# How long does heat lamp take to turn on.



## Ella C (Apr 14, 2019)

Hi all!
So I'm setting up a 4x2x2 foot beardie tank, and I've just got all the electrical components in and on.
Anyway, I have a 150w ReptiZoo Moonlight Heat Bulb, as it doesn't create much light.
It's been in the tank and on for around an hour, however, the 'warm end' on the tank is only 5 degrees warmer than the cool end. There is also no basking spot.
Is this because it is a heat lamp, not a basking lamp?
Or does it just take ages to heat up?


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## TheRamiRocketMan (Apr 14, 2019)

You've bought a moonlight heat bulb, meant for night-loving reptiles (hence, moonlight). Return it and bring home a Basking lamp, something like this: https://www.amazon.com/customerpicks/Best-basking-lamps-for-reptiles/1ce095f8de27d4a79a7f
If you're unsure, the back of the container should tell you the temperatures.

Many here also use flood lights as basking lamps.

Make sure you have the correct UVB tube as well. It must but a 10.0 UVB tube for beardies, any weaker is no good.


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## Ella C (Apr 14, 2019)

TheRamiRocketMan said:


> You've bought a moonlight heat bulb, meant for night-loving reptiles (hence, moonlight). Return it and bring home a Basking lamp, something like this: https://www.amazon.com/customerpicks/Best-basking-lamps-for-reptiles/1ce095f8de27d4a79a7f
> Make sure you have the correct UVB tube as well. It must but a 10.0 UVB tube for beardies, any weaker is no good.


Yep, I've got 10.0 UVB tube.
I've got a spare 150w infrared basking lamp, this brought the tank up to a bit over 40 Celsius, however, I have an on-off thermostat, and I've read it's not good for bulbs..?


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## Bl69aze (Apr 14, 2019)

Ella C said:


> Yep, I've got 10.0 UVB tube.
> I've got a spare 150w infrared basking lamp, this brought the tank up to a bit over 40 Celsius, however, I have an on-off thermostat, and I've read it's not good for bulbs..?


Dimming thermostat is best for bulbs, as constant on-off I BELIEVE can cause it to shatter or die or something bad


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## Ella C (Apr 14, 2019)

Bl69aze said:


> Dimming thermostat is best for bulbs, as constant on-off I BELIEVE can cause it to shatter or die or something bad


Damn, this thermostat already cost quite a bit and those are really expensive.
Can a CHE work in a bulb cage?

Or should I simply get a lower watt bulb, as the problem is the heat increasing too rapidly?
If so, what wattage is required for a 4x2x2 foot tank?


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## dragonlover1 (Apr 14, 2019)

You've been sold a bunch of useless stuff you don't need. Pet shops see people like you coming from a mile away and their cash register starts smiling.Always ask on a specific reptile forum for specific advice,check out http://www.australianbeardies.net for Beardy advice.Don't ask on crackbook because it is full of crackpots!And know all, know nothings.
As ramrocket man said moonlight lamps are for nocturnal creatures, equally useless for you is infrared and CHE . What colour is the sun? it's a bright white light and this is what you need to replicate in your enclosure. 
I don't use thermostats (except for 1 in my incubator) all my enclosures are on timers, I simply check the weather forecast and adjust the timers to suit.You can get a cheap heat lamp from Bunnings, Philips make spot lamps in various wattages for about $7 a pair, much better value than pet shops and their $30-$50 globes.Depending on where you live you might need different size lamps ; I'm in Sydney and use 75-100W in my 4's, in summer it might only need 40W. Because I keep several species of dragon (plus pythons and lace monitors) I keep several size globes on hand and use 125W MVB in some of my bigger enclosures.


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## Ella C (Apr 14, 2019)

dragonlover1 said:


> You've been sold a bunch of useless stuff you don't need. Pet shops see people like you coming from a mile away and their cash register starts smiling.Always ask on a specific reptile forum for specific advice,check out http://www.australianbeardies.net for Beardy advice.Don't ask on crackbook because it is full of crackpots!And know all, know nothings.
> As ramrocket man said moonlight lamps are for nocturnal creatures, equally useless for you is infrared and CHE . What colour is the sun? it's a bright white light and this is what you need to replicate in your enclosure.
> I don't use thermostats (except for 1 in my incubator) all my enclosures are on timers, I simply check the weather forecast and adjust the timers to suit.You can get a cheap heat lamp from Bunnings, Philips make spot lamps in various wattages for about $7 a pair, much better value than pet shops and their $30-$50 globes.Depending on where you live you might need different size lamps ; I'm in Sydney and use 75-100W in my 4's, in summer it might only need 40W. Because I keep several species of dragon (plus pythons and lace monitors) I keep several size globes on hand and use 125W MVB in some of my bigger enclosures.


