Fluorescent Tube fittings

tryme

tryme

New Member
hi there i need a bit of help im a bit lost on what fitting to get for a Reptisun 5.00 Fluorescent Tube as im going to be purchasing a 38gal flexarium and not sure quite how to have it fitted to my enclosure. has anybody else got a flexarium and what fittings have you got for the Fluorescent Tube? thanks
 
Any plane ol fixture is fine, all it has to do is sit on top of the cage... Wal-mart has fixtures as well as just about any pet shop.
 
Look at home depot as well.
Shop or worklight hoods.
I'm installing a 4 foot one from there this afternoon.
It'll hang from the ceiling over 3 enclosures (eventually).
If you hang one ... make sure it is close enough to the top of the enclosure.

-Brad
 
THe commercially available shop lights , )( from home depot ) are the newer 48" 32 watt fixtures and the 48" reptisun 5.0s require 40 watt fixtures.

Does anyone know where to buy cheap old style 40 watters...
 
Trying to improve the Reptarium

The fluorscent light ballist in the picture is one I got from WalMart it was like $8-9 if I remember right (the 48" ones are like $10-11). It comes with two fixtures and is sturdy aluminum. I used one fixture for a specailty plant light and the other for the UVb tube. You can simply just use the fluorscent lights that come with it and would have some extra brightness in your reptarium.

I actually just made a cheap little rack to hold my ballist steady. You would have the opposite problem as it would be to big for your cage and it was to small for mine. You could simply just lay it on the top and not really have an issue. A light fixture to grow into but it is better then buying two. I did use part of the stand to hold the basking bulb but you could also use something like the wood frame I built on top to hold it (this is what I currently do). I clamped the light to part of the wood, measured and did some checking to confirm I wanted it that way, then zipped tied it to the wood so it will not shift.

Sorry the picture quality is crappy.
 
Julirs said it already but I wanted to make sure it stood out that you need a 10.0 instead of a 5.0 because of the type of cage that you chose. The flexariums have thicker mesh and allows only half of the light being emmited to pass through. It's safer for your cham's sake.

Do you have a wal mart or home depot available to you?
 
I also use the $7.00 Walmart fixture on several cages. The only problem with that one is that it doesn't have a reflector.
 
Julirs said:
I also use the $7.00 Walmart fixture on several cages. The only problem with that one is that it doesn't have a reflector.
Click to expand...
Howdy,

A few years ago I acquired a couple of those Wal-Mart-type fixtures that don't have reflectors. I used the Home Depot aluminum tape that is made for heating duct-work. It is real aluminum with a very sticky backing. I'd describe it as a couple of notches better than just using aluminum foil :eek:. I used those lights on my baby enclosures back when I was hatching Veileds and Panthers.
 
cham_man said:
THe commercially available shop lights , )( from home depot ) are the newer 48" 32 watt fixtures and the 48" reptisun 5.0s require 40 watt fixtures.

Does anyone know where to buy cheap old style 40 watters...
Click to expand...

I just bought a 48" 40 watt fixture from Home Depot today.
It was $8.78 plus tax.:)

-Brad
 
Up here in Canada, I can't find a 40 watt 48" fixture anywhere. Seems that the newer 32 watt models are all thats offered.
I could purchase a 32 watt fixture and go to a local electrical supply house and buy a replacement 40 watt ballast and refit the 32 watt unit.
Its possible that the 40 watt units have been mandated to obsolesance due to the push for energy efficiency. Same goes for incandescent bulbs. Rumour has it that my provincial government will ban incandescents next year . They already have a rebate program for CF bulbs.
 
Here's the new fixture.
The space to the left is where the new female enclosure will be (with a visual barrier between)
I guess I have good luck today ... Petco clearanced their repti-sun 5,0 48" bulbs ...$10 ea!!!

The new Reptiles Magazine (feb issue) is a MUST BUY!
In addition to Linda Davison's article on Oustalets, there is a great article on UVB!

-Brad

btw: The picture looks really dark ... I don't think my flash was on.
 
Last edited:
Julirs said:
I also use the $7.00 Walmart fixture on several cages. The only problem with that one is that it doesn't have a reflector.
Click to expand...

Reflectors and a hood & reflectors & a hood, can't stress that enough.
You lose soo much light and efficiency if you don't direct the light down to where you want it.
 
i dont think i have a home depot or wal mart near me i live in UK (london) so im a bit lost really lol
 
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