What Light Kit Should I Go With?

[love_chariot]

Ok, so after my last post I read both of the books I bought and have planned things out a little more. I still have a few questions. I'm thinking of going pair of leucs or trio if possible in a 20 gal. Should I get a tall or a long 20 gal tank? or should I got vertical with these guys? I read that they climb on everything. Also I live in Phoenix so things are a bit warmer here and lighting is a real concern. Anyone have a recommendation on what lights/light kit I should go with. During the fall/winter/spring temp isn't a concern but summer I will probably have to go to a reverse cycle on lights so that the a/c costs don't skyrocket to keep things a cool temp. Also should lights be set on top of tank or hung above a safe distance?

[Philsuma]

I would buy an "Exoterro" or "Zoomed" brand enclosure. A "front opening" enclosure is a LOT easier for this hobby - unlike the "top opening" fish tanks.

Leucomelas are better suited to a "terrestrial" enclosure set up and not a "vertical" set up.

beginner-questions-and-comments-f27/horizontal-setup-ok-for-frogs-t5296.html

2 frogs or possible a third is a good choice. No worries there.

Get a suitable light fixture from Home depot, Lowe's or even Walmart. 6500 K bulbs - florescent tubes are better than compact bulbs. You want bulbs that do not generate a lot of excess heat, in your case. No worries on which type...there is no such thing as a recommended fixture or bulb as long as it's good enough light to keep plants alive. The frogs could care less.

I would suspend the light a few inches above the tank and buy a small clip fan and have it blow across the bulb - helping you cool the bulb heat. Anything over approx approx 80F is the Danger Zone. @ 75F is what you want to shoot for.

[love_chariot]

So if I went with the 18x18x18 zoomed would it be ok to go with their light kit for the 18 inch enclosure or still get a full size kit and use that?

[Philsuma]

that's a decent size enclosure....yes.

I dunno about the light and canopy....never owned or even seen one in action. Maybe someone here will chime in on how hot it gets. If you live near a pet store, maybe you can ask them to plug one in and check it out first hand.

[Judy S]

I've read the the LEDs are even cooler...

[RanaVenenosa]

I have exo terra hoods on my vivs. Using a digital temp gun here is some data to help you make your decision.

using single or double canopy did not make any difference in my temp readings.

23w CFL 6500k Lowes 2x$11 - temp at vent 120F

12w LED Screw in unit from LightYour Reptiles 2x$50 - temp at vent 85F

Hoods rest flat on viv top w no under airflow

Light of LED is just as strong although its lumen rating is prob 40% less (its directional - more efficient)

I have a 20g that is setup w no frogs - did test and found CFL heat tank upper range 10F over ambient temp vs the LED which is approx 1-2F over ambient temp ( ie.. without light)

LED uses less energy and should outlast CFL by 3-4 years.

I pay a prem for LED to keep viv temps low as possible.

In the short time I have used these, I have noticed good growth from plants including broms. I am hesitant to say my Neo Zoe brom is showing some color change (red) - its slight but it is there. I need more time to vouch these work for high light requirement plants.

I am not an expert on lights - just sharing my experience and observations. Hopefully someone more knowledgable may be able to elaborate.

[Judy S]

So it looks like the LEDs are the best choice all 'round???

[Philsuma]

Best choice all round for me was $19.00 Wally Mart shop lights as they were cheap and I needed like 24 of them....

Cheaper is still good and Lowes, Home Depot ect have some inexpensive fixtures that are very suitable for our purposes.

[love_chariot]

With the led light you just went with the standard zoomed hood and used one led bulb? I think for the nine nice months here I can start with the cheaper fluorescent then summer switch to led to decrease temp. Anyone in a hot climate with tips on keeping vivs cool when it gets hot. With salt water tanks had to use a chiller is there a cool pad or some tech to help? Thanks everyone for all the suggestions.

[Philsuma]

Here's a Sponser here, for all your lighting needs. They have the kits and fixtures and LED's

http://lightyourreptiles.com/

[RanaVenenosa]

For my vert tanks I ended up using one bulb - the 10g has 1@ 12w LED - the 29v has 15w LED (fyi the 14/15w runs about 4-5F hotter than the 12w version) - For my Exo Terra i swapped the 12w for 14w so it now uses 2 @ 14w (just bought these from lightyourreptiles). On the exo terra I also did an experiment last few days. I went to Lowes and bought some PVC 1" couplers to use as "Feet" under the exo terra hood. Raised the hood higher to get airflow under it and now temp at vent is 79.8F (without feet its approx 86F). The impact on the viv itself drops temp at top 2" from 80.1F down to 79.2 - keep in mind that temp reading where frogs are is 77.1 to 78.5.

side note: I could use 2 lights on my 29v but my higher light plants are near top of viv. I prefer darker understory so frogs have options of where to hang out.

