After many problems with heating my tank, i found this beast. Every reptile specific infra red bulb was a max of 100w. this wasn't cutting it for my 55 gallon tank. This thing can operate at about 1/3 power and still crank out plenty heat. however, MUST BE USED IN CONJUNCTION W/ A DIMMER!!!! This thing does not produce much visible light, in the form of red light which leos cant see, but it produces tons of infrared heat rays which are the main benefits of all red night bulbs. This thing is quite large like some of the larger mercury vapor bulbs, so i recommend the largest diameter deep dome lamp you can find but if you want, it has its own reflector so you could use a cage lamp. VERY POWERFUL!!! USE W/ CARE & ONLY FOR LARGE ENCLOSURES!!! I found this light at Walmart with the rest of the every day light bulbs for $8.47. It also has a life of 5,000 hours as compared to my 100w reptile infrared bulb that advertises only 3,000 hours. You will also probably be using it under 1/2 power so it should last much longer than 5,000 hours.
250w GE Infrared Heat bulb
- Thread starter Kaianuanu
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fuzzylogix
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that's an extremely high wattage for any reptile. i would be very careful using that even with a dimmer. i always suggest under tank heat as a primary source of warmth. if you have to supplement with another heat source, the 100w or even a 60w should be sufficient. how large is your enclosure?
fuzzylogix
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cool, i have a 55 gallon tank that holds a 1.5 colony. im heating it with a 12" long strip of 11" flexwatt hooked up to a thermostat. stays steady 95 with no issues. what kind of issues are you having?
i was having truoble just producing enough heat itself, i only have a small UTH and a 100w infrared that i had on his 10g setup before i moved him. If this doesn't workout im going to have to buy a larger rip off UTH for like $40. Or i can go w/ a flexwatt like yours but i need a thermostat. How much was you thermostat and what kind is it? I really need a cheap one.
fuzzylogix
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i got mine with my racks, but they are pretty cheap at www.beanfarm.com. that's where i get my flexwatt as well. its about 2 dollars per foot, so a lot cheaper than any UTH
fuzzylogix
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yeah you could, the flexwatt is designed to not go over 100 degrees. in a 55 gallon they would have plenty of space to move if it got too hot. but i honestly would recommend a thermostat. much more accurate and it's piece of mind too. if not you will constantly be worrying if the temps are spiking.
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