lighting for new enclosure

[joshuadh2310]

So i am going to be making a new enclosure as some of you might know. its a double enclosure and both sides of it will be either 24x24x48 or 26x26x48 but since its this diameter i wanted to get as much lighting as possible for it. i was thinking about using two 24" quad fixtures one on each enclosure side. but i found this 48" quad lighting fixture on the same page that is about $110 cheaper than buying two. so im thinking this will work but what do you guys think? also for a quad fixture would you guys recommend using 2 uvb bulbs and two fluorescents in them 2 for the cham and two fro the plants or how would you combo the bulbs? i dont even know if uvb bulbs by themselves would be fine for the plants to thrive in so i guess that is another question i have.

 

[joshuadh2310]

So i am going to be making a new enclosure as some of you might know. its a double enclosure and both sides of it will be either 24x24x48 or 26x26x48 but since its this diameter i wanted to get as much lighting as possible for it. i was thinking about using two 24" quad fixtures one on each enclosure side. but i found this 48" quad lighting fixture on the same page that is about $110 cheaper than buying two. so im thinking this will work but what do you guys think? also for a quad fixture would you guys recommend using 2 uvb bulbs and two fluorescents in them 2 for the cham and two fro the plants or how would you combo the bulbs? i dont even know if uvb bulbs by themselves would be fine for the plants to thrive in so i guess that is another question i have.

this is the fixture im looking at

 

[theintouchable88]

There's many experienced keepers here that use that quad fixture for 2 cages with one uvb bulb from what I've read and with no issues. The only thing I've seen is that if the cages are really dense in foliage they do put 2 uvb bulbs to get better coverage. I have the dual as I'm only getting 1 cham and I could already see the plants thrive. The pothos was a little sun burnt and it's starting to get back nice and green.

 

[JamesB88]

One uvb is fine, go with Arcadia bulbs 6% or 12%. My quad currently has one 12% and I have it directly over his basking branch which is in the middle of the cage so the uvb is directed strait down the middle of the cage allowing the uvb to cover most areas. If u have the money u can grab a solar meter and test areas in the cage for uvb exposure and also know the life of the bulbs!

 

[joshuadh2310]

awsome you guys rock. So i will get this fixture and use a 12% bulb and also my basking spots i will use what i currently use now wich is mercury vapor bulbs so it provides heat and uvb as well.

 

[JamesB88]

awsome you guys rock. So i will get this fixture and use a 12% bulb and also my basking spots i will use what i currently use now wich is mercury vapor bulbs so it provides heat and uvb as well.

Sounds like a solid plan man, those quad fixtures do put off a little heat so make sure with that mercury vapor bulb that it doesn't get to hot! Post some pics when it's all set up!

 

[JamesB88]

For the bulb combo in my quad I have 2 daylight bulbs 1 12% and one plant bulb if you buy from lightipyourrep pretty sure that's the standard combo unless u ask for a custome layout.

 

[theintouchable88]

I believe if you don't have a solar meter, it's really not recommended to use a mvb for a chameleon because it could be either too hot and too much uvb or not hot enough and not enough uvb.

 

[joshuadh2310]

For the bulb combo in my quad I have 2 daylight bulbs 1 12% and one plant bulb if you buy from lightipyourrep pretty sure that's the standard combo unless u ask for a custome layout.

Okay I will check it out. Also how much heat will this put off? What basking bulb do you use if you even use one?

 

[joshuadh2310]

I believe if you don't have a solar meter, it's really not recommended to use a mvb for a chameleon because it could be either too hot and too much uvb or not hot enough and not enough uvb.

Hmmmm I didn't know there could be too much uvb. I'm trying to get the perfect light setup for this build so as much help as possible

 

[JamesB88]

Okay I will check it out. Also how much heat will this put off? What basking bulb do you use if you even use one?

