# Lighting Question



## Deafbum (Jan 1, 2009)

I am starting my tegus 8x4x4 cage which hill have about 2 feet of substrate. Could someone with a similar set-up tell me what bulbs(wattage,brand,type) they use to heat their cage?

Also, is it ok to use redwood mulch(AKA gorrila hair) as a substrate? I know some people on this site use it as a substitute for cypress mulch.


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## VARNYARD (Jan 26, 2009)

I would go with the 160 powersun bulbs, as for the redwood, I have never used it.


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## LouDog760 (Jan 26, 2009)

Whats the longest lasting UV bulb? And are Mercury Vapor Bulb better? Will they last longer?


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## DaveDragon (Jan 26, 2009)

For a big cage I use 4ft ReptiSun 10.0 tubes and a 90W halogen bulb for basking. Halogen bulbs put out much more heat that incandescents.


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## LouDog760 (Jan 26, 2009)

I'm gonna go with the 4ft ReptiSun 10.0 tubes for the 7ft3ft3ft cage I'm gonna get. But till I get that bigger cage i'll be using a 3ft2ft2ft cage. Should I just get a mercury vapor bulb for that one? And could it be used threw out the hole cage? If I put it to one corner of the cage, could it be used as a basking spot and put out enough uvb threw out the rest of the cage?


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## DaveDragon (Jan 26, 2009)

I found a 100W MVB gives off the right amount of heat if the Tegu is about 12", which is the minimum recommended distance. Young growing Tegu's need lots heat & UVB. When they reach their adult size the UVB is not as important.


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## LouDog760 (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks, Dave! Whats do think is a good mercury vapor bulb?


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## DaveDragon (Jan 26, 2009)

LouDog760 said:


> Thanks, Dave! Whats do think is a good mercury vapor bulb?


MegaRays are great. The T-Rex Active UV Heat is supposed to be the commercial version but I've had alot of failures lately. The Zoo-Med bulb is said to be not as good but I have one I've been using for a few months without a problem.


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## LouDog760 (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks for your input.


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## Beasty (Jan 26, 2009)

Yes, I like MegaRay too but it would be advisable to have them on a _good_ powerstrip. Power fluctuations can cause failure and cost tons of money. The last place I lived ate lightbulbs like mad. I just lost a LCD TV here possibly due to a crappy power strip and power flux.


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## DaveDragon (Jan 26, 2009)

Beasty said:


> Yes, I like MegaRay too but it would be advisable to have them on a _good_ powerstrip. Power fluctuations can cause failure and cost tons of money. The last place I lived ate lightbulbs like mad. I just lost a LCD TV here possibly due to a crappy power strip and power flux.


That could be a good point. Any Electricians out there????


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## LouDog760 (Jan 26, 2009)

Yeah I live in La Quinta, its a very popular city. So I'm pretty sure that shouldn't be a problem. How much is a good power strip?


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## DaveDragon (Jan 26, 2009)

I would go to an electrical supply company and ask them some questions.

Let us know what you find.


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## LouDog760 (Jan 26, 2009)

What do you mean? What should I ask them?


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## Beasty (Jan 26, 2009)

A Lightning Arrester, not just a power strip would be most advisable I would think. Even a cheaper model would be better than a $5 strip with el cheapo fuse in it. I got one from Wal-Mart I think for like $20 or less. You can find 'em over with the adapters for your electronics. I've been forced to be cheap but going the cheap way out for certain things can be expensive in the end. So one used for electronics with a warranty for $$$$$$$$ worth of crap would likely be best.


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## ColdThirst (Jan 26, 2009)

I think he was saying that you need to ask the electrician about the power fluctuations,

Anyway, my enclosure is 8'x2.5'x2.5' with about 14" of cypress mulch that the tegu loves BTW. I have two 3" 10.0 Reptisun Bulbs and two Daylight bulbs for the plants that I keep in it and additional lighting. I just have one heating bulb, nothing fancy at one end that he just lays under it to get warm and when the doors are shut which they are most the time, the temp rises pretty fast in it. 

MY set up works just fine except I wasnt to get a halogen bulb heat lamp as they just recently I believe came on the market for reptile use, the incandecent just doesn't get as hot as I would like it to as far as it is from where the tegu sits under it.

One critical piece of advice!!!---- Look around online before purchasing the bulbs that you want to buy, It may be a bit more trouble but it saves you 100% on the price end. The Petco and petsmart here in town, their bulbs are almost three times as expencive as they are on online, so I order my bulbs online only.


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## DaveDragon (Jan 26, 2009)

ColdThirst said:


> I think he was saying that you need to ask the electrician about the power fluctuations,
> 
> MY set up works just fine except I wasnt to get a halogen bulb heat lamp as they just recently I believe came on the market for reptile use, the incandecent just doesn't get as hot as I would like it to as far as it is from where the tegu sits under it.


I was thinking about asking questions on power spikes causing halogen and incandescent bulbs to burn out and how to prevent it.

There's no need to buy special reptile halogen bulbs. I use GE PAR 38 90W halogen floodlights from Home Depot. They put out lots of heat, a bright white light and are rated for 6000 hours.


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## LouDog760 (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks guys. I'll make sure to get a good strip! Where do I get the fixture holder for like the reptisun 10.0 bulbs? At a good price?


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## DaveDragon (Jan 26, 2009)

I use cheap ShopLights from Home Depot, about $10. But make sure it works with T12 (1.5" dia.) bulbs. Most fixtures only work with T8 (1") bulbs.


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## LouDog760 (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks and your talking about your 4ft one right?


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## DaveDragon (Jan 27, 2009)

LouDog760 said:


> Thanks and your talking about your 4ft one right?


Yes.


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## LouDog760 (Jan 27, 2009)

Alright cool, thanks for all the help, Dave!


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## DaveDragon (Jan 27, 2009)

No Problem!


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