gecko viv construction ?'s

[vindicatedornot]

Ended up having to take out a brom. Couldn't fit the branches I wanted to in there with everything so had to choose what to leave.















What do y'all think?

-Andrea

[beckdg]

andrea... your project came out very nice! i love cresteds. imo they are some of the most beautiful geckos. one thing i would definitely change is your lighting though. reptiglow is for herps, not plants. specifically for herps that need uvb to assimilate vitamin d, calcium... a 10.0 bulb is for those who need it in the extremes. diurnal desert dwellers are the only ones who truly need that much and many of them inherit crepuscular habits much of the year to avoid the heat. that just means it's on the high side for many of them also. for your plants you are much better off going with something in the 6500k range. k=kelvin=color and full spectrum is your best option. if that fixture holds screw-ins then ge daylight from walmart is great. if you don't have a walmart handy then n:vision daylight should be handy at a local hardware store, home depot or lowes.

i honestly do think changing out those bulbs as soon as possible could prevent major burns or blindness in the near future for you little one.

also grapewood doesn't hold up to the elements too well. if it doesn't last too long for you i'd consider something else when you replace it.

[vindicatedornot]

Originally Posted by beckdg

for your plants you are much better off going with something in the 6500k range. k=kelvin=color and full spectrum is your best option. if that fixture holds screw-ins then ge daylight from walmart is great. if you don't have a walmart handy then n:vision daylight should be handy at a local hardware store, home depot or lowes.

i honestly do think changing out those bulbs as soon as possible could prevent major burns or blindness in the near future for you little one.

also grapewood doesn't hold up to the elements too well. if it doesn't last too long for you i'd consider something else when you replace it.

Thank you so much for the help! I've been asking around like crazy on that and never got an answer. I took off the reptiglo as soon as I read this. It's actually a 5.0 that was a mistake, but still not right. Do you know of an good (preferably less expensive) place to get the 6500k bulb? And would it use this fixture? I can go buy whatever I need, my gecko's health is more important that money to me. If it can be cheaper somewhere though, that'd be super.

[beckdg]

is that a screw in or a straight bulb? the 5.0 should be fairly harmless for the time being so long as it's not too close or there's not a great reflector behind it. anything higher should be used with caution. a 2.0 i know is actually a full spectrum bulb with a little bump in the uvb. if it is a screw in than you can get ge 6500k daylight bulbs at walmart or n:vision daylight at home depot.

i do not have any critters currently that require uvb and am unfamiliar with the pin arrangement on the straight tubes so therefore cannot advise on what bulbs would directly replace them. if they are t-8 or t-12 i can give you my opinions on a handful of bulbs though.

[vindicatedornot]

Hey again, thanks for your suggestions. I bought a new bulb (6500k daylight from walmart) and a little fixture for it. Much nicer light and the plants are loving it already. Thanks for your help!

[beckdg]

your welcome.