So as Daylight Savings has arrived, it is time to rethink my lighting schedule. Days are getting longer, and this time of year I tend to have the doors and windows open. This can be a challenge keeping the humidity levels where I want, so along with my lighting times, I am also experimenting with misting schedules.
First off, the basic setup has not changed much. I have experimented with different wattage for basking, but other than that I am still using the Arcadia T5 HO quad fixture with one Arcadia 6%, two 6500k's, one plant pro and the blue LED Moonlights. The basking bulbs are both 60 watt clear glass incandescent household bulbs. For misting, I am using a MistKing Ultimate setup with two dual misting nozzles. I use distilled water for this system.
I start the daily lighting with the blue LEDs coming on at 6:00 in the morning. At 7:00 the first set of T5 HO lights come on (the 6% UVB and one 6500k). At 7:15 the first basking bulb (on the side of the house the sun rises) comes on. At 8 am the first misting session of the day occurs. Right now it is for 2 minutes, but I will change this a few times throughout the season if needed to maintain proper humidity levels. At 9:30 the second set of T5 bulbs come on. This is the other 6500k as well as the plant pro. I set the second basking light to go on at 11:45. This one is on the side of the enclosure where the sun will set later in the day. At 12 noon the second misting of the day goes for another 2 minutes.
At 2:30 the third misting of the day goes for about 4 minutes. With the two basking spots on at that time it helps to dry out the enclosure before the next session at 4 pm. The 4 pm misting is for 2 minutes. At 5 pm the first basking spot (sunrise side) goes off. At 7 pm the 6% UVB and one 6500k go off. At 7:30 the blue LED moonlights come on. At 7:45 the second basking light goes off and at 8 pm the final T5 Arcadia's go off for the day. The final step is the LED moonlight goes off at 8:30 pm.
Hope this gives you some ideas about lighting techniques and schedules. I will most likely not change much until the late fall when I will switch to the winter lighting schedule again. For a look at what that looks like and for pictures of the lighting setup, click the following link http://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/decadancin/754-winter-lighting-schedule.html. Thanks for checking out the blog! Let me know what you think.
Once again, special thanks to Todd at Light Your Reptiles [email protected] for all his help with the Arcadia T5 HO quad fixture and Marty at MistKing http://www.mistking.com/ for an awesome product as well!
First off, the basic setup has not changed much. I have experimented with different wattage for basking, but other than that I am still using the Arcadia T5 HO quad fixture with one Arcadia 6%, two 6500k's, one plant pro and the blue LED Moonlights. The basking bulbs are both 60 watt clear glass incandescent household bulbs. For misting, I am using a MistKing Ultimate setup with two dual misting nozzles. I use distilled water for this system.
I start the daily lighting with the blue LEDs coming on at 6:00 in the morning. At 7:00 the first set of T5 HO lights come on (the 6% UVB and one 6500k). At 7:15 the first basking bulb (on the side of the house the sun rises) comes on. At 8 am the first misting session of the day occurs. Right now it is for 2 minutes, but I will change this a few times throughout the season if needed to maintain proper humidity levels. At 9:30 the second set of T5 bulbs come on. This is the other 6500k as well as the plant pro. I set the second basking light to go on at 11:45. This one is on the side of the enclosure where the sun will set later in the day. At 12 noon the second misting of the day goes for another 2 minutes.
At 2:30 the third misting of the day goes for about 4 minutes. With the two basking spots on at that time it helps to dry out the enclosure before the next session at 4 pm. The 4 pm misting is for 2 minutes. At 5 pm the first basking spot (sunrise side) goes off. At 7 pm the 6% UVB and one 6500k go off. At 7:30 the blue LED moonlights come on. At 7:45 the second basking light goes off and at 8 pm the final T5 Arcadia's go off for the day. The final step is the LED moonlight goes off at 8:30 pm.
Hope this gives you some ideas about lighting techniques and schedules. I will most likely not change much until the late fall when I will switch to the winter lighting schedule again. For a look at what that looks like and for pictures of the lighting setup, click the following link http://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/decadancin/754-winter-lighting-schedule.html. Thanks for checking out the blog! Let me know what you think.
Once again, special thanks to Todd at Light Your Reptiles [email protected] for all his help with the Arcadia T5 HO quad fixture and Marty at MistKing http://www.mistking.com/ for an awesome product as well!