The quad will put off a little heat not too terribly much but it keeps my upper layer in the cage around 78-83 degrees Fahrenheit. I just use a standard incandescent 75w in winter and 65w in summer for my basking bulbs. Remember different chams need diff temps tho this setup I have is for a veiled Cham and they love heat so for your basking bulb I would just play around with a couple different wattages and gage out the temps. Age of the Cham also has to be taken into consideration when it comes to temps and basking bulbs, baby's usually don't even need a basking spot where as an adult Cham such as a veiled like very warm basking spots.

 

[JamesB88]

IMHO mercury vapor bulbs are old school, if u get that quad I would just use a incandescent bulb for basking!

 

[PJK]

IMHO mercury vapor bulbs are old school, if u get that quad I would just use a incandescent bulb for basking!

Agreed. Its better to offer UVB and heat separately. The animal should have the choice. Also big proponent of the 12% bulb, but you need to offer adequate shaded areas.

 

[Peachypink]

Your best bet is to talk to Todd at Light You Reptiles. I have a quad 48" and I have a 6% in it now because my cage is not filled out yet. When the plants grow in and it's time to replace the UVB bulb them I will go with the 12%. Also, it will depend on where you place the bulb. If it is in between 2 other bulbs, then some of the rays get absorbed and will put off less UVB into the cage. If it is placed on the outside next to a reflector then more UVB gets directed towards the cage.

 

[JamesB88]

Your best bet is to talk to Todd at Light You Reptiles. I have a quad 48" and I have a 6% in it now because my cage is not filled out yet. When the plants grow in and it's time to replace the UVB bulb them I will go with the 12%. Also, it will depend on where you place the bulb. If it is in between 2 other bulbs, then some of the rays get absorbed and will put off less UVB into the cage. If it is placed on the outside next to a reflector then more UVB gets directed towards the cage.

Good point with placement of the bulbs, I had to swap my bulbs so my uvb was at the end of my quad.

 

[joshuadh2310]

Hmmm there is a lot more to this than I though lol. Glad I asked you guys. So I will most likely use pathos plants and maybe something else depending on what you guys would recommend. So one 12% uvb in the front of the cag? And then 3 day flouresent bulbs behind that one? And then a normal basking bulb in the rear of the cage at what temp . My girl is almost 4 months now and she will most likely be about 5 and a half months when this setup is ready

 

[joshuadh2310]

Oh and on the other side in the other cage will most likely be a baby around 3 months both panthers btw

 

[Peachypink]

Hmmm there is a lot more to this than I though lol. Glad I asked you guys. So I will most likely use pathos plants and maybe something else depending on what you guys would recommend. So one 12% uvb in the front of the cag? And then 3 day flouresent bulbs behind that one? And then a normal basking bulb in the rear of the cage at what temp . My girl is almost 4 months now and she will most likely be about 5 and a half months when this setup is ready

In mine I have the 6% UVB, 2 day bulbs and a plant grow bulb. Seriously though, email Todd at [email protected], tell him exactly what you have and he will walk you through it and make the recommendation about your specific needs.

 

[joshuadh2310]

Ok awsome I will do that and probably run that setup seems like a lot of you guys are

 

[JamesB88]

Hmmm there is a lot more to this than I though lol. Glad I asked you guys. So I will most likely use pathos plants and maybe something else depending on what you guys would recommend. So one 12% uvb in the front of the cag? And then 3 day flouresent bulbs behind that one? And then a normal basking bulb in the rear of the cage at what temp . My girl is almost 4 months now and she will most likely be about 5 and a half months when this setup is ready

My quad is setup like this. If your facing the cage the first bulb is daybulb,plant bulb, daybulb uvb so my uvb is the last bulb and my quad sits in the front of the cage so my uvb is pretty much directed strait down the middle of the cage. It all depends on where you place your basking branch I have it set up to where my basking is back right corner and my uvb runs across that branch as well with a slight pitch leading away from the basking spot. Many people have the uvb and basking overlap as I do but always give options to you Cham!