Exo Terra Lighting

[brp4e.]

if i replace one side of my exo terra top with some sort of glass and put the uvb hood on top of that will the lights still benefit plants even though theres like glass between the plants and the hood. Doesnt have to be glass that goes there just giving a general idea.

[Epiphile]

The plants will be fine if there's glass between them and the lamps.

[RecycledAgain]

I agree, the plants will be fine,,but the glass will block the uvb light waves. I point this out because it will be a waste of money having a 25$ uvb bulb over the glass section.

Dan

[RecycledAgain]

I apologize, I was thinking just frogs again and left out probably the most important part.. The glass will be blocking the uvb light from your animals as well.

[brp4e.]

oh then screw it, im getting a misting system from MistKing soon anyways so im not even going to bother since it will be misting for 5 mins every hour and that will keep the humidity up.

[Epiphile]

That's way more than is neccessary, in my opinion- I run my Mistking for a total of five minutes every day- two minuted in the morning, one minute midday and two more in the evening. The tank is positively sopping wet- it's amazing. You'll be surprised.

If I can ask something of an open question on the subject while we've got a thread going (I hope you don't mind)- has anyone ever used a lamp higher than the Exo-Terra-recommened wattage in one of those CFL hoods? I can't see why it wouldn't work, given that the lamps are self-ballasted, and I think it's more than coincidence that the maximum wattage rating is the highest rating you can get in one of their lamps.

[RecycledAgain]

That is a lot of water, even with the smaller nozzles. I apologize if I missed it brp4e, but can you point me to the thread that tells me about the animal and the enclosure set up ?

Originally Posted by Epiphile

If I can ask something of an open question on the subject while we've got a thread going (I hope you don't mind)- has anyone ever used a lamp higher than the Exo-Terra-recommened wattage in one of those CFL hoods? I can't see why it wouldn't work, given that the lamps are self-ballasted, and I think it's more than coincidence that the maximum wattage rating is the highest rating you can get in one of their lamps.

I have seen countless disclaimers on why a section of the hood is melted on Craig's list, but to be honest ..it seems to always be "used the wrong bulb" no real info on what wattage they used.

Dan

[brp4e.]

oh, then i guess my intervals will be shorter then, its just so that the moss and the other epiphytes that are going into my vivarium will remain constantly moist because im using ecoweb on the bottom of the tank which will have java moss on it and maybe a brom, then the manzanita wood and the rockwall will have broms and what not mounted onto them.

[Mikey8567]

The stated Max wattage is what the mfgr recommends based on the socket (what the lamp screws into) and the material that is in close proximity of the lamp. All too often people put a 100w bulb into lights that are rated up to 60w max. in doing so there is an increased chance of over heating and the chance of a fire due to the socket not being able to handle the increased amperage or the materials surrounding the bulb not being able to handle the heat. The only safe way is to use a CFL in a reg incandescent fixture. The CFL's are most of the time running at a third of the wattage that the reg bulb is. IE. 14W (CLF)= 60W (incandescent), 26W(CFL)=100W(incandescent). But always look at the heat being put out.

LOL Again I got into techie mode again. Sorry. Electrician By trade.