New setup

I do not but That’s funny you ask cus I was on Amazon just now looking at them and some manzanita branches. I would get it tomorrow if I purchased today, but does anyone use any cheaper versions that work perfectly fine or is it gonna be a 200$ Purchase I’m gonna have to make lol. I have no problem doing so of course.

here are some pics and measurements from screen cage where lights are positioned (at the basking spot both uvb and uva lights are able to be absorbed and basked under here). I then transition the rest of the length of the uvb bulb diagonally away from the higher plants in the back and away from the rest of the three different levels of basking porches I provided him so that he may still bask under the uvb along the branch (but not the basking light) at least halfway along the rest of the branch as it goes higher up to the right side of the cage. The highest part of these basking porches is on the right side and this part does not sit directly underneath the uvb bulb, as it’s positioned over the lower canopy where he shouldn’t have a problem escaping rays if he wants to and the rays should not be high at all since they diminish dramatically with every inch you move away from it.View attachment 289980
How lights are positioned on top of screen above the basking spot


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I use a rock to tilt the basking fixture toward the basking spot so that the UVB bulb can also run across the basking spot, and to achieve the 85F basking temp.
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This is what basking temp reads constantly after drying out and returning back to normal after misting. Drops to about 70F during mistings sometimes even 60F. I know ambient temp remains at a 70F-73F range throughout the day in the house and drops to 68F at night.
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The spot where the lights are focused is here and this is 9" from directly under the UVB bulb which sits on top of the screen cage.
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This is the end of the basking branch where it goes higher up towards the top of the cage. The uvb bulb does not sit directly over this area but is diagonally positioned away from it, more toward the front of the cage about 10-20 degrees (of course guesstimating) away from this porch. Rays may fan out and affect this area , but this is also positioned near the end of the linear lamp where you should be getting weaker UVB readings anyway. So 5.5-6" away from the top of the screen cage and gets an indirect shower of UVB rays.

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This is the middle portion of the basking porches where the UVB runs right across them for the most part and is 7" away from the top of the cage and uvb bulb.
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This is where the end of the UVB bulb is on the right side away from the basking spot and rest of the basking branches, where it is positioned over the plants below. Top of plant is a full 12" away.
You can DIY one, but I bought mine from Solarmeter to make sure it was calibrated right. I would raise the UVB if possible because it being 7” away from his basking branches in the middle of the bulb and still by the basking area will be too high. He might bask to digest/warm-up and get too high of UVI levels, as the middle of the bulb is where they’re strongest. Without a Solarmeter, the recommended guess is 8-9” away from the basking branch for a 5.0/6% bulb.
 
You can DIY one, but I bought mine from Solarmeter to make sure it was calibrated right. I would raise the UVB if possible because it being 7” away from his basking branches in the middle of the bulb and still by the basking area will be too high. He might bask to digest/warm-up and get too high of UVI levels, as the middle of the bulb is where they’re strongest. Without a Solarmeter, the recommended guess is 8-9” away from the basking branch for a 5.0/6% bulb.
I have moved that part of the branch down 9" away from the top as well. I haven't had trouble in the past with how I set up the lights for my chameleons but I am a little curious how might I need to adjust my supplement schedule (rapashy calcium plus LoD every feeding which is 6* a week w/ 10-12 small crickets lightly lightly dusted so I don't risk over supplementing him the d3 using the 10.0 bulb along with the natural sunlight I'll be starting to get him more of next week when temps return to the mid to high 60s.
 
I have moved that part of the branch down 9" away from the top as well. I haven't had trouble in the past with how I set up the lights for my chameleons but I am a little curious how might I need to adjust my supplement schedule (rapashy calcium plus LoD every feeding which is 6* a week w/ 10-12 small crickets lightly lightly dusted so I don't risk over supplementing him the d3 using the 10.0 bulb along with the natural sunlight I'll be starting to get him more of next week when temps return to the mid to high 60s.
I wuldn’t do any D3 with his light that strong and close, but I’m not the most experienced with it, so
I’d wait for someone else to respond
 
So I made some updates. Ditched the 10.0 and got him a 5.0. the 10.0 seemed to hurt his eyes. I also got a couple new plants added in there and branches as well since the ficus is ugly as heck with no leaves. I need to get better drainage system going though. He never really drank in front of me before but when I added all these new plants he started to really drink like crazy. He also seems a bit more active so that makes me happy. Hope he is going to shed soon. Colors are looking a bit dull, skin a bit wrinkly, and his appetite is low the past couple of days.

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It looks amazing! 😍 Soo glad your baby likes the new plants. Sometimes they take a min to adapt to changes in the enclosure. My girl was upset when I raised her pothos up off the floor. She wouldn’t even move near it at all for the first day.
 
It looks amazing! 😍 Soo glad your baby likes the new plants. Sometimes they take a min to adapt to changes in the enclosure. My girl was upset when I raised her pothos up off the floor. She wouldn’t even move near it at all for the first day.
Thank you! I really hope he isn’t upset with me for changing his cage yet again lol. We do it out of love. They eventually understand 😅
 
Was he tested for parasites? That could be the cause of him not wanting to eat as much. Also, great cage and gorgeous cham!
 
So I made some updates. Ditched the 10.0 and got him a 5.0. the 10.0 seemed to hurt his eyes. I also got a couple new plants added in there and branches as well since the ficus is ugly as heck with no leaves. I need to get better drainage system going though. He never really drank in front of me before but when I added all these new plants he started to really drink like crazy. He also seems a bit more active so that makes me happy. Hope he is going to shed soon. Colors are looking a bit dull, skin a bit wrinkly, and his appetite is low the past couple of days.

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It looks amazing but those plants at the bottom the maiden hair fern are VERY hard to take care of and die easily! I learned the hard way but again I am not very good with plants. 😂
 
Looks AWESOME!😍👌

My personal favorite is the maidens fern!
It's okay once he adjusts he will love it!
The person where I got mine from told me that they are very hard to take care of and he was right but as long as you do everything necessary I’m sure it will thrive
 
The person where I got mine from told me that they are very hard to take care of and he was right but as long as you do everything necessary I’m sure it will thrive
Yeah I've NEVER had any luck keeping ferns alive but then again I've never had this much lighting before either, I don't know much about their care but maybe I can manage it now 🤷‍♂️
 
someone help... I have an addiction 😓 chameleons, and now, plants. 🤣

my niece came into my room the other day and was like “it smells like nature in here” and nature can smell both good and bad, so I was concerned. But she said it was the good nature smell so I must be doing something right 👍🏽 Lol

also, can someone refresh my mind on uvi readings and what exactly we should be aiming for at the different levels of their habitat. Rn i have the levels fluctuating throughout their cage. At the top directly under the screen it reaches a max of 45-50 and at their highest basking branch, as you can see, I have the levels ranging from 3-8. My chameleons don’t climb the sides and top of their cage so I didn’t think I should worry that uvb readings are that high at the top under the uvb bulb since they don’t spend time there.
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I just noticed that my solarmeter is the 6.2 older one that chameleon academy says measures UV wavelengths in uWatts/cm^2, and measure a wider range of wavelengths and I'm not sure what to make of my readings now :) I get high readings into the 30s in the shade outside sometimes... Does anyone here use the 6.2 and can offer me some guidance on how to differentiate between those readings I get on my solarmeter vs. what one would get using a 6.5 or newer model? Can my measurements be converted to match those measurements someone would get using a 6.5, that way I don't have to purchase a 6.5. I now know the 6.5 is the one that chameleon keepers should use because it is more focused on those wavelengths of light that are responsible for d3 conversion in chameleons, but that also means so does the 6.2 but on a more broader scale. So, numbers just need to be converted between models? Hopefully...
 
I just noticed that my solarmeter is the 6.2 older one that chameleon academy says measures UV wavelengths in uWatts/cm^2, and measure a wider range of wavelengths and I'm not sure what to make of my readings now :) I get high readings into the 30s in the shade outside sometimes... Does anyone here use the 6.2 and can offer me some guidance on how to differentiate between those readings I get on my solarmeter vs. what one would get using a 6.5 or newer model? Can my measurements be converted to match those measurements someone would get using a 6.5, that way I don't have to purchase a 6.5. I now know the 6.5 is the one that chameleon keepers should use because it is more focused on those wavelengths of light that are responsible for d3 conversion in chameleons, but that also means so does the 6.2 but on a more broader scale. So, numbers just need to be converted between models? Hopefully...
Ehhhh So your going to be better off getting the 6.5 version IMO. So that you know the exact UVI level. The only person that I know within the forum that understands the one you have is @nightanole but I don't even understand how he explains it lol Goes right over my head every time. Maybe he can help you.
 
Ehhhh So your going to be better off getting the 6.5 version IMO. So that you know the exact UVI level. The only person that I know within the forum that understands the one you have is @nightanole but I don't even understand how he explains it lol Goes right over my head every time. Maybe he can help you.

You can kinda convert a 6.2 to a 6.5 by multiplying by 40. So if its reading 40µW/cm², that means its about 1.0 uvi. Its not exactly 40, it could be 35 or 45 depending on location and time of day, or the bulb. But 40 is a good compromise.

6.2 is for measuring the nastiness of artificial light, such as a tanning booth.
6.5 is for measuring the effect natural light has on the human skin, such as the amount of time gingers can be exposed to noon sun before damage happens.
 
Thank you guys! So, I'm aiming for upwards in the 60s/70s really to get the 3 UVI readings we want?
 
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