If you have to light several tanks I would research more and consider the solution recommended by Phil. If you only have a few vivs (esp if vert style or exo terra) and you want quick solution, the LED setup I use is nice and does the job.

[love_chariot]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I bought a 18x18x24 at the tuscon reptile show which will now be my main viv. It came with two exo terra canopies that have 2 cfl bulbs in. The temp is pretty minimal but with the hot weather here I still had to lift them off the tank to cool it to a comfortable temp. Since things should be cooling down before I get my frogs, temp wont be as big a deal. Once next summer comes around though I will experiment with LEDs on my viv to keep things as cool as possible. Thanks for all the help.

[RanaVenenosa]

What was the temp inside the viv? upper and lower? What CFL rating? Is your viv using a screen top, or did you drop in section of glass/plex?

[love_chariot]

Let me first state nothing but plants is currently inside. The temp is usually right around 78-80 but the reason I lifted the lights off was I noticed during a hot day here (104 degrees) that is got up to 84 which is just too hot (This was the second day I had it and was still figuring things out). Don't know CFL rating offhand but its the bulbs I got from the breeder so I will check tonight. The tops is glass. Now with the lights raised a few inches up it comfortably sits at 78-80 all day and the plants seem for the most part to be doing well. I measure the temp in the lower section since I figure that is mostly where the frogs will be. I'm still playing around with things to make sure everything is safe for frog introduction which won't happen for two months.

[Philsuma]

buy a small clip fan from linens and things or walmart for like, $10.00. A fan blowing across the light fixture can knock down the temp as much as 3-5 degrees.

http://www.google.com/#ds=pr&pq=clip+fa ... 80&bih=636

[Venutus1]

Let me first state nothing but plants is currently inside. The temp is usually right around 78-80 but the reason I lifted the lights off was I noticed during a hot day here (104 degrees) that is got up to 84 which is just too hot (This was the second day I had it and was still figuring things out). Don't know CFL rating offhand but its the bulbs I got from the breeder so I will check tonight. The tops is glass. Now with the lights raised a few inches up it comfortably sits at 78-80 all day and the plants seem for the most part to be doing well. I measure the temp in the lower section since I figure that is mostly where the frogs will be. I'm still playing around with things to make sure everything is safe for frog introduction which won't happen for two months.

Hi Love_ Chariot...

You may want to switch to LEDs, or part LEDs part CFL to keep your heat under control and SAVE on your electric bill.

BTW... and I know someone real nice, honest and knowledgeable who sells them. :wink: :wink:

The LEDs just screw right in to regular sockets. Easy as pie.. and they grow plants real well.

PM me if you need more info. :roll:

Best of luck with your set up!
Todd

PS what are you looking at for frogs?
In a few mo. I am going to have some beautiful R. variabilis ready. If you are looking for some nice thumbnails.

[RanaVenenosa]

Let me first state nothing but plants is currently inside. The temp is usually right around 78-80 but the reason I lifted the lights off was I noticed during a hot day here (104 degrees) that is got up to 84 which is just too hot (This was the second day I had it and was still figuring things out). Don't know CFL rating offhand but its the bulbs I got from the breeder so I will check tonight. The tops is glass. Now with the lights raised a few inches up it comfortably sits at 78-80 all day and the plants seem for the most part to be doing well. I measure the temp in the lower section since I figure that is mostly where the frogs will be. I'm still playing around with things to make sure everything is safe for frog introduction which won't happen for two months.

Make sure to measure the top 30% - it can jump a few degrees - although you may never see it, the extra heat can stress your frogs and weaken their immunity. Its usually a combination of subtle things that can quickly add up resulting in lost frogs. Glad to hear you are working out kinks and learning your viv before you add frogs.

I would recommend you pick up the LEDs - the extra money to keep heat down is like insurance on your Frogs health. The fan is also great addition for very low cost.

Take Care

[Venutus1]

These fans are neat and can be velcro-ed to blow air over lights/ pointed to blow air over glass under lights...
I just got some and like them. They are handy.
Without the "snorkle" end on them, they blow even more air.

27.99

[RanaVenenosa]

Very clever product! I had not seen this before. I will get one and try it out. Thanks Todd!

[love_chariot]

Alright Todd, I took your advice and ordered 4 of the 12 watt LED's for my viv. Since I'm having to store it at a friend's til I move at the end of october I need to keep it as cool as possible. They are crazy people and keep their house around 80 meaning my tank with the CFL's is 80+. Just to repeat, nothing is in the tank except plants, so no frogs are stressing, just me. The plants seem to be doing fine being a little warmer, but I don't want to take any risks. That tank fan is awesome but I may just use a target bought cyclone fan for now til I get things moved and into a permanent set up. Thanks everyone for your advice. Will let you know how everything goes.