Is it ok to use a Hydroponic grow light? I have it outside the screen to bring lights to my plants Gertie seems to love it and has become more active
- Thread starter Gertie32
- Start date
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yes. The uvb does little to help our plants grow, so adding a grow light is usually a needed add on.
Gertie32
New Member
Thank You! I love the live plants but don't want to do any harm to my Chameleon. Does it matter where I put it? I was afraid it would hurt her eyes so I hung it outside. It does get a bit warm so I don't want to put it inside.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
I have a very bright LED plant light sitting on top of each of my chameleon enclosures. Mine is a square so I have my uvb diagonal with basking light on one side and plant light on the other.
Lpsouth1978
Avid Member
I actually have a 4 bulb T5 fixture. One bulb is the UVB, the other 3 are plant bulbs.
Karmiesmommy
Member
Wow, where did you get that might I ask?
Look into the vivosun fixtures on amazon. They have quads (4 bulb) but these take up some space on top of the cage also put out a bit of heat so you may not need a basking fixture. But depending on species and gender a quad may be too much heat output. They also have dual fixtures with single bulb reflectors as well. They come with the daylight bulbs you just replace one bulb with a 5.0 or 6% T5 UVB bulb. 24 inch fixture takes 22 inch bulbs
Lpsouth1978
Avid Member
Those Vivosun fixtures are definitely larger than the one I use. I have the ZooMed Aquasun Quad T5HO fixture. I got mine from a local Fish store for like $50.
Karmiesmommy
Member
Thanks for the info, appreciate it!
Tige21v
Avid Member
I have both the one @MissSkittles has, (which I really like), and some 5-6000k outdoor spots on a few of the cages.
Plants really seem to appreciate them.
But, I have always had a hangup with the intensity of LEDs. They hurt my eyes if I look directly at them. (And ya, I know, the sun hurts my eyes if I look directly at IT)
So, I got a piece of the fluorescent light diffuser from a big box store and cut it so it would fit under them. It really helps to take some of the harshness off the fixtures, and also really helps to spread the light
Plants really seem to appreciate them.
But, I have always had a hangup with the intensity of LEDs. They hurt my eyes if I look directly at them. (And ya, I know, the sun hurts my eyes if I look directly at IT)
So, I got a piece of the fluorescent light diffuser from a big box store and cut it so it would fit under them. It really helps to take some of the harshness off the fixtures, and also really helps to spread the light
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
Perfectly fine & safe.
We have T5 fluorescent grow lights in one enclosure, the same LED as MissSkittles in another, and several other LED grow lights over Missus' houseplants. We find the LEDs much more cost-effective in the long run, and they don't contain mercury like fluorescents.
Outside the screened top is fine too. If concerned about the weight, you can support the light(s) on a couple of slats of wood to transfer the load to the frame.