Ok, I'll make a trip down to Bunnings! 
Will the Philips spot lamp screw into a regular heat-lamp cage? 

I already had the infrared heat lamp on hand from previous medical needs, and the thermostat from a frog enclosure, so I really only wasted money on the moonlight bulb, which was $8 from a reptile expo. I can just give it to a friend who has geckos.


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## dragonlover1 (Apr 14, 2019)

yes , all screw in lamps labeled E27 will fit.


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## Ella C (Apr 15, 2019)

Would this produce enough heat from a 30cm distance? 
https://www.bunnings.com.au/philips-60w-clear-r63-spot-reflector-es-globe-2-pack_p4340913

Or would this suit better
https://www.bunnings.com.au/philips-60w-es-r80-clear-floodlight-reflector-globe_p4324296

I'm a bit confused as to how I figure out if they release enough heat for my beardie.
[doublepost=1555281994,1555280363][/doublepost]Update: I just found a spare brand-new 72watt reflector halogen by Mirabella. 
I mention on the side of the box that it produces lots of heat - would this work and save the hassle of going to bunnings??


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## Bl69aze (Apr 15, 2019)

Ella C said:


> Would this produce enough heat from a 30cm distance?
> https://www.bunnings.com.au/philips-60w-clear-r63-spot-reflector-es-globe-2-pack_p4340913
> 
> Or would this suit better
> ...



only way to know is by testing. my 75W CHE about 20-30cm from basking spot easily reaches 32 and beyond in hotter days, sits nicely at 30 in colder days without a thermostat


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## Ella C (Apr 15, 2019)

Bl69aze said:


> only way to know is by testing. my 75W CHE about 20-30cm from basking spot easily reaches 32 and beyond in hotter days, sits nicely at 30 in colder days without a thermostat


Ok, I've put it into the cage, I can definitely feel the heat coming off it, However, I'm not sure it will be enough to get 35+ celsius. I'll just wait and see.
[doublepost=1555285042,1555283310][/doublepost]Damn. It's not hot enough, I need it to be 35-45 Celsius, but it's only 32. Guess I'll go to bunnings...


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## Sdaji (Apr 15, 2019)

Ella C said:


> Ok, I've put it into the cage, I can definitely feel the heat coming off it, However, I'm not sure it will be enough to get 35+ celsius. I'll just wait and see.
> [doublepost=1555285042,1555283310][/doublepost]Damn. It's not hot enough, I need it to be 35-45 Celsius, but it's only 32. Guess I'll go to bunnings...



Try putting a piece of wood or a rock or something positioned under the lamp so the lizard can sit right close up to the light.

This also lets them carry out a natural behaviour. If you see wild bearded dragons trying to heat up they'll often be sitting up on a piece of wood (or up on a fence post etc).


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## Ella C (Apr 15, 2019)

Sdaji said:


> Try putting a piece of wood or a rock or something positioned under the lamp so the lizard can sit right close up to the light.
> 
> This also lets them carry out natural behaviour. If you see wild bearded dragons trying to heat up they'll often be sitting upon a piece of wood (or up on a fence post etc).


Hello! I tried this, but it still was too cold. I situated a goldvine branch to be within 25cm of the heat, but it still was only around 34 celsius, right under the lamp. I got a 100w same design, and it's STILL too cold. Max 36 right under the heat lamp, with *under* 30 celsius around the rest of the hot end.


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## Sdaji (Apr 15, 2019)

Ella C said:


> Hello! I tried this, but it still was too cold. I situated a goldvine branch to be within 25cm of the heat, but it still was only around 34 celsius, right under the lamp. I got a 100w same design, and it's STILL too cold. Max 36 right under the heat lamp, with *under* 30 celsius around the rest of the hot end.



I'm not familiar with goldvine, but if it's a narrow piece of wood from a vine you might like to try something a bit larger. If you leave something under a radiant heat source it will heat up, and something larger and more solid will heat up better. You can also position the basking position closer to the lamp. As an example, when I wanted an extremely hot (80+ degrees) basking spot for my lizards in summer without overheating the entire enclosure, I used a 40W heat lamp (just a $3 one from K-mart) and positioned a large, thick terracotta tile directly under the lamp at a perpendicular angle, less than 10cm from the lamp. You could literally cook an egg on it after it heated up (and the monitors did use it).


