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Wattage requirements for 3 ft vivarium

slim08

slim08

New member
I currently rely on a 60W spot bulb for heating my vivarium. The only problem is night time heat as I don't want the bulb on all night.

The vivarium is largely wooden and I perfer not to use a UTH.

My question is this. What wattage would be necessary for a ceramic bulb to be able to heat a vivarium that is 36 x 18 x 18 inches?

One source has told me 60 watts would suffice, while another has suggested at least 150 watts.

Of course I am trying to minimize expense and would like to use my current equipment as much as I can. Apparently a 150w ceramic bulb would require a different guard, and any ceramic bulb would require a different holder and wiring.

I also wonder if my current holder and wiring are sufficient.

I also wonder if a 60 watt spot bulb would give off the same amount of heat as a 60 watt ceramic bulb. If so, I could simply swap.

Any insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I've searched all the forums for help on this and haven't found anything concretely useful.

Thanks.
 
Firstly there in no problem with using UTH on wooden vivariums I have three all fitted with heat mats. For a corn this is the way I suggest you go.

I you are determined to go with a ceramic bulb then I am currently using an 100w in a 2ft vivarium but this should be big enough to heat a 4ft vivarium. So I use a soup tin over the bulb to create a hot spot and create a temperature gradient. Now for ceramic bulbs you need a ceramic fitting and heat resistant cable. A normal guard should be alright.

Now a watt is the number of joules given off over a certain time so since a bulb will give of light energy a well as heat the ceramic bulb should run slightly hotter. This is just a guess and needs to be confirmed.

What ever heat source you use you should get a thermostat. For a heat mat you can get away with a mat stat. For a ceramic bulb a pulse stat is recommend and a dimmer stat should be used with a light bulb. These are essential especially with bulbs and ceramic bulbs which run a lot hotter than meat mats.
 
Thanks Shrimply for your reply.

How do you have your UTHs set up?

You make a good point about heat comparison between light bulbs and ceramic. The absence of light should indicate that more heat energy is given off.

I have a thermostat but I'm not sure if it's a pulse stat. Any way to tell?

If I swap the spot bulb for the ceramic I'll use my flourescent light for lighting on a timer.

Any suggestions for how I can tell if my holder is ceramic and my cords are heat resistant?

Thanks again.
 
UTHs I just Duck tape them to the inside of the vivarium.

What make of thermostat is it. The habistat ones I use tell you on them. Apart from that the light flashes.

A ceramic holder is made from ceramic. Hard and concrete like i suppose you could describe them. Heat resistant cable is thicker than the normal stuff. Even if you don't have it a good sized length doesn't cost that much from B&Q
 
It is a 'HabiStat - Dimming Thermostat'

I think it may be a pulse stat because as it is working, the light dims up and down rather than simply on and off.

If the snake digs down and rests directly on a UTH will it burn itself?

The cable seems quite thick - in comparison to the width of my other florescent light.

I've checked out the holder... it's either ceramic or very hard plastic. Can't tell I guess. Maybe if they were side by side I could tell the difference.

Thanks again for your help.
 
shrimply said:
UTHs I just Duck tape them to the inside of the vivarium.

What make of thermostat is it. The habistat ones I use tell you on them. Apart from that the light flashes.

A ceramic holder is made from ceramic. Hard and concrete like i suppose you could describe them. Heat resistant cable is thicker than the normal stuff. Even if you don't have it a good sized length doesn't cost that much from B&Q
Click to expand...

:bang: EEEK!!! You should NEVER use tape inside a vivarium! The UTH can be duct taped to the ouside bottom... :rolleyes:
 
Heat mats have to be taped inside wooden vivariums if they were on the bottom they heat would never get through. The tape is very strong and secure all the way round so there is no way for the snake to get underneath it. This is how it tells you to set it up on the instructions, my local shop had all its vivs set-up in this way and nearly everyone I have ever talked to that uses wooden vivs tapes them in.

You have a dimming thermostat which will work great with light bulbs or ceramic bulbs but not heat mats.

You snake can't burn its self on the UTH if it is thermostaticallt controlled.

Ceramic fittings are rougher to touch than smooth plastic.
 
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