball about 20 inches. A few months and he'll need a bigger one. right now i have the blacklight over one corner to serve as the basking/hot spot with the other two lights spaced evenly across the the top.

i have a pair in a 55 gallon with a 60 watt reg light bulb and a heatpad on one side and another small heatpad on the otherside because my house is quite drafty and the ambient temp isnt very high in my house how does this sound?

I found that I had a very hard time regulating and maintaining my temps in a glass aquarium. A 55 is pretty big for 2 balls, but as long as you can keep it heated, go for it. I have mine in Sterilite tubs now, with heat pads. I have my baby boas in 2'x2'x2' wooden enclosures, with a 75w black light for heat. This works great for them.
Check your temps, but I would think you would need some supplemental heat at night, esp if your house is drafty. Good luck!

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