# Dome for ceramic



## Rattler2000

Is there a dome holder suitable for a ceramic heat emitters or bulb that can be sat on the top of the mesh of an Exo terra viv? Failing that a black heat bulb? I just need a heat source for night time with no light. Thanks.


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## Meko

Any of them can. Like these - Exo Terra Light Dome Reflector Lamp | Swell Reptiles

pop the ceramic in and sit it on top.


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## my_shed

It's recommended to use a wire dome, as opposed to an enclosed reflector dome when you're heating with ceramic heat emitters. Reflector domes get extremely hot and can present a fire hazard.

Dave


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## Meko

even outside the viv? wouldn't a wire dome defeat the object as most of the heat would disperse through the open sides?


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## my_shed

Meko said:


> even outside the viv? wouldn't a wire dome defeat the object as most of the heat would disperse through the open sides?


Unfortunately yes, it does. But on the other hand, ceramics get incredibly hot, and enclosing them in a dome traps all that heat inside, the dome gets ridiculously hot and even one daft moment where someone puts a discarded envelope or similar on the viv and it hits the dome can cause a fire, personally I'd use a heat mat in an exo if I needed night time heat, or a red bulb if that wasn't practical.

Dave


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## Rattler2000

I'm really not keen on using a ceramic externally so I'm gonna get one of the black heat bulbs.


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## bev336

Ok, when it comes to reflectors, aluminium reflectors reflect almost 85% of longwave infra red heat, it is the third best reflector available. That means it does not absorb all the heat, and therefore although it does get hot, it is not anywhere near hot enough to cause a fire hazard. A flat type bulb will cause the reflector to get hotter than using a conical shape ceramic. The idea of a reflector is to reflect heat.

Aluminium reflectors have been used safely for years, both in domestic, agricultural and industrial applications.


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