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Old 19-10-2011, 04:11 PM   #1
Easter Bunny
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Default What should I use?

I need to keep my torts enclosure at bit warmer than it is at the moment and a bit brighter.
At the moment they have a 160 watt arcadia combined bulb which is great for the 32-34c temp they like.
One side of the enclosure is a bit dark and needs warming slightly so I have a ordinary 60watt bulb pointing in that direction. ( they seem to like it better)
Is there anything else I could use instead of the 60watt bulb that would brighten it up a bit more? I don't know anything about the strip lights or how they fit on etc. Do they give out a bit of heat aswell?

At night I'm using a infa red 60 watt bulb which is directed at their sleeping quarters. It seems to keep a temp of 15-18c ( I know that because I was up and down all night checking the temps, lol )


Thanks x
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Old 19-10-2011, 04:28 PM   #2
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Hi Lynne I believe you can get ceramic heat emitters for heating without light & there are different wattages. You would need a ceramic holder & a thermostat to stop it getting too hot.

As for the darkness you could add a low energy low wattage light bulb that you get from any supermarket. I got one of those cheap white bayonett clamp lamps (approx £3.50) from a local "sell everything!" type shop & used these two & it added a lot of light to the table, the torts perked up noticeably. I have no experience of strip lights but know they sell them fairly cheaply in Wilkinson.
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Old 19-10-2011, 04:53 PM   #3
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I'm 'naughty' and have a small heat mat under the substrate in the sleep area, theres a piece of cork bark over that area which holds in the humidity from spraying there. The torts love the warmth, its not hot but the soil feels warmer than the surrounding, if they get hot they move and they are far more active through the day, which I think is because they don';t get so cold at night. Anyway it works for me and my torts extra light is provided by ordinary bulbs in a desk lamp or anglepoise.
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Old 19-10-2011, 05:40 PM   #4
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A halogen bulb http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/for...ad.php?t=45501
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Old 19-10-2011, 05:53 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caledonia View Post
Call me dumb, no don't actually but is this what you mean? and what would I screw it into? As you can see I'm not very good with this technical stuff
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Old 20-10-2011, 12:16 PM   #6
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Lynne if you want more light than the ordinary 60watt bulb produces then a 100 watt halogen lamp might be ideal. These do produce quite a lot of heat as well as light and if you are using a 100watt lamp like this one:

http://www.thelightbulb.co.uk/produc...crew-cap-flood


then you do need a ceramic holder really. This adds to the cost but you then do have a really good source of extra light and heat. You can hang this at the height that produces the heat and light effect you want.

Those chaper ones that I posted the link to do work, but if your 60watt is not enough then you won't want them. You would want the 100watt.

My tortoises really like the light and warmth from halogen bulbs. And they can be perfect for giving a heat and light booster alongside combined lamps that are not hot enough on their own. It also means hyou could hang your combined lamp a bit higher and get a wider spread from it, but of course do want it low enough that the requived uv is being provided.
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Last edited by Ozric Jonathan; 20-10-2011 at 12:18 PM.
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Old 20-10-2011, 06:31 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozric Jonathan View Post
Lynne if you want more light than the ordinary 60watt bulb produces then a 100 watt halogen lamp might be ideal. These do produce quite a lot of heat as well as light and if you are using a 100watt lamp like this one:

http://www.thelightbulb.co.uk/produc...crew-cap-flood


then you do need a ceramic holder really. This adds to the cost but you then do have a really good source of extra light and heat. You can hang this at the height that produces the heat and light effect you want.

Those chaper ones that I posted the link to do work, but if your 60watt is not enough then you won't want them. You would want the 100watt.

My tortoises really like the light and warmth from halogen bulbs. And they can be perfect for giving a heat and light booster alongside combined lamps that are not hot enough on their own. It also means hyou could hang your combined lamp a bit higher and get a wider spread from it, but of course do want it low enough that the requived uv is being provided.

Thanks
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Old 23-10-2011, 06:30 PM   #8
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I would go with a 100w halogen or just normal basking bulb, that is if you arent considering a combined bulb for the heat and UV.
You could consider a small strip bulb which I usually recommend to people who need the light aspect upped a bit. The one I use is the Repti Glo 2.0%. Its mainly UVA that this gives out and provides full spectrum. The UVB is only 2.0% on this so it wont interfere with the combined bulbs UV output. As, its not double dosing.
But also Jon's suggestion is a good one. Halogens are very good for light and heat. And torts seem to love sitting under them! The only thing I find is that they are very bright and unless pointing downwards, they might be a little harsh on their eyes. And thats not to say a tort is gonna be staring at it all the time...I used to have them but did worry due to the angle my holder was at.
So yes for basking they would be brilliant, pointing downwards. Maybe go for a halogen flood rather than a spot to spread the light and heat about. The spots tend to be more focussed and condensed to one area.
And as always make sure the holder can take the wattage. Good luck, seems like you have quite a few great suggestions here to choose from! xx
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Old 27-10-2011, 02:08 AM   #9
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My Stars love the ceramic heat bulbs. 60W only good for small terarium, go for the 100W they give nice even heat no other heat needed and in the open table case overheating is not possible. This statement is for British keepers, I would not use ceramic heater in Florida
I use one in home made lampholder http://youtu.be/v26VeWCn-E0
It is running for almost a year now non stop I do not know why people 'dislike'. Other ceramic lamp in ExoTerra wire lamp holder, running 24/7. Temperatures under the hottest spot directly under the lamp never exceed 32- 34C.
I put the hide next to the heating area so that one sleeping den has fairly warm temperature, I also have a cooler hiding place they visit when they need.
Tortoises love to make pads under dark hot spots. If the get too hot they always retreat to the cooler hide which is always available.
Small heat strip in sleeping area I also use for coldest weeks, maybe if you do not want to leave powerful heat lamp overnight when it is not needed.
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Old 12-12-2011, 04:56 PM   #10
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In my old tortoise table I had a UV strip lamp and a basking bulb on top of the UV strip lamp. He used to rest under the UV strip lamp and in the basking area in front of the strip lamp and the bottom of the cage was just normal room temp.
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