# Halogen light bulbs ?



## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

Ok, I have been out of the reptile keeping game for a good few years now and when I last kept lizards halogen bulbs etc weren't used. They seem like a good option however.

My question is Can I use a normal household d halogen bulb for a lizard vivarium and if so would I buy the normal wattage ? I am looking at using a 100W normal spotlight bulb so what strength wattage would I need in halogen form ? are there any risks with using them ? thanks


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## Dan12345 (Sep 5, 2012)

I was after a answer to this question not so long back. After doing a bit research I found generally you can get away with a wattage lower using a halogen (ie if your using a 100w normal then a 75w halogen should be adequate). I did find a website which gave you a guide much to this but I can't remember it. 

My reptile room is very warm and I also use 100w like yourself so my plan was to see how the temps were using 50w Halogens as at the moment I find 100w's slightly a waste.


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## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

are those standard household halogen buklbs you use or reptile specific ? Is there a difference ? I always used normal spotlight bulbs before. thanks for your response


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## Marc2013 (Aug 5, 2013)

Asda website link below gives wattages and equivalents.

I use there bulbs and seem to last well.

Sites-ASDA-Site


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## StuOwen86 (Nov 12, 2012)

I use normal spotlight bulbs from B&Q or Tesco etc and was using Halogen spotlights I had a 42w Halogen in place of a 60w normal spot bulb but bought a few 60w normal spotlights the other day as they had an offer on. Only bought one reptile specific one and that's when I first started out now I don't pay the extra lol just buy normal ones

Stu


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## Marc2013 (Aug 5, 2013)

Same here, Only reptile bulbs i buy is ceramic bulbs which is for nightime heat and i buy the odd infrared bulb again just for viewing purposes but they get turned off and mainly use ceramics.


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## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

Thanks guys


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## jarich (Mar 23, 2012)

What lizard is it for? The wattage will be determined on what temperature you are looking to get to. As noted above, the halogen puts out a lot more heat, more efficiently, so you dont need as high a wattage as a normal incandescent household bulb. The reptile ones are exactly the same thing, just with fancier packaging, so dont bother paying the extra for them.


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## ToothlessSav (Aug 5, 2013)

As already stated, halogen floods direct their heat downwards, which makes for a very efficient heat source. This usually means you need less wattage than the usual reptile brand bulbs. They are also great for reptiles that need a higher humidity since the lower wattage does not dry out the air as much. 

I recommend staying away from the cheap halogen's though. I have found they burn out easily, whereas if you spend a bit more on one, they last for quite some time. 

Wattage needed depends on the room temp, enclosure size, ambient temps desired in the enclosure, basking temp requirements, and humidity needed.


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## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

Thanks for your thoughts guys. will maybe get a 50and a 75 or so and see what the.temps hold like


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## David V (Jan 3, 2009)

Use halogen floods not spots. Spots can burn the reptile due to all the heat being focused in a very small area whereas a flood spreads the heat over a large area.


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## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

Got it ! Would a flood still allow for the different temperatures at each end ?


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## jarich (Mar 23, 2012)

Yep, just stay with the lower wattages


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## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

Ok, sorry to revive this thread but having looked into the halogen bulbs I have found myself even more confused. In the end I figured I would buy a reptile one to start with so I can see what it is I'm looking for, so I got one. The description said that a 50w one would be the equivalent of a 75-100w normal bulb so this is what I went with, so far I am testing the temperatures and the highest it has gone is Hot end 80 and cool end 74 , so clearly I need one slightly higher.

Having already wasted money on a reptile bulb that seems to not be hot enough can someone please direct me to (or show an example of ) a normal halogen bulb that is probably 70-75w that will be suitable. 

If I type in 'flood' then all I get is full on floodlights and have been told that spotlights aren't suitable. so am having trouble figuring out which I should be looking at.

Thanks guys need to get this sorted as my new addition is coming home tomorrow


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## Dan12345 (Sep 5, 2012)

I can't really understand those results mate, even with a 40w Incandescent bulb in a 2ft tall tank I get 95+ on the basking spot.

There must be either a fault with the bulb or possibly a thermostat problem?


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## jarich (Mar 23, 2012)

Can you post a picture of your enclosure? Seems like you might have a problem with how you are mounting the bulb and your basking spot. You can likely move your basking spot up closer to the light to increase your temps. 

Also, here is an example of a halogen flood, though this is a 100 Watt. You want this, just in the lower wattage. (Pretty sure you can find them cheaper, I just did a quick search to show you the type of bulb you want.)

Lamp, Halogen, Par 38, 100w, Flood, Es: Amazon.co.uk: Lighting


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## StuOwen86 (Nov 12, 2012)

My viv is 4.5/2/2 feet and I use a 60w Phillips Reflector Spotlight and I get 114-118 on my basking spot and down to about 82-85 at the cool end hot end stays around 94-97. I tested a 75w and the basking spot was up at high 120's so never went with that and a 40w would just manage to get to 103-105 (all tested with no beardie in the viv for obvious health and safety reasons lol)

So I bought 40, 60, 75 and tested them the 100w is still gathering dust in the drawer lol never had a need for anything more than the 60w even in the colder winter days and was amazed at the difference in temps that I got through the wattages.

Stu


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

There's something wrong with that reading, either bulb issues (unlikely), stat or thermometer issues. There's a deal on eBay at the moment, half price for some wicked 50w par30 halogen floods, I couldn't resist. here's the link. Absolute bargain at £8 delivered for 5 of them. 

And here they are in action.... The beam looks tight but in actual fact there's a 'hotspot' but then it spreads nicely. Where one of the rankins is chilling on that ledge she's just in the spread. One of these bulbs will be ample in a viv your size.


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## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

Thanks for the links. 
I have switched the halogen bulb for a normal 100w bulb and the temps are holding at around 80 in the cool end and 98 or so under the light (air temp) 
Im trying to attach a pic now. I am using an exo terra which is 3ft long and I know that glass + the mesh top will mean pumping more heat in than usual. 
I do have a fitting that is smaller which would position the bulb closer to the tank but it only holds upto 80w bulb (according to the manufacturer) so not sure that I should risk putting a 100w in it. Maybe a 75w halogen would work in it?

anyway heres the pic if it works -
20140128_184924_zps5cf1c9e3.jpg Photo by assassindali1 | Photobucket

I don't know how clear that is but the heat light is on the left over the branch


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## jarich (Mar 23, 2012)

You have a few choices I suppose. You could go with the 75 watt and the smaller fixture (which should bring it up more than enough). You could also build up the basking platform so that it can get closer to the light. You have that one branch, but you could get a higher one or build up rocks too. Rock has a tendency to absorb more of the heat too, so that might be a bonus for you with an open top enclosure.

The bigger problem I see is that UV light. If that is the exo terra you are referring to, then your dragon is not getting enough UV through that screen mesh. You will need to upgrade that quickly


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## Fizz (Jan 18, 2014)

Thanks yeah I think I will try the 75w halogen. I have just today moved the slate sheet from a built up position under the light because I was worried about it getting too hot. What do you guys think of this? would you go with wood for basking or slate ? or just a plain old rock lol. Ive just put andother inch of substrate in as I know these guys like to burrow and figured why not give more burrowing space. The tank is for a berber skink btw.

:2thumb:


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## tremerz97 (Nov 30, 2012)

a 50w par38 would do for a 4ft viv, i use an 80w for my tegu and it hits 140f


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