ashton0845
Avid Member
That looks awesome!
Ripley’s New Digs
- Thread starter Zilla23
- Start date
Clayton0520
Avid Member
Very sweet set up!! Some day I’d love to try a bioactive set up. Good job on the whole set up it’s very impressive.
Looks fantastic. What UVB bulb are you running?
Zilla23
Established Member
Arcadia 12%, I emailed Todd at LightYourReptiles and gave him all the details and dimensions on my set up and this is what he recommended, he also recommended the Jungle Dawn spotlight I have down near the bottom for my plants on the lower
May I ask what distance your basking branch is from the screen top? Did he tell you to use the legs?
Zilla23
Established Member
Todd included the legs in the box, he didn't specifically tell me to use them, but I felt that the temp would get too high if I sat the fixture right on top of the screen, his main basking branch is about 8" from the top of the enclosure, his basking bulb is on a stand that is then another 8" from the top of the screen, so total of about 16" between him and the actual bulb, he has another vine that is a tad higher because for some reason he likes to be hotter sometimes. I have two temp probes as well as a laser temp gun that I frequently measure temps to make sure they aren't too high. The quad fixture is more toward the front of the enclosure so he is only directly underneath it when he is on the main basking branch. I questioned Todd about the 12% with a Panther because I had heard things about damage to their eyes. He assured me that it was the best choice for the size enclosure and the fact that I have so many plants. Ripley does tend to spend quite a bit of time in the middle and lower part of his enclosure since I upgraded the size. He loves the Jungle Dawn spotlight and will actually sit in front of it, I wasn't real hip about that because I worried that it was too bright for his little eyes but don't really know how to remedy that, except maybe constructing some cool custom made cham sunglasses
No I think the 12% is fine. It is using it with the legs that I was concerned about. So I have the quad unit as well with the 12%. Make sure the UVB bulb is in the farthest position away from the front of the cage. This way it will push the uvb more across the middle of the enclosure. IF it is positioned forward you are losing UVB due to the positioning of the whole thing being toward the front of the cage.Todd included the legs in the box, he didn't specifically tell me to use them, but I felt that the temp would get too high if I sat the fixture right on top of the screen, his main basking branch is about 8" from the top of the enclosure, his basking bulb is on a stand that is then another 8" from the top of the screen, so total of about 16" between him and the actual bulb, he has another vine that is a tad higher because for some reason he likes to be hotter sometimes. I have two temp probes as well as a laser temp gun that I frequently measure temps to make sure they aren't too high. The quad fixture is more toward the front of the enclosure so he is only directly underneath it when he is on the main basking branch. I questioned Todd about the 12% with a Panther because I had heard things about damage to their eyes. He assured me that it was the best choice for the size enclosure and the fact that I have so many plants. Ripley does tend to spend quite a bit of time in the middle and lower part of his enclosure since I upgraded the size. He loves the Jungle Dawn spotlight and will actually sit in front of it, I wasn't real hip about that because I worried that it was too bright for his little eyes but don't really know how to remedy that, except maybe constructing some cool custom made cham sunglasses
So you get about a 3 inch rise or so with those legs and if your basking branch is 8 inches down then you will have a distance of 11inches...
This is the only reason why I spoke up So here are my readings with a solarmeter. I would take the legs off the fixture. at 11 inches your gonna be at only a 1UVI level. Panthers are normally somewhere between the 2.5-3.5UVI level depending on who you ask.
Measurement is from screen down and the UVI level that coordinates with it. With a quad T5HO fixture and a 12% Arcadia UVB bulb on a Dragon Strand Enclosure.…
3 inches = 4.5 UVI
4 inches = 3.8 UVI
5 inches = 3.0 UVI
6 inches = 2.5 UVI
7 inches = 2.1 UVI
8 inches = 1.8 UVI
9 inches = 1.4 UVI
10 inches = 1.2 UVI
11 inches = 1.0 UVI
12 inches = 0.8 UVI
15 inches = 0.01 UVI to nothing
Zilla23
Established Member
THANK YOU!!!, I wish I could afford a Soloarmeter! I will take the legs off. I think the UVB is the farthest back but I will check, I had it toward the front of the cage because if it is further back it blocks his basking lamp
Not a problem hun. I learned the hard way with the legs lol. I liked it lifted as well. Plus it reduced the heat output from the T5. Ran it that way for two weeks before I got my solarmeter. About had a heart attack when it came in and I took measurements. The other thing you will account for is how high his back raises off the branch. So if your branch is at 8 inches and he is raised another inch then his back is in the 7 inch UVI measurement. Which should be good because he is younger.
I think you are fine leaving the fixture more toward the front as long as you make sure the uvb is positioned correctly in that back position.
