Good heat/light setup for cage??

[brad]

Well, as some of you guys know, I am getting ready to build Moe his new cage in 2 weeks and I have been looking at parts for his new cage.

The cage dimensions will be roughly 3feet wide, 6 feet long, and 7 feet tall.

I am thinking about getting these for the light/heat supply for the cage:

-T-rex 100 SB watt Mercury-Vapor light (I want the EB from reptileluv.com but they are out of stock)
- (2) 24" fluorescents for ambient light
- 48" fluorescent with a Mystic light bulb
- 250 watt ceramic heat emitter with 10" brooder lamp fixture
- possibly another basking lamp in there somewhere.

My questions are:

Am I going overboard with the 4' fluorescent and the mercury vapor light?

Will the 250 watt ceramic heat emitter be good enough for nighttime heat?

The cage is built based upon the Ultimate Iguana habitat found in the "Green Iguana, the ultimate owner's manual" book.

Thanks for any input.

[IguanaKing]

brad said:

Am I going overboard with the 4' fluorescent and the mercury vapor light?

Yup. You should use one or the other, but not both at the same time. If you decide on a pair of 4' Mystics, you'll need to supplement those with a pair of 4' regular tubes for visible light. The Mystic gives off very little visible light, so supplementation is absolutely essential to prevent eye damage. Also, with the Mystic, make sure that your ig cannot get any closer than 10 inches from it. The light fixture for it is a very important piece of the puzzle. For that, I recommend the Stainless Steel Finish model made by Lights of America. Every other fixture out there barely produces half the UVB output that this one does, and the others are actually quite a bit more expensive.

Will the 250 watt ceramic heat emitter be good enough for nighttime heat?

That should be just fine, but it depends on the room temps at night. If your home is normally in the low to mid 70's, then an additional heater actually isn't necessary at night.

[brad]

Thanks for the help on the UVB stuff, I think I may just stick with the fluorescent lights because that is what I am used to.... unless the mercury vapor lights are better for some reason.

Where can you buy that fluorescent light fixture that you posted about?

My apartment is kept pretty cool (around 68-70) in the winter, so a CHE is necessary.

[IguanaKing]

I bought my fixture at Lowes. It was $16.88. My new Mystics, which are here just to replace the old ones when they finally die (had them for about 16 months), are generating 320uW/cm^2 at 12", and over 200uW at 18". The old ones have been hovering at 115 for months now. I like the Mystic because it is so reliable, and it doesn't produce a dangerous amount of heat.

[brad]

Yeah, I have heard good things about the Mystic bulbs.

[prism_wolf]

I know a few people who use both types of bulbs to compliment each other...one being a rescuer. The merc vapor is the main source of UVB and in the cooler area they have the fl. bulbs. Just personal choice I suppose. I also used both for quite awhile...until the fl. tubes no longer emitted a decent number. It's a nice "shade" boost...:-)

[Yungair23]

I prefer the Mega Ray SB 160 wat at 18 inches. Never had a problem and the basking site is right at 95.
Yoda has slept peacefully at 60. But the house is normally in the 70's.

[prism_wolf]

yungair23 said:

I prefer the Mega Ray SB 160 wat at 18 inches. Never had a problem and the basking site is right at 95.
Yoda has slept peacefully at 60. But the house is normally in the 70's.

But what's your UVB emissions at 18"? This is my main concern...well...not so much of a concern as it is the whole point behind the EBs being the best choice for most iguana enclosures.

[brad]

I have the mercury vapor light and the 4' Mystic bulb setup (in the Lights of America SS fixture).... is it normal for the Mystic light to flash a bit?? It kinda looks like the northern lights inside the bulb... is this normal?

[brad]

brad said:

I have the mercury vapor light and the 4' Mystic bulb setup (in the Lights of America SS fixture).... is it normal for the Mystic light to flash a bit?? It kinda looks like the northern lights inside the bulb... is this normal?

Nevermind.... the flashing has subsided now after a few days.