Review My Lighting Order
- Thread starter Puterguru
- Start date
Thegreatfonz
Member
I would just go to Lowes or Home depot instead of buying the $23 exoterra lamp. You can buy the same thing at Lowes for $12. Also you might want to buy a wider clamp lamp a 24x24x48 cage is pretty big, you'll need a wider diameter to cover more of the cage. I have a 8 1/2" clamp lamp and theres still a lot of shade in my cage. You can just buy a normal 60watt bulb that are in pack of 4 or 6 for something like $6. and yes a 18" bulb fits in a 20" hood, but from what I've read you may want to get the 24" hood for a 24x24x48 cage. Maybe someone else could chime in on that, cause I've been wondering that myself.
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
I agree, that all looks fine but with the exception of the Reptisun you can get everything else at a Home Depot/Lowe's/Walmart for a lot less (and put that extra cash towards nice, big plants for the cage in the same trip!).
You can usually get an 18-24" fluorescent tube fixture for under $20, a clamp lamp for between $5-10, and a pack of bulbs of heat for very little. A normal 40-60w halogen will last longer but a pack of incandescent bulbs is a cheap alternative that works really well too, they might just burn out more often so I recommend getting a pack. My halogens seem to last forever.
You can usually get an 18-24" fluorescent tube fixture for under $20, a clamp lamp for between $5-10, and a pack of bulbs of heat for very little. A normal 40-60w halogen will last longer but a pack of incandescent bulbs is a cheap alternative that works really well too, they might just burn out more often so I recommend getting a pack. My halogens seem to last forever.
Thanks everyone, I appreciate the help since this will be my first chameleon.
Does anyone else have an opinion on this? Should I go with a 20 or 24 inch florescent hood?
Thanks, I'll do the 8 /12 instead of the 5 1/2.
Does anyone else have an opinion on this? Should I go with a 20 or 24 inch florescent hood?
Thanks, I'll do the 8 /12 instead of the 5 1/2.
I went ahead and purchased the Zoo Med Reptisun T5 HO 24 Inch Hood.
It comes with the bulb and had free shipping.
This should be fine right, not overkill?
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25698&cmpid=07cseaz&ref=4144&subref=AA
It comes with the bulb and had free shipping.
This should be fine right, not overkill?
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25698&cmpid=07cseaz&ref=4144&subref=AA
deadhd5
Avid Member
Excellent choice! After 6 months you may want to consider an arcadia 6% bulb, but either way, this will work great for your setup.
what kind of halogens bulbs you use? better halogen (white light) then normal house 60w bulbs (yellow light) no? i was thinking to buy a 75w zoomed basking light but i can use a normal halogen bulb instead? they produce the same kind of heat?
i saw very often people recoming ardcadia6% is that really the best uvb sorce for chams?
i will have a reptisun 5.0 and 2.0 (doublle hood) and i was very undicised betwen then and arcadias but i went for the combo os reptisuns because i have a lot of plants in my terrarium. should i change it for a double arcadia 2% and 6% next time i get uvb lights?
thank you
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
Im wondering if the new reptisun t5 HO builbs are as good as the arcadias. Im sure they are just as good as regular T8 reptisuns, but i wonder if you can go a year between replacements like the arcadia.
PS i highly recommend getting at least 20 watts of uvb light for the 24x24x48 cages. that normally is 2 18-24 T8s' or 1 22" t5 HO.
PS i highly recommend getting at least 20 watts of uvb light for the 24x24x48 cages. that normally is 2 18-24 T8s' or 1 22" t5 HO.
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
I use some from Lowe's (possibly Phillips brand, spot light?) that are 40 or 60w. The lower wattage ones seem to produce the same heat as a higher watt incandescent ones. You can find high-white incandescent lights, so those will still be very bright and will be cheaper, but I do seem to burn through them faster. Halogens seem a lot more durable, so they're good and are still cheaper than pet store ones.
Yes, Arcadia lights, either in the 6% or 12% are great. They're much more intense, especially through cage screen. You don't have to get two, though. If you want more brightness you can use a 6% on one side and then a 5000k daylight fluorescent light from Lowe's or Home Depot, which will add a lot of brightness and help with the plants, for example. That's more up to you and your preference, but you don't have to spend the money on two UVB tubes at once.
deadhd5
Avid Member
I use an Arcadia 6% and a 6500k plant bulb in my double fixture. The Arcadia bulbs last 1 year+ and have been showen to have the best, most even, UVB distribution out there.
The Reptisun T5HO bulbs are relatively new to the market, so time will tell. The Reptisun T8 UVB bulb is highly reccomended, so the prospects are good (although life is only 6 months tops). However, they had a disaster when they rolled out their CFL UVB bulbs, so I will take a wait and see approach.
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