Lightning a big enclosure

[Longhorn1234]

I am planning on building an enclosure that will be 32in wide, 4ft long, and 6ft high. The idea is to have a bioactive enclosure with many live plants. I'm thinking of using polywall on the sides and back and then charcoal aluminum screen for the door and the top. I already have (chameleon unrelated) these T8 fixtures. Both are 4ft long, one is for 4 lights and the other is for 2 lights. I would really want to use those and not have to buy new fixtures. I was thinking of using 4 LED T8 6500K bulbs on the 4 lamp fixture. My question is would it be okay to use 2 reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB bulbs on the other fixture? Or are the T8s not enough for that enclosure size? Thanks!

www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Lighting-4-Light-Grey-Fluorescent-Heavy-Duty-Shop-Light-1284GRD-RE/202968125

www.homedepot.com/p/Metalux-4-ft-2-Lamp-White-Commercial-Grade-T8-Fluorescent-Narrow-Strip-Light-Fixture-SNF232RT/206663835

P.S. planning on housing a veiled

P.S.S. planning on having a halogen bulb for basking, unsure of wattage at the moment. I probably won't decide until everything's ready and I can get a wattage that gives me the desired temperature

 

[Molly1443]

I would use T5 HO ones, since the uvb dead zone, for the 10.0 one, begins at ~45" away.
In comparison, the T8 only gives uvb up to 22" away from the bulb.
If you go with the T8, I suggest using 2x 10.0 uvb and 1x 5000k basic white light or "reptile vision" light and 1x plant growth light (I think it as more red and blue in its wavelengths)
But again, if you use T8 bulbs, there shouldn't be too much foliage in the 22" area under it if you want your cham to get a decent amount of uvb.

 

[Longhorn1234]

Thanks for that response!
I believe the basic white light bulbs are 5000K, unless there are 5500K and I just never knew, correct me if I'm wrong though

 

[Molly1443]

Zoo med sells some 5500k bulb but I can't remember if it's for the plants or just basic lighting. But for this one you could pick watever is cheaper since it's only to put some light in the enclosure

 

[Longhorn1234]

I did not know that. I guess it's true what they say, you learn something new everyday haha. I'll check them out, thanks!

 

[Molly1443]

I'm glad it help! ^^

 

[jamest0o0]

Sounds like an awfully familiar build lol. Nice to see some veileds being kept in something other than a 10 gallon fish tank...

I agree the T5HO is your best bet in this case. If you're going to go all out, you might want to get some jungle dawn spots. They're 6500k and probably the best lights out there for plants. Plus they look amazing. Then I'd suggest 1-2 basking spots with the halogens on lightyourreptiles.

 

[Longhorn1234]

Haha I'm sure some people will recognize the plans. I kind of knew the T5s would be needes. Part of me just needed to hear again I will have to buy a new fixture lol.
As for the jungle dawns, are these in addition to the 4 LED T8s?

 

[Panthro413]

Had me confused, your post reads "lightning"

 

[Longhorn1234]

Hahahaha I didn't realize until now that you pointed that out. I double checked my text but didn't even think about checking the title name

 

[jamest0o0]

Jungle dawns are LEDs. I wouldn't bother with t8's in your set up. Get an Arcadia or similar t5ho quad fixture. Use that, 2 basking spots, and 2 jungle dawn(if you have the $ to put up lol be ready for $$$). Lighting is always an expensive aspect

 

[Longhorn1234]

Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to drop some serious cash in this project haha. I mean, right now I'm just planning and trying to figure everything out before I decide to start. It might take a while lol.
I'll check out those quad fixtures and jungle dawns.
So why do you think two basking spots are necessary? Just wondering

 

[nightanole]

Depending on where the cham hangs out, i would go with 2 44" fixtures with chrome reflectors, that will give you about 6x more light vs 4 48" T8's with white reflectors. If you go with a quad fixture, you will get 33% less light. You would run 2 6500k bulbs, and 2 UV bulbs. In my 7 foot tall setup, the bulbs are hanging about a foot down into the tank. The chams hang out branches are 28" away from the bulb, and i get a perfect UV amount using the 6% bulbs. However if your cham hangs out 4 feet away, or its very dense, you may need the 12% to get enough uv at the hang out spot.

 

[Longhorn1234]

@nightanole thanks for that detailed response. I was wondering what brand are your light fixtures? And just making sure but the fixtures you have are for T5s right?
Also I should of mentioned but I plan on having the light fixtures on top of the cage. That's why I mentioned the use of aluminum screening. Would that still be okay?

 

[jamest0o0]

Are you saying 2 dual fixtures verse 1 quad?

 

[nightanole]

@nightanole thanks for that detailed response. I was wondering what brand are your light fixtures? And just making sure but the fixtures you have are for T5s right?
Also I should of mentioned but I plan on having the light fixtures on top of the cage. That's why I mentioned the use of aluminum screening. Would that still be okay?

metal screening, whatever flavor of metal you want.

Yes i run T5 HO's, i ether run todds (light your reptiles) or zoomeds aquarium hoods. Todds prices can not be beat for a light/hood combo, its almost like you are buying the hood and getting the lights for free.

For the very tall tanks, you can also go with the Sunblaster NanoTech's since their reflectors are narrow beam.

 

[nightanole]

Are you saying 2 dual fixtures verse 1 quad?

You get diminishing returns as you add lights to a fixture because they dont have individual reflectors. So a dual bulb only puts out like 166% of what a single bulb puts out, and a quad fixture only puts out 250% of what a single puts out. You can double check my numbers, but they are close. Venutus1 (todd) has posted the exact math in the past.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I'd use your T8 fixtures for all LED retrofits and just grab a mercury vapor bulb. If you need more specific information, regarding wattage and such, you can PM me.

 

[jamest0o0]

@nightanole okay gotcha, was thinking that would make sense, but just wasn't sure. Thanks

@Extensionofgreen I know you like the t8's I have yet to use them so I couldn't speak for them. Just thought a veiled might enjoy the added heat from t5ho

 

[Extensionofgreen]

@jamest0o0 , absolutely T5s are appropriate, here, but it is more cost conscious and will do more for the plants and cut down on electricity use, humidity reduction, and it will be better to keep things cooler. It depends on the OP's environment. T5's generate a lot of heat and the spectrum degrades over time. LED retrofits last true to spectrum until the bulbs die and run very much cooler, with less energy consumption. If you were keeping in a cold, damp, basement, than T5s would give you more overall heat and not dry the air out too much. Buying fixtures for T5s, when he already has T8 fixtures costs more than buying MV bulbs and porcelain/ceramic dome fixtures for them.
You are not wrong, I'm just saying that there is more than one good option in this case and that's a great thing to have, but only if the OP knows the options and can weigh the pros and cons.