Light Your Reptiles Dual 24" Fixture Basking Question

[dlaunde]

Hey all,

Putting a list together of supplies to upgrade Ares' (adult Panther) cage. Will be going with a 24x24x48 screen cage, planted with two pothos plants more towards one corner (to create a gradient of heavily planted to lightly planted effect). I am going to get the 24" dual bulb fixture from Light Your Reptiles.

In his current 18x18x36 cage I am using an Exo Terra fixture with a 5.0 and 2.0 fluorescent bulb setup and built-in 50w halogen socket for basking purposes that gets a temp of around 90-95 degrees at the upper portion of his basking branch.

Two questions:
1) Should I go with the 6.0 or 12.0 Arcadia bulb?
2) Does the Daylight (6500k) Arcadia bulb provide high enough basking temps for branches placed within 8 inches or so of the top of the cage screen? Or do people using Light Your Reptile fixtures still find it necessary to get a separate basking fixture?

Thanks!

 

[Decadancin]

I would recommend the 6% because the one half of the space not being densely planted. You should still have enough UVB penetrating the space. If you are unsure, just ask Todd for his suggestion. As for the 6500K, there will not be nearly enough heat for a basking site. You still need a separate bulb for that. I use regular incandescent bulbs in a reflective dome fixture.

 

[dlaunde]

Thanks!

 

[livehappy08]

I would call light your reptiles (Todd) and ask him for his recommendation and go with that. I love my 24 inch fixture with the 12% arcadia bulb but I have a tall enclosure. You won't find better customer service than Todd. Period.