# Lighting for a 6ft viv?



## x_Living_Dead_Girl_x (Feb 16, 2009)

I'd like some advice from those who have large vivs please.
I'll be getting a 6'x2'x2' wooden viv very soon (made by Volly) as an upgrade for my adult beardie and I wanted to know if a 150w bulb on one side of the viv will be sufficient for heat? I imagine it's something I might need test out for myself, but I wanted to know what others have experienced with large vivs?


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Afraid the answer is probably no. Leastways in my experience, the minimum size heater to maintain decent ambient temps as well as a hot bvasking spot is a 250 watt cersamic, however for beardies I tended to go with a 200 ceramic and a 75 basking lamp, the ceramic on a pulse pro stat and the lamp on a dimming stat. I also made a little frame covered with ply so the bulb and heat emitter were closer to floor level and there was less heat up right at the top, because the top of the viv was hotter than ground level and it was a waste. Hope this helps

Dave


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

Hi,

Have a read of this http://www.arcadia-reptile.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/027_PRK_July12.pdf

For heat I must say I'm impressed with the habistat reptiradiator and the AHS ceramic stated fitting. In big vivs this is the kind of setup that I would use.

I woukd then use a 75w halogen in the daytime to provide a hot basking but energy efficient source.

Please let me know if you have any further issues

Good luck

John


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Good call John, didn'tt think about reptile radiators. Are they that good for big vivs though? Not arguing with you butgenuinely curious as I have a few big vivs and tend to stick with ceramic emitters as I never found the older radiators to be worth the time. But I'd be very interested to hear about your experiences with them.

Dave


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

I've only just discovered them and I must say I'm impressed! They are great for targeted over quite a large area.

Now in practice the AHS maybe more usable, you then just use a halogen heat lamp to top up. 

It's a more exact and cheaper way of providing heat,,,,until someone has a better idea of a product 

Honestly anything with a habistat badge on and you know your gonna get a great product that does what it says on the tin, and if it does go wrong it get fixed fast. Well that's what I find.

Thank God for T5 though in big vivs like this, far, far more useful

John


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## adamholtom85 (Nov 27, 2007)

Or you could use a tube heater on a pulse stat, that's what I use in my 6 foot vivs, plus I know a few people who use them in 8x4x4, much cheaper than a rep radiator

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/s/ref=is_box_?k=tube+heaters


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## MICKYP (Nov 27, 2010)

250w ceramic on a pulse and a full length uv 12% would be fine :2thumb:


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## x_Living_Dead_Girl_x (Feb 16, 2009)

Thanks for your advice guys, I really appreciate your replies!
I think I'm gonna go for the tubular heater on a pulse stat with a basking light on one side as normal. He won't be going in there until it's perfect obviously so I'll experiment with what works the best


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## my_shed (Jan 5, 2011)

Arcadiajohn said:


> I've only just discovered them and I must say I'm impressed! They are great for targeted over quite a large area.
> 
> Now in practice the AHS maybe more usable, you then just use a halogen heat lamp to top up.
> 
> ...


Bit more research leads me to believe you'd need a cvouple for a viv this size but I've got a couple of smaller vivs in the works so I'll give them a go, after all there's not many people to trust a recommendation from more  I'll put something up to let you all know how it goes

Dave


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## MICKYP (Nov 27, 2010)

x_Living_Dead_Girl_x said:


> Thanks for your advice guys, I really appreciate your replies!
> I think I'm gonna go for the tubular heater on a pulse stat with a basking light on one side as normal. He won't be going in there until it's perfect obviously so I'll experiment with what works the best


to be honest a 250w ceramic is plenty for a 6ft no need for a tube heater aswell bit over kill to be honest


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## x_Living_Dead_Girl_x (Feb 16, 2009)

MICKYP said:


> to be honest a 250w ceramic is plenty for a 6ft no need for a tube heater aswell bit over kill to be honest


I'm not using a ceramic heater and I don't feel a ceramic heater should ever be used instead of a light for a basking spot for beardies - they need something to mimic day light. He'll still be having a basking light and the tube heater will be used to make sure the temps are correct throughout the whole of the viv.


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## MICKYP (Nov 27, 2010)

x_Living_Dead_Girl_x said:


> I'm not using a ceramic heater and I don't feel a ceramic heater should ever be used instead of a light for a basking spot for beardies - they need something to mimic day light. He'll still be having a basking light and the tube heater will be used to make sure the temps are correct throughout the whole of the viv.


i know what you are saying but your 12% uv backed up with a reflector will give the right amount of lighting required


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm going for a 150w basking bulb and a second 60w halogen closer to the centre in my 6x2x2 The 150w bulb gives great temps alone in my 5x1.5x1.5 at the moment so I think that will be ample with the halogen as well. Both will be on dimming thermostats.


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## MICKYP (Nov 27, 2010)

tomcannon said:


> I'm going for a 150w basking bulb and a second 60w halogen closer to the centre in my 6x2x2 The 150w bulb gives great temps alone in my 5x1.5x1.5 at the moment so I think that will be ample with the halogen as well. Both will be on dimming thermostats.


the whole idea is to have a cool and a warm end i have a 6x2x2 with a 250w ceramic with a 12% uv in for my bosc, i have my burmese in a 6x2x2 with a 250w ceramic both on pulse stats both are around a foot in from one side and hit the temps fine :2thumb:just seems a bit daft to have 2 bulbs and 2 stats when one bulb and stat will do the same job im not having a go at anyone just stating a point if wrong please tell me


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

MICKYP said:


> the whole idea is to have a cool and a warm end i have a 6x2x2 with a 250w ceramic with a 12% uv in for my bosc, i have my burmese in a 6x2x2 with a 250w ceramic both on pulse stats both are around a foot in from one side and hit the temps fine :2thumb:just seems a bit daft to have 2 bulbs and 2 stats when one bulb and stat will do the same job im not having a go at anyone just stating a point if wrong please tell me


I know what the whole idea is. In my 5ft setup that I previously mentioned I have a basking spot of roughly 107, a hot side of roughly 90, and a cool side of roughly 80, right at the furthest point from the bulb. That is a perfect heat gradient for my beardie, therefore in a slightly larger viv, an added halogen to slightly increase ambient temps, when properly placed should be fine. Of course it will be monitored before hand to make any adjustments but I'm 99% sure I can find a perfect gradient once again.

I understand what your saying about is it necessary but I like the visual spot of light and heat and feel my beardie benefits from it too, he was on a ceramic when I first got him, granted he didn't have a t5 then either but the move from a ceramic emitter to a heat bulb made a big difference.


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