"Interesting" light positioning

[ThinkSta]

Hi All,

I'd value your opinions. I just had delivered a new "forever" viv for my ball python, Leo. It's a great viv in many respects, but I'm a little mystified about the position of the pre-installed jungle dawn light... See the picture.

This will be a bioactive and live planted viv that I'm planning to install a foam/Cork background in, so there could be opportunity to build/plant around the light.

Questions:
- is there any good reason for the light to be where it is rather than installed by the ceiling at the front rotated by 90 degrees so it faces back?
- could a jungle dawn LED harm a snake if it touched it or wrapped around it?
- would you recommend:
a) Moving it to another position
b) hiding it with some Cork etc placed in front
C) something else?

Thanks all!


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[Armiyana]

LEDs don't typically heat up very much... but depending on the output on that, you never know.
I would make sure to keep it on for a day and temp gun it at regular intervals to check if it's heating up. As long as it's not more than 95 degrees, I don't think it would be too much of a concern.

Obviously, being a planted tank, the worst it may do is stress out you snake if there aren't enough small dark places to hide.
So that would be the biggest priority before hiding the light fixture itself.

If you move the fixture, the cord may become an issue. Remember taping would be a big no no. Possibly silicone to keep the cord in place?

[redshepherd]

That's so weird that someone would install it like that and not just to the back wall LOL.

That would end up casting a sideways light on the whole enclosure instead of overhead and would just look super weird. I'd think it can harm the snake if it actually wraps around it for awhile, because LED's still get too hot for a snake... But I think a ball python would just lean up against it instead of actually wrapping it.

I'd just move the whole thing to the back wall so it faces the right way.

[Godzilla78]

LEDs don’t get hot

[redshepherd]

LEDs don’t get hot

Considering my LED bulbs still reach over 110 degrees, I think that's a little hot haha

[ScottS]

The light over my computer right now is an LED. The bulb itself is just plesantly warm, but the base is too hot to hold my hand on for any lwngth of time.

[FollowTheSun]

Please share photos of the finished project! My daughter (and the rest of the family helping) built a vivarium for her chameleon out of a curio cabinet. It turned out great but we had to learn about the plants and lights-- the basking lamp was too much for some of the plants and they wilted, even though we tried to place them far enough away to not get direct heat, and the UV light was not strong enough to reach a couple of them and they started to not do so well.

[redshepherd]

The light over my computer right now is an LED. The bulb itself is just plesantly warm, but the base is too hot to hold my hand on for any lwngth of time.

Not to mention that what feels "pleasantly warm" to a human hand means it is 100+ degrees.

[FollowTheSun]

I wanted to add that we bought a wire cage to go around the UV light in the chameleon vivariam so it won't burn him. Maybe you can do something similar with that lamp you have.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We have the basking lamp shining into one side of the enclosure, also to avoid direct contact.

[ThinkSta]

Thanks for the feedback all - very useful sense check!

The bulb stopped working so I have removed it and the bracket to return. I'll replace with something different and attach it above the doors lengthways and facing back, so at least it's out of the way and provides more even lighting for the plants.

I have attached a photo of the background work in progress. This needs more carving, then silicon and coco/bark covering. Hope it'll look ace when done and planted!


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