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Post by brad on Feb 12, 2007 21:09:21 GMT -8
So, I have been dreaming about the new cage that I am designing for Moe because his adolescent cage is getting way to small and I wonder what options are out there for better light and heat control for an iguana cage.
I have been searching the net on and off for a few months to see if anyone has anything cool out there, but I have found nothing that does what I would like:
I find that Moe has a hard time adjusting to the "instant off" that occurs when all of his lights just shut off. He has fallen off his basking spot a few times after the lights go off while heading to his favorite sleeping ledge.
I was thinking that if I had a way to make it so that in the morning the lights would gradually turn on, getting brighter over the period of maybe 30 minutes and the same thing for the evenings, that he would better be able to know that it was bed time and that he better get comfortable before it was totally dark.
It would also be nice to have the same controller adjust the heating of the cage at night and during the day so that there would be a "normal curve" of temperature throughout the day.
So has anyone thought of this and/or seen anything like this before? I may contact a few friends that I know who are electrical engineers and see if I could pay them to design such a product for me.
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Post by MasterYoda on Feb 12, 2007 22:23:33 GMT -8
Hey brad go to aquariumpros.ca and check out their lighting stuff. I have a saltwater aquarium and I am getting ready to go full reef with it. The lighting requirements for reefs are way more advanced and demanding than iguanas believe it or not. a good lighting system for a reef tank could cost you up-wards of 500-600 and excellent one could run anywhere from 5,000-8,000 but thats neither here nor there. Anyways some looking around and check out some of the lighting systems do searches and such for automatic dimmers. See some corals will go into shock if bright lights turn on instantaneously And you have to have very bright lights for corals most people use 2 - 3 500 watt (and yes thats not a typo that is 500) metal halides over their tanks so some of the folks there have designed and use autodimmers. if you cant find anything register and look for AJ he is the guru of the sight and he can help you out. just explain to him what you are looking for.
Another thing you could consider even though this may take a lot of work to wire up properly is to get several lights of different outputs and put them in several different locations over the enclosure hook them up to different timers and have the last one to go off to be the dimmest and the furthest away from his sleeping area. make sure you do this in a sequence so that when one light goes off the others come on it will give an appearance of a natural sun up and sun set. and acclimate him to the changing lighting before bed.
hope this helps
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Post by prism_wolf on Feb 13, 2007 5:01:23 GMT -8
Hatfields cage is set on dimmers that help mimick the gradation of sunrise and sunset. I know the stuff is out there to find, I'm thinking maybe www.hephabitats.com might be the place to find out if anyone else has had any luck with a system like this. |
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Yungair23
Senior
My Best Friends An Iguana!
Posts: 209
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Post by Yungair23 on Feb 13, 2007 6:43:09 GMT -8
Do you manually shut off Moe's lights? This may be the reason she doesnt settle down for the night. I have a timer on my ig's lights. They go off everynight at the exact same time. The only time i switch it is when it becomes summer as the lights stay on 1-2 hrs longer. Thats for the whole summer. He also has veiw of outdoors all day. So he usually settles down about around the time of "dusk". Then his lights go off. They get use a routine. The outdoor light helps as like a watch for them. They see its getting dark outside so its going to get dark inside also. Just a thought..Also for you lighting/heating i suggest the Reptileuv.com lights..I tell everyone this ;D
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Post by Merlin on Feb 13, 2007 7:31:06 GMT -8
And that link is www.herphabitats.comAs suggested putting the lights on a timer will help since there will be a good solid routine. My ig knows exactly what time to go to bed |
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Post by brad on Feb 13, 2007 13:45:44 GMT -8
Moe's lights have always been on a timer.
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Post by brad on Feb 28, 2007 16:01:31 GMT -8
So in other words.... noone knows of a product that has these controls.
I basically want one controller for the cooling fans, lights, and for the heat emitter. I dont want to have to string together multiple timers and thermostats to run my new habitat if possible.
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Post by prism_wolf on Feb 28, 2007 17:17:10 GMT -8
You can't have one controller!! There are some power strips designed for multiple timer needing habitats. I would have to do some searching for one to show you what I mean. It has two timers built in on each end and regular outlets for things that run all the time. For a thermostat...you will need another do-hicky for that and/or one for the fan...however...the fan can run on that power strip. Just make sure your power strip and outlet is geared for the amount of watts that will be generated for all those electrical accessories. Fires can...and do...start do to too many devices plugged into one outlet...even if they are combined on one power strip.
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Post by brad on Feb 28, 2007 17:49:44 GMT -8
Yes, I know that there are wattage limits on residentail circuits as well as all power strips. Are these the power strips that you speak of? www.herpsupplies.com/product.cfm?id=ACL01691I am thinking of using one of those for the lights and for the heating and cooling fans, I plan on using this controller. www.herpsupplies.com/product.cfm?id=CTR-HTR-1I also want an additional heat lamp to come on for a few hours in the middle of the day to simulate a temperature gradient over the course of a normal day, thus requiring another timer for that light. I am now up to 3 timers and the thermostat, I was wondering if there was a better, more efficient way to achieve the same goals. |
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Post by IguanaKing on Feb 28, 2007 18:48:47 GMT -8
Brad, have you tried looking into X10 modules? You use your PC to program them for on-off cycles.
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Post by brad on Feb 28, 2007 19:42:38 GMT -8
Wow, no I havnt..... I just spent some time on their website and I would say that it is the most annoying and confusing site I think I have ever seen! It is very hard to find any information you are looking for.
It sounds like a good idea, but I am worried about the quality. Have you used this system before? It looks perfect, but I think it may be too good to be true.
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