LED plant light - safe or bad?

SueAndHerZoo

Established Member
Been reading lots of information (some conflicting) about whether or not I can add an LED plant light to the chameleon set-up. It has a clamp and two goosenecks with a small LED at the end of each. I wanted to mount it halfway down the cage so that the higher plants get some and the other gooseneck can be aimed at the plants I'm trying to grow in the substrate (bioactive). But is the beam of LED light harmful to his eyes? If I can use this plant light, can I only use it from the top down or can I have it directing light in from the side of the habitat?

Thanks in advance. Would love my plants to flourish but not at the expense of my youngin'.
Sue
 
Been reading lots of information (some conflicting) about whether or not I can add an LED plant light to the chameleon set-up. It has a clamp and two goosenecks with a small LED at the end of each. I wanted to mount it halfway down the cage so that the higher plants get some and the other gooseneck can be aimed at the plants I'm trying to grow in the substrate (bioactive). But is the beam of LED light harmful to his eyes? If I can use this plant light, can I only use it from the top down or can I have it directing light in from the side of the habitat?

Thanks in advance. Would love my plants to flourish but not at the expense of my youngin'.
Sue
So you want all lights to come from the top of the cage. If you mount on the side your going to confuse the heck out of the cham and they are going to try to bask down near that light. Then they do not get UVB.

LED lighting depends on the light. Double check the heat output on it as well. It should be a white light. Many people use sansi LED bulbs as well. So compare what you have to that.
 
So you want all lights to come from the top of the cage. If you mount on the side your going to confuse the heck out of the cham and they are going to try to bask down near that light. Then they do not get UVB.

LED lighting depends on the light. Double check the heat output on it as well. It should be a white light. Many people use sansi LED bulbs as well. So compare what you have to that.
It's just a cheapie from China: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DHPZB87/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

It's white, not sure if it gets hot or not - only had it on a few minutes. I've got it halfway down the tank, one pointed sideways and one pointed down and he doesn't seem to care about it.... he's still hanging at the top. If he should glance at it, will the brightness cause eye damage?
Sue
 
It's just a cheapie from China: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DHPZB87/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

It's white, not sure if it gets hot or not - only had it on a few minutes. I've got it halfway down the tank, one pointed sideways and one pointed down and he doesn't seem to care about it.... he's still hanging at the top. If he should glance at it, will the brightness cause eye damage?
Sue
Ok but you can not have lights coming in from the side. And you have a glass tank right? As far as that one is concerned I do not know for sure. But I would have the lights coming from the top only and lift them a few inches off the top.
 
Ok but you can not have lights coming in from the side. And you have a glass tank right? As far as that one is concerned I do not know for sure. But I would have the lights coming from the top only and lift them a few inches off the top.
I have it shining through the mesh portion of the side. The problem with having it come in the side is that it's bad for the chameleon? If so, any suggestions how I light the plants in the substrate? Thanks again.
Sue
 
I have it shining through the mesh portion of the side. The problem with having it come in the side is that it's bad for the chameleon? If so, any suggestions how I light the plants in the substrate? Thanks again.
Sue
So the best thing would be to get real LED lighting sansi or a jungle dawn bar. These ONLY go on top though.

Lighting coming through the side confuses them. It is not something I would recommend because of this.
 
Been reading lots of information (some conflicting) about whether or not I can add an LED plant light to the chameleon set-up. It has a clamp and two goosenecks with a small LED at the end of each. I wanted to mount it halfway down the cage so that the higher plants get some and the other gooseneck can be aimed at the plants I'm trying to grow in the substrate (bioactive). But is the beam of LED light harmful to his eyes? If I can use this plant light, can I only use it from the top down or can I have it directing light in from the side of the habitat?

Thanks in advance. Would love my plants to flourish but not at the expense of my youngin'.
Sue
White LEDs are perfectly safe for your cham's eyes. Colored LEDs... I'm not so sure.

