# Bearded Enclosure - TV Wall Unit



## DisturbedDave (Jan 20, 2018)

Hey all,
Been a while since I've made an enclosure, last one was for my EWD's;





I'm now in the process of putting something together to house 1 (possibly 2), Leatherback bearded dragons.

Started off with this cabinet;




Today got me here;









Front of the enclosure will be sliding glass, the rest of it is solid timber, and MDF back wall.
Due to the right wall of the enclosure being hard up against a wall, I'm thinking of having the basking light and CHE to the left of the tank with 2 x 150x75 vents low on the LHS wall and 1 x 245x145 vent on the RHS ceiling.

Would this be adequate airflow while retaining enough heat? I'm in Melbourne, so the absolute max my house would get is 35 (on a streak of hot days), and humidity isn't too bad 90% of the year.
Any other options, ideas or advice? EWD's were a very different breed to cater to (lower airflow to increase humidity)

Thanks


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## Foozil (Jan 20, 2018)

Looking good so far!


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## Wally (Jan 20, 2018)

Air flow will be fine. I've kept them in Melbourne in 4' tanks with smaller vents than that with no dramas.

Can I ask why your thinking of using a ceramic heat emitter?


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## DisturbedDave (Jan 21, 2018)

Wally said:


> Air flow will be fine. I've kept them in Melbourne in 4' tanks with smaller vents than that with no dramas.
> 
> Can I ask why your thinking of using a ceramic heat emitter?



Is it possible that this might be a bit too much airflow? 

Yeah thinking of running a CHE to keep night time temps up while the basking light is off. I'm not a fan of running my house heating overnight, so in winter I can see temps of 8 degrees


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## Wally (Jan 21, 2018)

DisturbedDave said:


> Is it possible that this might be a bit too much airflow?
> 
> Yeah thinking of running a CHE to keep night time temps up while the basking light is off. I'm not a fan of running my house heating overnight, so in winter I can see temps of 8 degrees



You might find your basking lamp running a bit harder in the cooler months. The benefit is you can get a nice hot basking spot without the whole enclosure cooking.

I didn't bother with night time heating. But that's up to you. It used to get down to single figures temp wise where I used to live also.

Keep posting pics as you go. Keen to see how it turns out.


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## DisturbedDave (Jan 21, 2018)

Wally said:


> You might find your basking lamp running a bit harder in the cooler months. The benefit is you can get a nice hot basking spot without the whole enclosure cooking.
> 
> I didn't bother with night time heating. But that's up to you. It used to get down to single figures temp wise where I used to live also.
> 
> Keep posting pics as you go. Keen to see how it turns out.



Thanks Wally, that's the kind of feedback I'm hoping for. 
On the EWD enclosure I ran a day/night dimming thermostat, so I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Perhaps run a lower wattage basking lamp during daylight hours, enough to get the basking spot to the right temp, and run the CHE on the dimmer output to control the overall enclosure temp.
Only thing I risk there is on hotter days the basking lamp might still overheat the enclosure, even with the CHE not running, 2 x Dimming thermostats maybe.

Bit of a hectic week this one, and away for the long weekend, hopefully get started on waterproofing and then the walls/ledges/hides next week
[doublepost=1516531813,1516501923][/doublepost]So the final piece of 'messy work' is cutting in the vents, then it's time to bring the cabinet indoors.
This is my thoughts on ventilation; The larger of the vents on the roof on the right, basking spot and CHE on the left, and a smaller vent on the lower left.

Input on this would be appreciated before I start cutting away


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## bluedragon (Jan 29, 2018)

nice work man keep it up


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## DisturbedDave (Feb 16, 2018)

A little more progress made, however work has been busy so free time is minimal.

Popped by a not-to-be-named/shamed reptile store today, with the idea in my mind that I will pick up an MVB (to be run off a timer), a CHE (to be run off a thermostat), and the thermostat itself.
I was told by who I believe to be the owner that this is a waste, and I should run a 10.0UVB fluro, and a red basking lamp for my basking spot/enclosure heat.

Now, even if a basking lamp was going to be enough to get me the correct heat gradient, a red lamp for the basking spot?

So it begs to question, was he half right? Maybe my idea is a little overkill;
CHE on a dimming thermostat 24/7 (day/night temps set up correctly)
MVB on a timer, as well as a 4" fluro for enclosure lighting

I don't mind the cost of doing it this way, whatever gives the beardy the best home, but is it too much?
If I am to still run an MVB, is there a way to work out what wattage would be required to get a good basking temp without it being too close to the beardy and potentially cause other issues?


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## Scutellatus (Feb 16, 2018)

DisturbedDave said:


> A little more progress made, however work has been busy so free time is minimal.
> 
> Popped by a not-to-be-named/shamed reptile store today, with the idea in my mind that I will pick up an MVB (to be run off a timer), a CHE (to be run off a thermostat), and the thermostat itself.
> I was told by who I believe to be the owner that this is a waste, and I should run a 10.0UVB fluro, and a red basking lamp for my basking spot/enclosure heat.
> ...


