Little scare

[Marrissa]

I checked on his temps and humidity this morning and was gone most of the day with school and work. I came home and asked my stepmom if she wanted to see his freshly shed awesomeness (his first shed with me and it was all in one piece yay). He was hiding in his cool side hide and when I picked him up he felt ice cold. I took my temp gun to him and he was reading at 76F. So I was like WTF. His heat lamp bulb had burned out. I've had him for nearly two months. I've never ran a bulb 24/7 before but I didn't think it'd burn out that quickly. Thankfully I got home from class in time to run to Petsmart right before they closed and picked up a new one. I got infrared this time and this one seems to heat a lot better.

I asked my dad and/or stepmom to hold him for me while I ran to the store. By the time I came back he was reading at a toasty 89F. lol We call my dad the portable space heater.

I'm going to see how it does over the next day but I'll probably pick up another one just for backup. I'm just glad Allure is ok. Poor little guy. I was wondering why he was on the cool side hide during the ambient temp drop, when he has his hot side one. Well he took a mondo dump and a urates in there so that explains it.

[martin82531]

Maybe try a CHE bulb? They are a little more expensive but are suppose to much longer.

Glad you family member is ok though.


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[KMG]

Always have a spare of the item you choose to heat your tanks. When I have a bulb burn out I replace it with my spare and then buy a new spare. It's a real pain when something burns out after hours on a holiday. Even if you go with a che you need a spare bulb or che.

A che will last longer. I have one that has been going since June. However they are not to be used with a regular heat fixture. Using a regular dome fixture causes the heat to back up and cook the che which drastically shortens the life of one. This is what is meant to be used with a che. Both stores have them and they are around $20.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Wire-C...+light+fixture

Another thing to think about is how you use your heat source. If you only turn it on when its cool or just alittle bit now and then the che might not be your best choice. They take awhile to heat up and cool down. They do not start heating as fast as a bulb and are really meant for steady use.

Martin, it would be better to give the op more info about a suggestion like this. Without explaining it more you could waste the op's time and money on something that may not be right for the situation. I like che but I still run some setups with bulbs because they are just not right for every heating situation.

[martin82531]

Always have a spare of the item you choose to heat your tanks. When I have a bulb burn out I replace it with my spare and then buy a new spare. It's a real pain when something burns out after hours on a holiday. Even if you go with a che you need a spare bulb or che.

A che will last longer. I have one that has been going since June. However they are not to be used with a regular heat fixture. Using a regular dome fixture causes the heat to back up and cook the che which drastically shortens the life of one. This is what is meant to be used with a che. Both stores have them and they are around $20.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Wire-C...+light+fixture

Another thing to think about is how you use your heat source. If you only turn it on when its cool or just alittle bit now and then the che might not be your best choice. They take awhile to heat up and cool down. They do not start heating as fast as a bulb and are really meant for steady use.

Martin, it would be better to give the op more info about a suggestion like this. Without explaining it more you could waste the op's time and money on something that may not be right for the situation. I like che but I still run some setups with bulbs because they are just not right for every heating situation.

Interesting - I have never heard of heat backup with a CHE bulb. I was under the impression as long as the socket was made of ceramic this would be considered an appropriate dome to use with a CHE.

I took a closer look at my dome and it does have 3 holes towards the top, I assume to prevent excessive heat build up.

The suggestion I gave was based on the OP's concern of the durability of the heat bulb they were using. You do bring up some good points about the fixture though, want to make sure you have a fixture that is designed for a CHE.


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[KMG]

Yea. The instruction book for the che says to models LF 10, 12, or 15. Your right the holes are the difference between these and the other fixtures. I suggested the wire one because it is the easiest to finds at the big box stores and usually the cheapest. We know how good the staff is at some stores so asking for the wire frame fixture will be much easier to find.

It's a good suggestion Martin.

[martin82531]

Yea. The instruction book for the che says to models LF 10, 12, or 15. Your right the holes are the difference between these and the other fixtures. I suggested the wire one because it is the easiest to finds at the big box stores and usually the cheapest. We know how good the staff is at some stores so asking for the wire frame fixture will be much easier to find.

It's a good suggestion Martin.

Do you find with a wire fixture it is harder to heat an enclosure since the heat is less concentrated verse a dome fixture?


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[KMG]

Not at all. The heat is actually directed from the flat area of the che directly away from it. You feel very little heat on the back side of the che. It directs the heat very well and does not flood the heat. It's kinda like the difference between a regular heat bulb and a basking bulb. I basking bulb and a che both have very directed beams of heat.