infrared heat lights

i was just wondering what the best infrared bulb is out there... i need infrared because it'll be hooked to my thermostat so it can go on and off anytime and won't throw the light cycle off.

i have two UTH and thats not even enough... friggin michigan... and i don't really want to use a ceramic heat bulb if i don't have to.

thanks

I just use a 75 watt infrared from ZooMed. We have a glass enclosure and the temp on the cool side would never go above 78. We tried setting the lamp to the thermostat that we use for the UTH, but we found it has better consistency being on all the time. Oh, the whole set up was bought at a pet store, and the lamp costs more than the clamp on dome.

You don't necessarily need infrared bulbs. You can get any red-colored or dark blue-colored bulb, neither of which will throw off the light cycle. As far as brand names, I would go with Zoo Med and Exo-Terra.

are you using it for night viewing or heat?

heat... i had one of those basking lights on the warm side that made it like 100+, so i put it on a dimmer and when it got to the right temp (92-93) i taped the knob on the dimmer so it didn't move. but this was on a timer and shut off at night, bout an hour after its off the temp is way low (78-80). so i figured a red light that gave heat i could leave on 24/7 and keep things consistent... i just bought a cheaper zoomed t-stat and its on the way, so untill them i just gotta keep checking things

Thats probably going to work best for you is getting that t-stat. Like i said, my uth is on the thermostat, and the infrared is on all the time, it keeps it steady for me. and sometimes it gets really cold in my room.
What kinda cover do you have on the cage? The one i have is tinfoil and duct tape. It makes a HUGE difference in the heat and humidity. Like 15 degrees difference.

haha in fact last night i just clean his tank out and decided while i was working i would cover the top. and i used... tinfoil and duct tape. usually i come home from class after being gone for 5 hours and have to mist, but today it was at a steady 57. i havn't noticed much with the heat, but my t-stat is in the mail so i'll have it soon.

You can get Red or Blue Bulbs at walamrt... They are less than half the cost of the ones made for reptiles and work just as good... Wattage will depend on the size of you enclosure.

I was using a dark blue party bulb from WM for a while for my Chondro. The light was blue, but it seemed really bright at night, and it was only 25w. I replaced it with a 60w black light bulb on a rheostat and it's almost completely dark. (I was also able to paint a bad*$$ blacklite reactive acrylic background on black posterboard for him). Are you sure those colored bulbs from WM are ok to use at night, without throwing the day/night cycle off? I think filyered glass would be a lot better to use than just the colored glass on thise party type bulbs. :confused: