Heating help for baby black and white

[Josh Sloane]

Hi Everyone,

I have a baby argentine black and white tegu on the way, and I am having some difficulty achieving correct temperatures before his arrival. I am starting out in a 40 gallon breeder tank, with a 100w Powersun MVB. I am using a red paving stone, raised up on a PVC mount. This puts the stone the minimum recommended distance of 12 inches from the lamp. However, I am only getting basking temps in the low 90s. I even added a smaller 75w basking bulb and only getting temps up to 97 degrees. My ambient room temps are 75-78. I am taking the temperature of the stone with a reliable temp gun. I attached a current picture of my setup. Please advise!

 

[Tyler137]

Your problem might be that the heat is escaping through the screen. What is did with my screen top taped most of it and left a circle for the dome. Also I left about 3 inches by 10 inches of space on the cool side to let air out there. I used tape like this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Nashua-T...m-Foil-Tape-3220020500/100030120#.Ufc4pUR5mSM

I'm getting about 108 degrees with my 100w powersun in a 40 gal breeder.

 

[jtrux]

Set a thermometer on the stone and check the air temp rather than try and capture the temp of the stones surface. I'm betting that the stone itself isn't getting up to your desired temp but the air temp might be sufficient. Different materials insulate better than others. For example if you placed a wood block under the light it might actually read cooler than your paver due to the fact that wood is a very good insulator. Id imagine that the porosity of the paver allows heat to escape, resulting in the less than desireable temp.

 

[Josh Sloane]

Thanks for the really fast responses. Now that the lamps have been on for some time the stone is heating up quickly. Im now getting around 106 directly under the MVB. Tyler137 I am definitely going to foil tape the top, thanks for the idea, I have some leftover from building a ball python rack. Is it unheard of to have a 100w mvb for basking, and then another lower wattage bulb offset just to up the temps and provide a better gradient? directly under the raised basking area the temps are 82-83, with my cool side at 76-78.

 

[Tyler137]

Thanks for the really fast responses. Now that the lamps have been on for some time the stone is heating up quickly. Im now getting around 106 directly under the MVB. Tyler137 I am definitely going to foil tape the top, thanks for the idea, I have some leftover from building a ball python rack. Is it unheard of to have a 100w mvb for basking, and then another lower wattage bulb offset just to up the temps and provide a better gradient? directly under the raised basking area the temps are 82-83, with my cool side at 76-78.

I really don't think the other bulb is necessary with a 40 gallon tank.

 

[Josh Sloane]

Well, without the second bulb I can only get the stone up to 104.5. Should I raise it more?

 

[Josh Sloane]

By raise it more, I mean raise the level of the basking stone.

 

[jtrux]

That's fine as it is. If you continue to bring it closer you might run the risk of causing eye injuries to the tegu. As far as the second bulb is concerned, you could place a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat and that would maintain a constant temp. The problem with light bulbs is that they either have to be on or off, with a non light emitting heat source, it will allow you to maintain correct temps and photoperiod.

 

[Josh Sloane]

Thanks. I seem to be getting pretty good temps now. Even without the second bulb I am getting 104.5 under the MVB, as well as a good gradient throughout the cage. 83 ish under the warm hide, 76-78 in the cool hide. With everything turned off tonight my night drop temps are around 74-75. From what I can see these temps seem to be in adequate ranges for a baby tegu.

 

[laurarfl]

It sounds like a good range. If you can get another type of stone, like others suggested, the surface temp might get a bit warmer. I have some black slate that gets nice and warm.

I'm going to close out your other thread for housekeeping purposes since you are getting some answers on this one.

Welcome to the forum, by the way.

 

[hanniebann]

If you need extra heat, I buy 100w halogens in addition to my 160w powersun MVB. In the winters I'll cover half of the screen top with a towel to trap heat and humidity in.

 

[hanniebann]

Also, make sure the fixtures you have can actually handle the wattage your bulbs are intended to use.