Lighting Enclosure/Idea

[blackjack41]

I am planning to have at least a 6 foot by 3 foot by 2 foot cage. Those are the minimums. My plan for the lighting is to have three ceramic ceiling fixtures equally spread out throughout the top of my enclosure. I plan to have a MVB in one fixture on the hot side, a flourescent on the cool side, and a halogen in the middle. I'm not sure if this would be effective or not.

 

[blackjack41]

I will probably use a 5.0 or 10.0 coil for the fluorescent, at least a 75 watt halogen, and either a powersun or t-rex active UVB for the MVB. I would like some opinions on whether this lighting idea would work.

 

[james.w]

I wouldn't use the coils, there have been situations with peoples tegus having eye problems from these bulbs. I would use a MVB for heat and UVB, and then get a 48" Repti-sun 10.0 for more UVB and ambient light. I have my Rhino Iguana in a 6x2x2 and I use a 160W PowerSun and a 48" Repti-Sun 10.0 and get a good temp gradient.

 

[chelvis]

The coil flouresents do not put out the same UV as the stright fluorecent and go with a 10.0... but with a MVB that produces UV you won't have to use a UV fluorcent. Honestly all that lighting and heaters might be over kill. If this cage is going inside there does not need to be that much heat or light. Just the florecent and the MVB would be enough lighting, as for heating it really depends on what material the cage is out of and how cold the area the cage is going to be. My six foot cage i use just a MVB (flukers 100watt) for a 6x2x18" cage and that keeps the basking spot the perfect temp and the rest of the cage is fine. I don't heat my room and the place i live is built like s*^% so it gets cold, but the cage is off the ground so it stays worm through out the night.

 

[blackjack41]

My cage will most likely be on the ground, and made out of plywood. I'm planning to have two or three vents in the cage with a plexiglass front opening. The house will be warmed in the winter due to near freezing temperatures. I was thinking a shop light for the tube flourescent. Would that work?

 

[blackjack41]

Would a flourescent tube fixture with two 24" 10.0 UVB tubes work?

 

[james.w]

Yeah they will work as long as they are close enough to the tegu.

 

[Rhetoric]

24" should be alright, if you can I would try to have two fixtures that way you can have a 10.0 and a florescent in each one and the 10.0 can run most of the length of the enclosure. My males got 2- 48" that go length wise across his tank (one towards the front, one in the back) and then the mvb bulb. One of the tube style fixtures can hold 2 bulbs so I just have a regular light in the second spot.
My females have 2 mvb bulbs and one of the coil type bulbs. The coil ones do not produce as much uvb as the tube style bulbs. I'm working on figuring out the best way to do the tube style fixtures in this tank. I'm not sure if I want to do 2 or 3 - 24" 10.0 and keep both of the mvb bulbs.
I do have a lot of lights but since the lizards are in the garage there isn't a ton of light once the sun goes behind the house. My males tank doesn't get below 64 at night, when it was I just used a CHE at night. The girls have a CHE on one side of their tank but more often than not they just burrow in my sweatshirt thats on the opposite side of the enclosure.

 

[blackjack41]

I wouldn't use the coils, there have been situations with peoples tegus having eye problems from these bulbs. I would use a MVB for heat and UVB, and then get a 48" Repti-sun 10.0 for more UVB and ambient light. I have my Rhino Iguana in a 6x2x2 and I use a 160W PowerSun and a 48" Repti-Sun 10.0 and get a good temp gradient.

What kind of fixture do you use with the 48" Repti-sun 10.0?

 

[Toby_H]

Yeah they will work as long as they are close enough to the tegu.

I agree with the above quote but would like to stress IF, and only if, it is close enough to the Tegu...

I have a 10.0 Flourescent UVB bulb as the only source of UVB in my Tegus enclosure, but it is mounted to the bottom of a shelf and the bulb is 8~10" above the substrate, which is about 4~7" from my Tegus back.

Note: substrate level varies as does the height of the Tegu

UVB rays deteriorate as they pass through air and they deteriorate exponentially. So even being slightly "too far" is way too far...

 

[james.w]

I wouldn't use the coils, there have been situations with peoples tegus having eye problems from these bulbs. I would use a MVB for heat and UVB, and then get a 48" Repti-sun 10.0 for more UVB and ambient light. I have my Rhino Iguana in a 6x2x2 and I use a 160W PowerSun and a 48" Repti-Sun 10.0 and get a good temp gradient.

What kind of fixture do you use with the 48" Repti-sun 10.0?

it is a standard 4' shop fixture.

 

[blackjack41]

I wouldn't use the coils, there have been situations with peoples tegus having eye problems from these bulbs. I would use a MVB for heat and UVB, and then get a 48" Repti-sun 10.0 for more UVB and ambient light. I have my Rhino Iguana in a 6x2x2 and I use a 160W PowerSun and a 48" Repti-Sun 10.0 and get a good temp gradient.

What kind of fixture do you use with the 48" Repti-sun 10.0?

it is a standard 4' shop fixture.

I've been looking and there are no shop fixtures that can house a 40 watt bulb. Did you just use one anyways?

 

[james.w]

I'll have to look and see, I don't know what the wattage allowance is on the fixtures. I'll let you know tomorrow.

 

[blackjack41]

Thank you