The light you linked—I can't even find a wattage, but if you look at the pics along the left side; they show it right down on top of the small (tiny?) desk/table plants, so wattage can't be much—certainly not powerful enough to light an entire enclosure.

This is the light many, many of us are using...
https://www.sansiled.com/products/70w-led-grow-light
https://www.amazon.com/SANSI-Daylight-Lights-Indoor-Plants/dp/B07TKKG8Q3?th=1
5 year life & warranty, free shipping, occasional sales, and Sansi coupons

I have 2 of these on top of my double-wide.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/simple-uvb-fixture-supports.177896/#post-1692470
They sit less than an inch above the top screen, but I can hold the back of my hand against the screen under them indefinitely, so there is no burn hazard. :)

It has enough power to reach the nether regions of a 48"H enclosure, and the beam angle is wide enough to encompass everything. Be aware they are BRIGHT, but nowhere near as bright as the one in the sky, so still safe for your cham's eyes. My plants are doing marvelously! Vines (philodendron, pothos, inchplant) are all growing a foot or more per month, and my two mass canes are in the midst of a growth spurt.

N.B. Chameleons will instinctively try to bask under the brightest light they see, even if someplace else is warmer. The solution is to aim your basking lamp onto a basking perch directly below the brightest light.
1644351827605.png

An inexpensive clamp light fixture works extremely well for this.

1644351956689.png
 
White LEDs are perfectly safe for your cham's eyes. Colored LEDs... I'm not so sure.

The light you linked—I can't even find a wattage, but if you look at the pics along the left side; they show it right down on top of the small (tiny?) desk/table plants, so wattage can't be much—certainly not powerful enough to light an entire enclosure.

This is the light many, many of us are using...
https://www.sansiled.com/products/70w-led-grow-light
https://www.amazon.com/SANSI-Daylight-Lights-Indoor-Plants/dp/B07TKKG8Q3?th=1
5 year life & warranty, free shipping, occasional sales, and Sansi coupons

I have 2 of these on top of my double-wide.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/simple-uvb-fixture-supports.177896/#post-1692470
They sit less than an inch above the top screen, but I can hold the back of my hand against the screen under them indefinitely, so there is no burn hazard. :)

It has enough power to reach the nether regions of a 48"H enclosure, and the beam angle is wide enough to encompass everything. Be aware they are BRIGHT, but nowhere near as bright as the one in the sky, so still safe for your cham's eyes. My plants are doing marvelously! Vines (philodendron, pothos, inchplant) are all growing a foot or more per month, and my two mass canes are in the midst of a growth spurt.

N.B. Chameleons will instinctively try to bask under the brightest light they see, even if someplace else is warmer. The solution is to aim your basking lamp onto a basking perch directly below the brightest light.

An inexpensive clamp light fixture works extremely well for this.

Thanks for that. I'll probably return this two headed-clamp lamp but I really don't think one on top of the enclosure is going to get to my substrate plants... the foliage is very thick, thus, wanting it coming in from the side at the bottom. Challenges, challenges. . .
Sue
 
Thanks for that. I'll probably return this two headed-clamp lamp but I really don't think one on top of the enclosure is going to get to my substrate plants... the foliage is very thick, thus, wanting it coming in from the side at the bottom. Challenges, challenges. . .
Sue
Part of that is balancing where plants are placed. Low light plants will do fine at/near the bottom (I have a snake plant in a back corner that's doing fine after a year) while full sun plants should be closer to the light (or unobscured). I know that sounds like a "Duh" statement, but some folks (present company excepted) don't think to research individual needs (light, water, drainage, feeding, soil, etc.) of their plant species. (Me a few years ago :oops:).

Sansi also makes some kick-butt floods (we use them on accent houseplants, like 4-5' tall dracaenas.
Missus has them in clamp light fixtures.
https://www.sansiled.com/collections/grow-light-bulbs
I'd suggest either (or both) the 24W and 36W. The 10W and 15W may be a little... anemic for penetration.

But I'd really be surprised if the 70W doesn't do it.
DocZ, Multivitamins, dinomom, snitz427, MissSkittles
 
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