Heating Troubles

Ok, I did a little shopping earlier on and picked up a new white basking light and a ceramic heater. I have a few questions if anyone doesn't mind answering:

- Is it ok to put the ceramic heater in a dome clamp lamp as long as it can withstand the wattage?

- I tried putting the heater at a safe distance away from the top of the tank and the fluorescent bulb, but it doesn't seem to be heating the tank barely at all. The package said it was meant for 30-40 gallon tanks and Kota's is a 30. How close can I move it without worrying about fire?

-One more...Where should I put it in comparison with everything else? I have the fluor. bulb along the back and the basking on one side with a little hammock so she can bask. Shouldn't the basking and hotter side be essentially on the same side? Because I can't fit the basking light and the ceramic next to each other. Is it okay to put the bask on one side and the ceramic on the other?

Thanks for any and all help!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HadesBP18

- Is it ok to put the ceramic heater in a dome clamp lamp as long as it can withstand the wattage?

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yes, but sorry. i dont know much about bearded dragons so thats all i can answer.

1. No, CHE's get extremely hot and could cause a fire if put in a normal socket. You can get a ceramic based lamp at WalMart for around $7.


2. If it isn't getting warm enough, I would try a 40w flood lamp from WalMart also. It will easily get your basking temps to 110-115 degrees and your warm side in the 90's. If it alone doesn't keep your cool side around 80 or so, I would use the CHE on a dimmer. You can put the CHE lamp in the middle of the tank lid and hopefully that will keep everything in the correct ranges.

3. Yes, the basking and the warm side are on the same side, but are different temp ranges. You can use anything, branches, hammocks, basking ledges, to provide a basking spot.

Hope you get it sorted out!

they can go in the clamp lamps though, those are ceramic

True, but some aren't. The lamps with the black screw-in sockets are NOT ceramic and will overheat, causing a fire hazard. Use ONLY ceramic sockets for CHEs. Most of the ones you buy in a pet store are ceramic based, but as I buy mine at WalMart to save MOOLAH, LoL, there are two choices: normal based lamp and ceramic based. There is about a $2 difference in the price, as the normal is around $5 and the ceramic is around $7. The ones I am talking about are 8.5" industrial clamp lamps. You just have to make sure you get the correct one :)

I should take a picture of both to make sure everyone knows the difference. I'm sure ya'll do, but someone may come along and not know. It's always good to have a picture reference. :)

I have my basking light in the smaller metallic looking clamp and the ceramic heater I have in this really big black dome light that says it can withstand 200w of power. I regulated it all yesterday and it didn't eve get too hot on the outside.

My room gets really really cold in the winter and so Im trying to find ways to heat the tanks without the lights. Thats why Im trying to move the ceramic heater closer. But I can use the 40w floodlight for a basking?

Thanks for all your help everyone!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../heatsafe2.jpg

ceramic heaters aren't recommended for bearded dragons. a UVB and a basking light is all you need... i pick up a basking light at home depot - 100 watt light is all i use... and it does the trick nicely if your basking spot is 6-8" below ;)

hth,
aleesha

Unfortunately a UVB and basking light doesn't heat the tank properly. The ceramic heater I'm using now is working great and Kota is a lot more alert and active now that it is a bit warmer. If I didn't use it she's surely freeze.

really? where do you keep your enclosure?

are you putting your light above your tank? instead place the light on top of the tank and then the basking spot 6-8" under the light. this heats the tank very well (as your basking side and warm side are the same) and creates enough light for your dragon as well ;)

Yes, the fluorescent bulb is along the back and the basking is right on top of the screen. My room used to be an attic and we changed it to a room. Thus the insulation isn't that good. During the winter it gets very cold and during the summer it gets really hot. I try to keep all my reptiles in one area to keep them warm, but I have too many and I think being around all the snakes would stress her out.

actually my snake lives on top of my bearded dragon enclosure...

perhaps adding a heating pad on top of the enclosure would make a difference, sending heat down into the viv?