IceCap 250 HQI Pendant Metal Halide

Hello,

Made a room in the house a free range habitat, which has 135 gallon planted tank with fish.. room has trees and plants and ferns and lots of places the Chameleons to roam around except around the tank or above it.. thought of putting a IceCap 250 Halide w/1400k bulb over the tank high enough to help the trees and plants in the room... just looking for someone who has done this or know someone who has to see if any danger will come to the chameleons

I'm not sure I fully understand your setup, the MH light is above the tank, but you said there was nothing around or above it??

Anyway, just remember halides get really hot, don't let a cham get to close or touch it.

Chameleons can't get around or above the tank

use a flor. tube pink grow light. That will pose no danger what so ever. cheaper, last longer, MH is over kill.

I don't see how you can say MH is overkill... 250w may be overkill, 14000k is overkill (that's bluish light for aquarium setups), something like 70w or 150w with a bulb that has a color temp resembling that of the high noon sun (between 5000k and 6000k is your best bet I think) is probably one of the best lighting setups you can have for a chameleon.(for simple lighting purposes, not uvb) I mean if it mimics the sun that well, then that's what we all should be using if our goal is to recreate their natural habitat, but yes I know it's an expensive route... But that's the kind of light that actually penetrates down through the branches/leaves (like the REAL sun), unlike most of us who only have the top portion of our cages properly light up.

It seems to be a standard in chameleon keeping over in europe... at least on the french forum I read. (which has members in belgium, france, switzerland, luxembourg) For some reason they don't seem as readily available here in america, unless you wanna buy aquaria equipment and pay top dollar. But with a little searching you can find most of the things you need at electricity supply dealers for way cheaper than from an aquarium place. The main difference being that aquaria stuff is usually all wired up and is ready to plug in and go.

Not over kill to me. this is a whole room with 4 trees.. and one over two over 5 ft.. plus other plants and ferns... small jungle.. then there is the plants in tank... one pink tube is not going to do anything for growing or maintaining all the trees and plants also with the Co2 injection in tank some escapes the water that the plants and trees can snatch up.. lots are using two 400w on tanks... now to me that's over kill.. just going to use one 250 w 10000 to 14000k over the tank with will put it well away from the Chameleons and was wondering if anyone knew or heard of any bad affects from the light.. but probably not never hurts to check..
thanks all

PS... sorry about that forgot one of the zero's on first message..

Katt

Well, I understand your planted tank set up. I used to run a plant tank with 250 watts of compact florescents with co2 injection.

I don't think the 14000k is that good of an idea for any of your set ups. Thats way into the blue range and plants(aquatic and land) benifit from more of a 5000-1000 kelvin range. There will be lots of unusable light waisted. As well as it may have negative affects on your chameleon.

I think a 7000k bulb would look better in a planted tank, be more benificial to all your plants and animals. It will also probably look better. Thats the kelvin range that takiashi amano uses in his plant set ups.

As for the metal halide lighting for your chameleon, it it will produce a good amount of UV radiation and heat that could be good for your cham. you need to do some research on what wave lenth or Kelvin rating bulb to use. Like I said, a 14000k bulb may have negative affects and produce bad UV radiation that may even have significant amounts of UV/C(not sure if that is the correct term) which is bad and could kill your cham.

In my opinion, it's probably not that good of an idea. To dispurse the light so it helps the tree's it would have to be very far from the aquarium so the aquatic plants wouldnt get what they needed. There is unknown effects on the color temperature on chameleons and could produce harmfull radiation. If your cham gets to close it could burn it. Also, the blue color could throw your chameleon off and upset it. Bla Bla bla ect.

I think your better off with 200+ Watts of CF on the aquarium with some more overhead flourescent lighting for the plants in the room and a heat source for the cham such as a basking bulb.

Just my opinion though.

Sounds like somebody outdid my converted closet set up.


Pictures!

so here is an educated answer guys!

YES YES! PICTURES PLEASE!!! i would love to see what you have done, it sounds like a beautiful oasis! do you use a humidifier, or is it perfect in there already? i agree that the 1400K might be a bit too powerful. i remember seeing on a site somewhere (i will try to find it again) about UVC radiation, and this bulb could emit harmful radiation if exposure is for long periods or perhaps even if unfiltered...

ok i had a look, this page explains about those bulbs! http://www.saltysupply.com/product-p/mb6663.htm

the part below specifically discusses the importance of using a UV filter if humans are exposed. if it is harmful to us i think that it would be dangerous to risk it with your chameleon:

Spectral Distribution
Wavelength theory provides a graphical representation of radiant energy and the electromagnetic spectrum. The preferred unit of wavelength for the visible and ultraviolet (UV) regions of the spectrum is the nanometer (nm).
UVC = 100–280nm: Most harmful and used in sterilization to kill biological organisms.
UVB = 280–315nm: Harmful and causes sunburn, skin cancer, and eye damage.
UVA = 315–400nm: Longer wavelength and less energy than other UV. It is the least harmful but still can be damaging.
Visible Light = 380–780nm

Wavelength (nm)

What about the UV?
UVC and UVB in excessive amounts can be detrimental to fish and corals; However, UV light does occur naturally in sunlight which in balanced amounts is not necessarily harmful. Studies have found that the majority of coral reef fish produce mucus that absorbs harmful UVB rays. Corals also have developed a natural pigmentation as a protection from UV. Metal halide lamps produce UV light which can be significantly filtered by fixture glass and water depth. USHIO’s Aqualite™ metal halide lamps are balanced to reduce excessive amounts of UV light for your reef system.

PAR (Photosynthetically Available Radiation):
A measurement used to help determine the photosynthetic amount of light needed by corals and plant life. Photosynthesis in corals utilizes energy between the (blue) 400nm wavelengths and (red) 700nm wavelengths.

Aqualite™ 10,000K lamps produce the ideal balance of blue, white and red light in the spectrum to simulate daylight in the water. Our Aqualite™ lamps reduce the green light, a spectrum which can promote the growth of the “bad” algae that grows on corals.

Fixture Glass?
USHIO recommends the use of tempered safety glass on any fixtures using our Aqualite™ metal halide lamps. The safety glass not only reduces some UV, but also extends the life of your lamps and sockets by protecting them from salt water corrosion. UV protective glass is required for any architectural use of Aqualite™ metal halide lamps where people are directly exposed to the light.

Correlated Color Temperature
Measured in degrees of Kelvin (K), color temperature is the absolute temperature of a blackbody radiator resembling that of the light source. Color Temperature can be used as a general rule of thumb to measure the appearance of “warmth” or “coolness” of a light source. It does have it’s limitations since lamps with the same color temperature rating will not often look the same between manufacturers. Other measurements such as CRI and spectral distribution should be considered when choosing a light source for your aquarium.

Household incandescent lighting that appears warm and yellow is approximately 2,700K. Outdoor daylight is approximately 5,600-6,000K. Aqualite™ 10,000K lamps approximate equatorial daylight at 5 meters of ocean depth. Aqualite™ 14,000K and 20,000K+ lamps are slightly bluer in appearance, simulating deeper water environments, ideal lighting for invertebrates such as lobsters and jellyfish. These lamps are also used in nigh time simulations.

so with what i posted previously, i would recommend using a 5600-6000K if you so desire. i am not sure about filtering if it is required at all...

please try to do more research though i am curious to know what you end up deciding

Wow, this is something I actually know about. The 250 watt 14KHQI bulb or double ended bulb is used for growing corals in a saltwater reef tank, something I've been doing for over 20 years. I agree with Electric, the 14K is great for coral color but might be a little too blue for what your planning. I'd suggest the 6.5K or 10K ..Just want to keep it a long ways away from any critters. They get really HOT.

Electric said:

that's the kind of light that actually penetrates down through the branches/leaves (like the REAL sun), unlike most of us who only have the top portion of our cages properly light up.

Click to expand...

This is another good reason to use these MH's.... .Its why we use them on reef tanks..

Howdy,

I've been waiting a long time for www.reptileuv.com to finally release for sale the metal halide setup that Bob has been evaluating. He has it listed on his Homepage still in "soon to be released" status. If I remember right, he is working on several packages, one including a ~60W externally ballasted unit that sounded about right for a single chameleon enclosure. I'll likely buy one right away, try it and then buy a few more .

oooo can i see pics of the habitat?

Going to go with the 10000k Due to the distance it's going to be from the tank and trees and plants, On the UV stuff.... they come with a ultraviolet absorbing glass filter (protective Lens). to protect me and Chameleons.. This is where My thinking is at after yapin with a couple of zoo care givers and still may change... they think 400 watts... I'm just wanting to maintain the health of my plants and trees don't want to have to go in there with a machete and hack it back every week..

Humidity. No glass top on the tank it's water level drops like and Inch in 24hr period.. then there is the misting of the trees I do... twice a day... the ambient temp is 85 with Humidity after misting gets to like 79% then drops and hangs around 60 then down to 40's at night as the temp gets down to 73.