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## Ella C (Apr 15, 2019)

Sdaji said:


> I'm not familiar with goldvine, but if it's a narrow piece of wood from a vine you might like to try something a bit larger. If you leave something under a radiant heat source it will heat up, and something larger and more solid will heat up better. You can also position the basking position closer to the lamp. As an example, when I wanted an extremely hot (80+ degrees) basking spot for my lizards in summer without overheating the entire enclosure, I used a 40W heat lamp (just a $3 one from K-mart) and positioned a large, thick terracotta tile directly under the lamp at a perpendicular angle, less than 10cm from the lamp. You could literally cook an egg on it after it heated up (and the monitors did use it).


Ok, I've placed a large, flat(ish) rock less than 20cm under the 100W halogen spotlight. 
Only 34 degrees 
I have no idea what to do. The 150w heat lamp was too much, 100w too little.
All the other temps are now fine, with 30 celsius between hot and cold side (middle of viv).
[doublepost=1555316353,1555311531][/doublepost]So, I have discovered that the rock hide that is slight to the side of the heat lamps rays IS reaching 37/38 degrees! As it is not directly under the heat lamp, would this still count as a 'basking spot' considering it is still reaching good temperatures?
[doublepost=1555318249][/doublepost]


Sdaji said:


> I'm not familiar with goldvine, but if it's a narrow piece of wood from a vine you might like to try something a bit larger. If you leave something under a radiant heat source it will heat up, and something larger and more solid will heat up better. You can also position the basking position closer to the lamp. As an example, when I wanted an extremely hot (80+ degrees) basking spot for my lizards in summer without overheating the entire enclosure, I used a 40W heat lamp (just a $3 one from K-mart) and positioned a large, thick terracotta tile directly under the lamp at a perpendicular angle, less than 10cm from the lamp. You could literally cook an egg on it after it heated up (and the monitors did use it).


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## dragonlover1 (Apr 15, 2019)

Anything that gets warm enough can be considered a basking spot, this might be a branch or a rock.Is your branch at least as wide as the beardies body? Some people make the mistake of using skinny branches


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## Ella C (Apr 16, 2019)

dragonlover1 said:


> Anything that gets warm enough can be considered a basking spot, this might be a branch or a rock.Is your branch at least as wide as the beardies body? Some people make the mistake of using skinny branches


Yes, I'm starting off with a baby/juvenile and the branch is around 5cm thick at the thinnest part, with a large base perfect for sitting/climbing on. it should last a good couple of months. They also have thinner goldvine branches in the tanks of which I'm planning to source my beardie, so it should be something familiar.
[doublepost=1555386382,1555373493][/doublepost]


Sdaji said:


> I'm not familiar with goldvine, but if it's a narrow piece of wood from a vine you might like to try something a bit larger. If you leave something under a radiant heat source it will heat up, and something larger and more solid will heat up better. You can also position the basking position closer to the lamp. As an example, when I wanted an extremely hot (80+ degrees) basking spot for my lizards in summer without overheating the entire enclosure, I used a 40W heat lamp (just a $3 one from K-mart) and positioned a large, thick terracotta tile directly under the lamp at a perpendicular angle, less than 10cm from the lamp. You could literally cook an egg on it after it heated up (and the monitors did use it).





dragonlover1 said:


> Anything that gets warm enough can be considered a basking spot, this might be a branch or a rock.Is your branch at least as wide as the beardies body? Some people make the mistake of using skinny branches


*
Update: I think I've got it!! *
I've used a spare heat mat and attached it to the wall onto the hot side within the vivarium (melamine).
Using the heat mat, the hotspot is around 41-42 Celsius (which I've heard is a better temperature for juveniles as they like it a bit hotter) The cool side is now around 26.
At night it gets down to around 10-15, so I can keep the heat mat on at night, just for a slightly warmer ambient temp.
When he gets older, I can take it out to get the hot spot back to 38.
Is this all good?
 Thanks so much for your help.


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## dragonlover1 (Apr 16, 2019)

I've never heard of anyone putting a heat mat on the wall before ( there are radiant panels) but if it works then fine.


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## Sdaji (Apr 17, 2019)

dragonlover1 said:


> Anything that gets warm enough can be considered a basking spot, this might be a branch or a rock.Is your branch at least as wide as the beardies body? Some people make the mistake of using skinny branches



This is actually a misconception which has caused a lot of captive reptiles to die or fail to thrive.

Conductive, ambient, and radiant heat are quite different, particularly radiant, which is the most important for basking reptiles like Bearded Dragons.


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