Just go your way, you can never replace the sun, so I would have as much UV as you can. I wouldn't bother with the CHE though, the MVB will provide ample heat.
He was probably doing the maths and his way would have meant more profit for the store, especially if he was the owner.


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## DisturbedDave (Feb 16, 2018)

Being in Victoria, would you still suggest there's no need for a CHE? Only reason I ask is in the middle of winter, my house has seen down to 4-5 degrees

So if using an MVB, and knowing they run hotter than a spotlight, and the basking surface being 435mm from the end of the ceramic fitting, what would be a good wattage to start with? 100w?


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## Scutellatus (Feb 16, 2018)

DisturbedDave said:


> Being in Victoria, would you still suggest there's no need for a CHE? Only reason I ask is in the middle of winter, my house has seen down to 4-5 degrees
> 
> So if using an MVB, and knowing they run hotter than a spotlight, and the basking surface being 435mm from the end of the ceramic fitting, what would be a good wattage to start with? 100w?


I think it would be fine without the CHE but someone like @dragonlover1 would be able to answer your questions regarding winter and wattages better than I can as I am in Queensland and might see that low of a temperature for only a couple of days during winter.


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## dragonlover1 (Feb 16, 2018)

Hey Dave,forget the red light! Dragons want something like the sun..a bright white light.In my big beardy houses,1200x700x600 I run a 125W MVB plus a 2' standard flouro.The smaller houses,1200x600x600 have a 75W heat lamp plus a 2'10UV tube No night time heat,remember your house is warmer inside than outside even without heaters.
I only ever run heat cables for juvies but under tiles and only for the first winter.
I have a couple of CHE but will only use these for the frillies and the lacies.
Any thing else I may have missed just ask away.


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## Nerdhero (Feb 16, 2018)

DisturbedDave said:


> Being in Victoria, would you still suggest there's no need for a CHE? Only reason I ask is in the middle of winter, my house has seen down to 4-5 degrees



Was interested by this, did a bit of googling and found average temps for Coober Pedy (desert town in SA), a place centrals are found and the *Average* minimum temperatures here in the winter months are around 7 degrees. In other words they are sure to be seeing a few -degree nights.

Heres the link if interested: http://www.outback-australia-travel...ml#australian-outback-temperatures-cooberpedy

Quite amazing the extreme temperature differences that occur in the outback.


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## DisturbedDave (Feb 17, 2018)

dragonlover1 said:


> Hey Dave,forget the red light! Dragons want something like the sun..a bright white light.In my big beardy houses,1200x700x600 I run a 125W MVB plus a 2' standard flouro.The smaller houses,1200x600x600 have a 75W heat lamp plus a 2'10UV tube No night time heat,remember your house is warmer inside than outside even without heaters.
> I only ever run heat cables for juvies but under tiles and only for the first winter.
> I have a couple of CHE but will only use these for the frillies and the lacies.
> Any thing else I may have missed just ask away.



Thanks mate, and rest assured, I wasn't contemplating the red light for a moment. Reminds me of reptile keeping in the 70s-80s when we didn't know any better.

So in a 1700x650x500 I would be pretty right to run a 125w MVB, 4" fluro all on a timer and then just let the temps naturally drop at night? No need for a thermostat?
I suppose I could add a secondary heat lamp in the warm end to assist in basking spot temp if the MVB doesn't quite get it there

@Nerdhero Yeah you're not wrong, desert temps have a massive difference between low and high.
I do know that they burrow in their natural environment to help in regulating heat/avoiding the hot/cold, however in these enclosures, we are eliminating their ability to borrow (unless we put them in a sandpit). It does still point to the idea that night time heating is unnecessary


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## Nerdhero (Feb 17, 2018)

DisturbedDave said:


> I do know that they burrow in their natural environment to help in regulating heat/avoiding the hot/cold, however in these enclosures, we are eliminating their ability to borrow



This is an excellent point that I had not considered.


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## dragonlover1 (Feb 17, 2018)

DisturbedDave said:


> Thanks mate, and rest assured, I wasn't contemplating the red light for a moment. Reminds me of reptile keeping in the 70s-80s when we didn't know any better.
> 
> So in a 1700x650x500 I would be pretty right to run a 125w MVB, 4" fluro all on a timer and then just let the temps naturally drop at night? No need for a thermostat?
> I suppose I could add a secondary heat lamp in the warm end to assist in basking spot temp if the MVB doesn't quite get it there
> ...



yeah that's pretty much the idea,1 timer for each light 12-14 hours for flouro and 10-12 for the MVB ( with appropriate siestas when required). Secondary heat lamp isn't a bad idea in such a big enclosure,our coastal python has 2 heat lamps but only 1 runs most of the time.
we had a thread ages ago where we talked about not needing night heat unless it got below about 12C but even that is outside temps.I think maybe once or twice in the 12 years I have lived here I put a small radiator in the dragon room because it was absolutely freezing here but that was ages ago.


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## DisturbedDave (Mar 24, 2018)

Haven't updated in a while, however enclosure is finished, aired out and a new member of the family added; Dexter

Polystyrene walls & basking spots;




Grouted, painted and sealed;
Sand added to basking spots to 'rough up' the area for grip and nail care






Dexter;


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