Advice on lighting a 10 vert?

teenysidhe · #1 10-02-2011, 02:15 AM

Hello all! I've been preparing a viv for a phelsuma klemmeri, and I have everything ready with the exception of lights. I want to make sure I get the right wattage for my bulbs, and won't have to buy another if they don't heat the viv properly.

The tank is a 10 gallon vertical, and I'm planning to use a dome lamp with two sockets, one for UV and the other for additional heat. According to my reading a 5.0 UV bulb is what I should purchase, but I have no clue what kind of heat this will put out, so I don't know what wattage I should get for my heat bulb. 13? 26? I'm buying the bulbs online, so I'd rather get them together, instead of buying the UV bulb and testing it at home before buying the other.

If anyone can give me a suggestion, I would appreciate it. Thanks!

daggekko · #2 10-02-2011, 08:21 AM

Hey, it depends largely on how warm you keep the room your tank will be in. A 10 gallon is really small in the first place, so you have to avoid too much wattage or you'll cook the gecko. For a while I was using a 10 watt flourescent spiral bulb (not a tube-like what your wanting to use) and a 40 watt regular incandescent bulb. My room gets up around 84F during the day and about 74F at night currently. I built a rack for my tanks and now have 4 tanks in a row each with a 40 watt basking spot and I ran 2 48" fluorescent tubes over the row as well.

If you find a store in your area like a petsmart or petco you can go buy bulbs, try them out, and take them back

Just save your receipt and make sure the packaging is in good shape. Honestly I would do this before ordering bulbs online.

If you keep your room temperature lower like in the 70's, I would probably go with a 26w spiral and a 40w basking. I think this would be a good starting point. You might(depending on how high your basking spots are) need a 50w basking spot though.

teenysidhe · #3 10-02-2011, 02:21 PM

Thanks, daggekko. I'll try out the 26 UV and the 40 watt for basking and see how that works. My room temp is usually around 75, so that sounds like a good start.

BryanF · #4 10-02-2011, 06:20 PM

I thought I'd chime in with something possibly irrelevant...
If you're thinking of combining the Exo Terra 26-watt CFL with the Zoo Med combo fixture, be aware that the bulb will stick out a little past the dome. It's not a big deal if you plan on suspending the fixture, but if you rest it on your terrarium's top, it can cause the bulb/ballast to burn out. The 13-watt fits fine. I have no idea if other brands of 26-watt CFLs will fit, though.

teenysidhe · #5 10-02-2011, 08:45 PM

Thank you, Bryan! I'll see if I can find more info on other brands. Or get a hook thing to suspend it.

daggekko · #6 10-02-2011, 09:47 PM

Quote:

I thought I'd chime in with something possibly irrelevant...
If you're thinking of combining the Exo Terra 26-watt CFL with the Zoo Med combo fixture, be aware that the bulb will stick out a little past the dome. It's not a big deal if you plan on suspending the fixture, but if you rest it on your terrarium's top, it can cause the bulb/ballast to burn out. The 13-watt fits fine. I have no idea if other brands of 26-watt CFLs will fit, though.

That is actually a really good point. Thanks for getting that point out there.

rhino43grr · #7 10-03-2011, 02:49 PM

also if the bulbs are going to be sitting on top of glass the uv won't get through.

teenysidhe · #8 10-03-2011, 03:50 PM

No worries, the bulbs won't be on top of the glass. I removed the top panel of the tank and replaced it with mesh.

daggekko · #9 10-04-2011, 07:58 AM

Did you get in on some of that 10 gallon conversion in the DIY section?!?

teenysidhe · #10 10-05-2011, 12:42 AM

I did something similar, although I didn't have any glass or plexi cut. I used a Jungle Box conversion kit. I actually haven't finished the conversion, since I haven't attached the screen vent or upper half of the door yet, just the bottom glass section that holds in the substrate. I ran out of silicone, heh.