arboreal viv

[baloo]

i do apollogiese for my lack of knowledge and being a pain that doesn't really know what he wants...yet
ok here you go:
i have finally cleared a space in my fish house so i can build a vivthat actually fits in its space.
i'm not sure what to keep yet but from waterdragons to monitors and tegus my preferences are quite widely spread.
if i was to build a arboral viv it would be 52x48x30,lxhxw, and i'd keep water dragons in it.
i have a heatplate with 225 watts but i wonder how do you create a temperature gradiant in a arboral viv. from bottom to the top with the top 3rd being the basking site or from left to rite?
reason i'm asking is i don't quite honestly know
i'm a big fish man

any terrrestial viv would be 75x42x30
due to a beam supporting the aquarium above i can't go any higher the 42" if i go wider then 52 inches

thanx for your help

[dragosmom]

Good questions! With those dimensions IMO you are better off with a top to bottom gradient. A heat plate is not a recommended heat source for CWD. In a top to bottom configuration you will usually use a ceramic emitter to establish minimum night-time heat (absolutely no cooler than 65F-but remember they sleep in the trees/branches and your upper temps are going to be approx. +5F so 65 at the bottom is actually at least 70 where they sleep) . You will then use either incandescent heat and basking lamps and fluorescent UVB or self-ballasted mercury vapor and incandescent basking light to achieve your day-time heat and UVB. You'll need to research these various light configurations for cost and efficiency. www.reptileuv.com is an excellent source of information for uvb lighting. Any household incandescent light can be used for heat. Any expensive reptile "basking spot" is not required. Lowes sells incandescent up to 300 watts. Plenty of firepower for a large enclosure. I have some of this information on my website at: www.geocities.com/dianedfisher
I commend you for the depth of your research. You'll love keeping CWD if you make them your choice. DM

[baloo]

i had a look on ur website diane
very nice in deed
i have found out a long time ago that research is paramount when keeping exotics
i keep freshwater stingray, 2 species of arowana and a quite large snakehead.
after 24 yr of experience i have cme to the conclusion that anyone with the rite attitude and a keen interest can learn the basics in no time. getting evrything set up propperly is more important then anything.
thank god for the net
how did we evr manage without it
i gonna ditch the heatplate and get a ceramic or buls with a dimerstat. i already have a roomtemp of 75 so backgroundheat isn't really needed. temps in my hobbyroom never go as low as 65

[dragosmom]

A lot of folks don't use night-time heat sources. Unfortunately, I am a menopausal woman who could live in the Artic without a coat! My poor husband is under an electric blanket and I'm outside on the deck and it's freezing outside but I'm too hot. But...back to subject at hand. You'll be much more satisified with the CE and I also use a rheostat. Once set I only mess with it during seasonal changes. Sounds like you are quite a fish expert. Read up once on salthingyer care and decided it was way too much work, but i admire anyone with the patience and skills to maintain one. You should post some pics. We all love diversity and would enjoy seeing your "big" fishes. Aren't snakeheads the ones that are outlawed because they're invasive non-natives? Don't turn him loose! DM

[baloo]

i got my dimmerstat 2day
£37 including postage of e-bay.
i have tried to modify an old computer unit but it looks a bit tacky so i will get some melamine coated chipboard instead and start from scratch. before i do anything to the inside of that viv i will experiment with several bulbs to determin what wattage works best
i think i start with 3x 60 watts creating 3 basking spots. thats one for each planned water dragon.
i have monitored temps in the viv space and they range from below and above 72 on the bottom of the fish house. 3 feet above the floor it is about 76 and its 85 above 4 foot which is perfect for my fish. every few days a crank it up to 90 to make sure the bottom tank doesn't cool to much. but that was only because of the freezing temperatures we had recently and i didn't habe anything to block the vents in the door. i need them in the summer.
i go and post some pix of my fish
he is actually a she and it took me year to find her
only hard cash and lots of it will make me give her away

[baloo]

the viv is build and now needs sealing and the glass fitting
then i will experiment with some bulbs
back ground temps are no lower the 70 at nite and 75 during the day.
i think 3x 40 watt spots should do it

[Pooka]

Personally I'd bump those temps up. I'd go 75 at night and 80-85 during the day with a basking spot at 90.

[dragosmom]

Sounds like things are progressing nicely! I think I have about 1000 watts of heat/lighting in my set-up. 3-40 watt bulbs sounds like so little-but as long as the temps are maintained I guess they're adequate. make sure to use thermometers top, bottom and side to get accurate readings. DM

[baloo]

i got 2x 60 watt spotbulbs 2day and i gonna experiment with them
my room is at 75 pooka, the spotlamps have to only raise the temps a few degree below and a bit more on top. if i need more wattage i go and get it or add another spotlight
i recon it will work quite well once i got it all sorted and fine tuned

[dragosmom]

If your room is 75 you're right you shouldn't even require a night-time source and daytime heat should be easily attainable with 60 watts. Can't wait to see the finished product. DM

[baloo]

i'm still not quite sure how to go about heating it
i have my 225 watt heatplate i could use instead and add thwe spot lights without a stat or i could just use the plate or the spots on their own.i also could get a cheap pulse stat for the heatplate and use the dimmerstat for the spots
i dunno what to do to be honest.
any way this is the most important question
how for should i mount the spots from the basking spot?

[Pooka]

Sorry Baloo, not sure how to setup a vertical viv. If your top is solid I'd use a regular ceramic light bulb fixture, if its not solid you can use a clamp lamp. If you need an angle you could also use some exterior lighting fixtures liek those used for porch lights. Important thing is to keep them far enough away from any climable object that the dragon cannot get to it aqnd burn themselves.

[baloo]

with my heatplate you don't need a guard or have it further away and its only 1.5 inch thick
radiant heatpanels don't get hot
i don't know how it works but the surrounding temps are nice and hot but you can touch the plate without burning urself
fantastic for using in a arboreal viv as it allowes more use of hight
i think i try it out once i get the glass
i will have a better idea then of how it may work out

[Pooka]

Maybe the term 'heatplate' throws me off, it sounds alot like your talking about a radiant heat panel. Radiant heat panels give off a steady low heat. You can place your hand on them and not burn yourself.

[baloo]

i'm testing my bulbs as i type this
not using the panel
finally got my glass
i already have the feeking 2 x 60 watt is not gonna do it