Halogen Light

[WaterRaven]

Hey everyone,

I was doing some homework before I purchase my corn snake in the fall here, I was checking up on lighting and under the tank heaters... when I came across this thread:

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68761&highlight=lighting

I was reading in the book "Corn and Rat Snakes," by Philip Purser that an albino snake should not be exposed to UV light because of their lack of protective skin pigments, which in addition to the thread above got me thinking and I suppose all of this brought me to a couple of questions:

Would the UV rays be harmful to Amels as well?

And I have a halogen light, which according to GE (general electric) emitts some UV light, but only a tiny amount. Should I avoid it all together?

And lastly, I have a 25 gallon long tank for the yearling I'll be getting in the fall. What amount of Watt is appropriate for a tank that size?

Halogens emitt a lot of infared heat and it recommended that smaller wattage is best to avoid too much excessive heat from the halogen bulb.

Thanks so much!

 

[TrpnBils]

Probably the easiest thing to do is avoid the light if you're not entirely sure. Corns don't even need UV light (or anything beyond ambient light for that matter), so unless you're using the light for heat, I wouldn't worry about it.

I've read the same thing about UV and albino animals, and i posed a similar question to a bunch of big snake guys before I adopted my albino burmese a couple of years ago and they all pretty much told me that it wasn't as big of a deal as some people make it. The big danger is with the eyes and the theory goes that if they're exposed to too much UV light and have no dark pigment to absorb it, they'll go blind eventually. If that's the case, then I think amels would be at a similar risk because of their eye color.

However, I don't think it's something you really really need to worry about unless you plan on having your snake in direct sunlight for extended periods of time every day. That's a lot of UV...probably WAY more than your halogen light.

Since you said you're also looking at UTHs, here's what I'd do if I was in your situation:
Get the UTH and use that as your primary heat source. You want to avoid using a UTH and a heat lamp (which your halogen bulb sounds like it would be) at the same time because that's just way too much heat, especially in a 25 gallon aquarium. I'm very pro-UTH for a couple of reasons....
1) energy use: If you're using (for the sake of example), a 60 watt bulb, you could get the same amount of heat out of a UTH that only pulls about 15 watts. I just replaced a 100 watt heat lamp on one of my boas with a dog kennel floor heater for this very reason.
2) Lights really dry the air out. That's not so much of a problem with corns since they're not tropical, but it can become an issue in the winter and/or around shed time.
3) If you have a light on the viv for viewing purposes, it's going to be a white light, meaning you'll have to get either a second fixture and second nighttime heat bulb (red one), or get a second bulb and switch the bulbs every night and again in the morning. UTHs can be left on 24/7 and are a lot less of a pain in the butt.
4) Lights are just awkward especially if you're setting it on top of the viv. Where do you set the blazing hot lamp when you go to clean the cage or change the water? Hopefully you don't have anything flammable nearby. In my opinion, it's just one more thing to get in the way and fall on the floor.

If you do want to have a light for viewing (not heating) purposes, you'll want to get a light that doesn't emit a lot of heat. Under-counter lights do a pretty good job with this (like the 12 or 18" fluorescent tubes...not the LED type) and are pretty cheap.

Lastly, if you do decide you want a light for heat, wattage is going to depend on a lot of things besides the tank size. It will depend on how warm the room is, what time of year it is, whether it's going to going to catch a draft from a door/window, etc. But again, you shouldn't use a UTH and heat lamp at the same time. The best way is to guess (I'd say maybe a 40-60 watt depending on the conditions above) and set your tank up a few days or a week before you put the snake in it so you can be absolutely sure about the temps.

 

[WaterRaven]

Thank you so much

That was by far one of the best replies I've ever gotten. I really appreciate your time and input ^.=.^

I can save the light for a rainy day (I also foster wildlife which need heat lamps sometimes).

I will go with the UTH.

Thanks again

~Sarah