Re: Sulcata Indoor lighting Metal Halide - Long

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Posted by Jeff on October 10, 2001 at 23:34:38:

In Reply to: Sulcata Indoor lighting Metal Halide posted by BD on October 10, 2001 at 20:19:55:

Hello fellow Michiganian.

I�m not a tortoise keeper (apartment = no room) but do keep chameleons, and as far as light requirements go nothing is as picky as a chameleon. From what I understand, sulcata�s are heat and light loving animals, not to mention BIG. Assuming that you�re animal requires a pen-type enclosure I may be able to offer some suggestions.

My chameleon cages are all 2'x2' x 5' tall and built as a large square. Over the cage I have one switchable (MH/HPS) 4' parabolic fixture. The bulb is about 12" from the top of the cages. I also have a 4' shop light with one 5.0UV bulb and one white bulb over each pair of cages. The lights run 12hours/day and I plan on switching to the HPS bulb this spring to simulate the season. The reason I choose the system is that in terms of light output and efficiency you can�t beat a HID/flourescent system. Plus I get a point source light with superb color quality. Over a five year period the system will pay for itself because of electricity use and bulb longevity. The setup covers my 16sq ft area perfectly, gives out just enough heat to keep the animals happily basking, and really grows my plants within the cages. You�d be surprised at how little heat it actually produces. Especially since the ballast is external and can be place 15' away from the cages.

I�m making some assumptions about your set-up and will assume that you�re larger scale, as in pen size - at least 4sq ft. and currently rely on incandescent/flourescent lighting. If your animal is small enough for an aquarium, things change. Please don�t be offended if I misjudge your level of herp keeper experience as Kingsnake gets all types, I don�t mean to condescend.

If you use flourescent tubes for UV, I�d start off with at least a 250W HID fixture placed at an appropriate distance above the cage to optimize light distribution, probably a couple of feet. If you have a nice flourescent set-up don�t completely rule out HPS lighting. As long as your HPS light doesn�t dominate and you have a white light flourescent bulb, the color spectrum should be okay. Otherwise, if your cage isn�t too big you might be able to get away with a 100W MH fixture and one of those Weston/Active UVHeat type bulbs for the heat/UV source.

Please consider Ebay as a source for your fixture. Excluding shipping and my fancy parabolic reflector, mine was less than $200 new! That�s a great price for a switchable(!) system. If looks aren�t that important, one of those industrial fixtures (MH) modified to be a grow light will work just fine and should cost a ton less. I bought a 70W MH security light fixture (RAB brand) and modified it for my tree frogs for about $50 on Ebay! And remember, the larger the wattage of the system the more efficient it (usually) is and the more light output.

Hope this helps.
Jeff - @ MSU

: I have a sulcata, and I was wondering if a Metal Halide grow light would be a great alternate light source for winter indoor houseing. I live in Michigan and it gets cold here. I have heard that MH lights are used in the medical field for perking people up in the winter when natural light and sun is little. I was thinking a 100 or 250 watt from the link below. www.sunlightsupply.com

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: Hello fellow Michiganian. : I�m not a tortoise keeper (apartment = no room) but do keep chameleons, and as far as light requirements go nothing is as picky as a chameleon. From what I understand, sulcata�s are heat and light loving animals, not to mention BIG. Assuming that you�re animal requires a pen-type enclosure I may be able to offer some suggestions. : My chameleon cages are all 2'x2' x 5' tall and built as a large square. Over the cage I have one switchable (MH/HPS) 4' parabolic fixture. The bulb is about 12" from the top of the cages. I also have a 4' shop light with one 5.0UV bulb and one white bulb over each pair of cages. The lights run 12hours/day and I plan on switching to the HPS bulb this spring to simulate the season. The reason I choose the system is that in terms of light output and efficiency you can�t beat a HID/flourescent system. Plus I get a point source light with superb color quality. Over a five year period the system will pay for itself because of electricity use and bulb longevity. The setup covers my 16sq ft area perfectly, gives out just enough heat to keep the animals happily basking, and really grows my plants within the cages. You�d be surprised at how little heat it actually produces. Especially since the ballast is external and can be place 15' away from the cages. : I�m making some assumptions about your set-up and will assume that you�re larger scale, as in pen size - at least 4sq ft. and currently rely on incandescent/flourescent lighting. If your animal is small enough for an aquarium, things change. Please don�t be offended if I misjudge your level of herp keeper experience as Kingsnake gets all types, I don�t mean to condescend. : If you use flourescent tubes for UV, I�d start off with at least a 250W HID fixture placed at an appropriate distance above the cage to optimize light distribution, probably a couple of feet. If you have a nice flourescent set-up don�t completely rule out HPS lighting. As long as your HPS light doesn�t dominate and you have a white light flourescent bulb, the color spectrum should be okay. Otherwise, if your cage isn�t too big you might be able to get away with a 100W MH fixture and one of those Weston/Active UVHeat type bulbs for the heat/UV source. : Please consider Ebay as a source for your fixture. Excluding shipping and my fancy parabolic reflector, mine was less than $200 new! That�s a great price for a switchable(!) system. If looks aren�t that important, one of those industrial fixtures (MH) modified to be a grow light will work just fine and should cost a ton less. I bought a 70W MH security light fixture (RAB brand) and modified it for my tree frogs for about $50 on Ebay! And remember, the larger the wattage of the system the more efficient it (usually) is and the more light output. : Hope this helps. : Jeff - @ MSU : : I have a sulcata, and I was wondering if a Metal Halide grow light would be a great alternate light source for winter indoor houseing. I live in Michigan and it gets cold here. I have heard that MH lights are used in the medical field for perking people up in the winter when natural light and sun is little. I was thinking a 100 or 250 watt from the link below. www.sunlightsupply.com

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