Lighting

[Sylvia1]

My 3 hermanns & 2 leos are now getting bigger and i need to give them a new winter enclosure. I intend to buy a large rabbit run (i have cats and need an enclosed run to keep them out!) to put in my conservatory and will construct a solid floor with wood part way up the sides to stop them trying to get outside the run. I will line the base with pond liner and will use topsoil substrate and install a divider to separate the 2 species and would like to buy a combined heat uvb lamp to suspend over the two areas. Could you please recommend a suitable lamp setup for this? Many thanks.

[Ozric Jonathan]

Hi Sylvia. I think you will need to use separate lamps for each side although s lot depends on how big the enclosure is. Conservatories vary a great deal. Some can be really quite cool and may require a heat source in addition to a combined lamp. Others can get very warm when the sun shines. What is the total area of the enclosure?

[Sylvia1]

Hi thanks for that. The enclosure is probably going to be 5 foot by 4 foot but i am still calculating. I already have an oil-fired heater for the conservatory which supplements the main house heating so is always comfortably warm (the conservatory is always open to the main house).

[Ozric Jonathan]

Hi Sylvia. If it was me I would be thinking in terms of two combined uv and heat lamps of 160watts each with additional halogen lamps for extra heat. I don't think one lamp would cover both sides. For some reason I find the current combined lamps are not all that hot and you won't want them too low or there wouldn't be enough light in the winter. Is there some natural light through the Windows?

[Arcadiajohn]

The lack of area of emission from a combi type lamp makes this kind of idea almost impossible. The Arcadia D3 basking lamp has the very widest area of emission but that isnstill only 50 degrees.

You will need a stat controlled halogen on each table. Halogen is the most important inclusion with regard to energy saving! They get so hot so quick! So if you usually usena 100w spot a 50w halogen will do a better job and be on for a shorter timespan.

I then suggest that you use a high output T5 D3+ system to rpvide the extra light and UV required. Now we make these in an almost four foot length. So say you had your table split down the center. Place your pair of heat spots towards the internal divider, this would become your hot end. Then run a T5 and reflector along the table so that the centre of the lamp is in line with the centre of the table, this will give you a very energy efficient and potent lighting system

I hope that clear enough let me know if confused

John

[EJ]

In light (no pun intended) of current information that was posted on SW... I'd suggest using the fluorescent UVB bulbs and a ceramic heat emmiter. This would probably be less grief to you. I don't think the combined bulbs will ever be reliable.

(note... just read the above post)

Originally Posted by Sylvia1

My 3 hermanns & 2 leos are now getting bigger and i need to give them a new winter enclosure. I intend to buy a large rabbit run (i have cats and need an enclosed run to keep them out!) to put in my conservatory and will construct a solid floor with wood part way up the sides to stop them trying to get outside the run. I will line the base with pond liner and will use topsoil substrate and install a divider to separate the 2 species and would like to buy a combined heat uvb lamp to suspend over the two areas. Could you please recommend a suitable lamp setup for this? Many thanks.

[Sylvia1]

Thank you for your replies. I will search the net for best prices. (there is plenty of light coming into the conservatory having lots of glass & a semi-opaque roof and the heater is actually an electric oil-filled one and is very efficient).