Ficus tree

[Klyde O'Scope]

I’m just wanting to know where to place a plant light. Below is a pic of the top of my terrarium. Thanks.

Straighten out the UVB, and arrange the others similar to what I posted above.

It's OK for the UVB to be closer to the back (or front).

1. It has a beam angle that extends quite a way forward & back.
   It can also be tilted slightly forward or backward, and basking site adjusted to compensate if necessary.
2. My cham spends the vast majority of his time from the middle to back of the enclosure. He does climb the doors, and does come toward the front, but not nearly for the same amount of time, and they don't bask for 12 hrs/day.

 

[Chammy007]

Hello, regarding basking how many inches below the lights should the basking branches and vines be? And just making sure: should the branches/vines be placed under both the uvb and basking lights?thanks.

 

[Chammy007]

You just need a good plant light. I actually just trimmed up my ficus I have in my enclosure. Its dropping a lot of leaves but also definitely growing like crazy. I use one of the arcadia jungle dawn led bars. I'm sure a 1 or 2 65k bulbs would help it also

Hello, which of these would you go with? 138 lumens? 141 lumens ? or 120 degrees wide beam? HERE

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Hello, regarding basking how many inches below the lights should the basking branches and vines be? And just making sure: should the branches/vines be placed under both the uvb and basking lights?thanks.

I know this lighting stuff can get complicated and technical, but once it's set up initially, only minor tweaking should be necessary from then on.

I would (and did—as most of us do) get the distance between basking branches and UVB established first. A UVB meter (Solarmeter 6.5x or DIY version) makes this easiest & most accurate, but with your setup (Zen enclosure, Reptisun T5 5.0), 9" should be in the ballpark.

Once that is set, a digital hygrometer/thermometer with probe (I like/have these) can be used to establish the basking light. For everyone, this is a matter of trial & error—there is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution. The types of bulb—in order of preference—are (IMO):

1. Incandescent household bulb (NOT LED)
2. Incandescent flood light (NOT spot)
3. Halogen flood light (NOT spot)

For most people, 75W is a good place to start, but if adjusting the height/angle of the bulb doesn't work, you may have to move up or down in wattage.

Again, once you get everything balanced, things should be good with only minor tweaking.

Yes, the basking site (branches) should be under both basking & UVB lights as we're trying to replicate/simulate the Sun.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Hello, which of these would you go with? 138 lumens? 141 lumens ? or 120 degrees wide beam? HERE

I believe all of the Jungle Dawn lights have 120 degree beam width, and the lumen stats apply to different length bulbs.

When I researched all this, I passed on Jungle Dawn because (IMO) they were more hype (cost) than performance (and they don't make a 48" bulb for my enclosure). The 70W Sansi has more bang for the buck (lumens, ppf/ppfd, lifespan, warranty, and seems to be gaining popularity.

However, if you decide on the JD, just select the correct length for your enclosure.

 

[ERKleRose]

Hello, regarding basking how many inches below the lights should the basking branches and vines be? And just making sure: should the branches/vines be placed under both the uvb and basking lights?thanks.

8-9” away for your light and cage. Do you have a Solarmeter 6.5? You want the basking bulb angled over the basking branches, which need to be under the UVB bulb.

 

[Chammy007]

I believe all of the Jungle Dawn lights have 120 degree beam width, and the lumen stats apply to different length bulbs.

When I researched all this, I passed on Jungle Dawn because (IMO) they were more hype (cost) than performance (and they don't make a 48" bulb for my enclosure). The 70W Sansi has more bang for the buck (lumens, ppf/ppfd, lifespan, warranty, and seems to be gaining popularity.

However, if you decide on the JD, just select the correct length for your enclosure.

Thanks much. Is a higher lumens level more desirable?

 

[snitz427]

I admit that I haven’t read the whole thread… But what type of ficus do you have? Some are more finicky than others, but nearly all plants will show some level of stress when moving into a new environment. There could be a lot of reasons for the leaf drop, but if you just purchase the plant then it is likely environmental stress. New growth will be acclimated to your environment. If you are overwatering or under watering, or not providing adequate light, the plant will suffer.

plant pests can also cause leaf drop. So you should check very closely on the under sides and around the leaves of the plant. If you notice any white or brown raised “spots”, tiny bugs, etc.… Or small webs around the base of the leaf… Then you likely have a plant pest problem as well.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Thanks much. Is a higher lumens level more desirable?

TBH, I rarely look at lumens for plant lights.

When it comes to LED grow Lights, forget LUMENS​

I look more at spectrum, temperature (the 'K' in 6500K), ppf/ppfd values (how far the light penetrates into an enclosure), how many hours a lamp is rated to last, warranty (is the purveyor standing behind it), and lifetime (of the bulb) costs.

 

[Chammy007]

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[ERKleRose]

Hahaha, no problem!

 

[Chammy007]

What type of plant light do you use? Keep the UVB on top of the cage, not the sides

My bad. Brain fart. I actually don't have a plant light yet. I thought you meant “what type of uvb bulb”

 

[Chammy007]

I admit that I haven’t read the whole thread… But what type of ficus do you have? Some are more finicky than others, but nearly all plants will show some level of stress when moving into a new environment. There could be a lot of reasons for the leaf drop, but if you just purchase the plant then it is likely environmental stress. New growth will be acclimated to your environment. If you are overwatering or under watering, or not providing adequate light, the plant will suffer.

plant pests can also cause leaf drop. So you should check very closely on the under sides and around the leaves of the plant. If you notice any white or brown raised “spots”, tiny bugs, etc.… Or small webs around the base of the leaf… Then you likely have a plant pest problem as well.

My ficus is a Braided Benjamina Ficus Tree. It arrived April 30. It started shedding like crazy for the last two weeks or so. In the past three days I’ve had it placed outside in the sun. It hasn’t started growing new leaves yet. I’ll be buying a plant light soon. Any help would be great.thanks