heating and lighting questions

[kreaturekeeper]

Hi all! Im almost done the building my ball python terrarium.It is made out of melamine with a plexiglass window in front door. it is 48"x24"long and deep and 18" tall. I will be using a radiant heat panel once i find one in canada or one that can be shipped to canada. (very hard time finding this) so if you have any in mind I could purchase let me know! Ill test out what temps I get with that and see if I need UTH on one side for correct temps. So I have a pretty good idea of what I want from doing my research. But one thing Im not sure about is a viewing light. I don't want a bulb that hangs down and has to have mesh around it. something long and skinny on top that will not harm her. Any suggestions as to what I should use?
Any help would be great guys!
Thanks in advance!!
oh and if I am missing something else in my building plan let me know :)

[Donnie]

I use LED lights from Ikea in my vivs as they give off virtually no heat and are small but give out a lot of light. These are the ones I use but they do a set that are just a white light as well

DIODER 4-piece lighting strip set - IKEA (http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00202324/)

[rmfsnakes32]

It would be best to use UTH with a good quality thermostat

[kreaturekeeper]

thanks for the reply guys. Ya those strips of LED lights is what I am looking for! I don't have an IKEA here.. but I guess I could order them.. The only other thing I could think of was those cased LED christmas lights haha. But I doubted I could find any short enough for just the back of my tank. Don't know if they can be wired to be shorter.
Any other ideas on types of LED strips I could use?
Thanks for the reply rmfsnakes32- I am fairly sure that RHP is the way to go in my type of tank as well as the cool climate I have in leth AB. I have tried strictly UTH in her old tank (I am now upgrading to a bigger better tank now) and It did not give me the ambient temps I need. Or any good temps that is.. I have a cool house I guess? Im not sure but I know it dint work for me.
does anyone know where to get RHP in canada? Im having a heck of a time finding them.. or a usa one that ships here?
:)

[cossiecraig]

I see your in Canada also ,i'm in Calgary Alberta ,if your here or near here ,Pisces Pet Emporium has LED 's ,red,white, and blue .....if your not check out home depot or any marine / fish shops ,they may carry them in stock . just a thought ! good luck with everything .

[kreaturekeeper]

Thanks cossiecraig. Ya I am only 2 hr away so ill keep that in mind if I am making a trip. But might try home depot in the mean time. We don't really have anything as far as marine or fish shops here..
another question for anyone who has experience with RHP. with a 4'x2' I have been told a 40watt would be good but I also read if your tank is taller than 12" (mine is 18") I should prob go with the 80watt..
Also If I do not have UTH and only the RHP, whereabouts should I mount it. Slightly to the warmer side? or completely over the warmer side? haven't used these before so i would hate to have to keep installing it in different spots and get a bunch of screw holes in the top of my viv..
please and thank you!

[cossiecraig]

Thanks cossiecraig. Ya I am only 2 hr away so ill keep that in mind if I am making a trip. But might try home depot in the mean time. We don't really have anything as far as marine or fish shops here..
another question for anyone who has experience with RHP. with a 4'x2' I have been told a 40watt would be good but I also read if your tank is taller than 12" (mine is 18") I should prob go with the 80watt..
Also If I do not have UTH and only the RHP, whereabouts should I mount it. Slightly to the warmer side? or completely over the warmer side? haven't used these before so i would hate to have to keep installing it in different spots and get a bunch of screw holes in the top of my viv..
please and thank you!

No worries mate ,you could even try Canadian Tire for LED's .....allthough i had no luck there ,but it may vary from branch to branch ok ....as for your RHP ,i'm no expert on that but there's many here i've seen who could help you ok .

[kreaturekeeper]

checked there..no luck. Ill keep my peepers peeled!
Ya I know there are some people who use them on here but they have yet to pipe up haha

[Terranaut]

I would go with the 80w.
Exclusive Snakes - Home (http://www.exclusivesnakes.com/)
They sell and ship to your door in Canada.

[kreaturekeeper]

Thats funnt Terranaut! That was the ONLY site I could find for a RHP in Canada and have already contacted them :) Im thinking an 80 would be good too.. better safe than sorry. Especially for in the winter I might need the extra ooomf!

As far as mounting an 80watt in a 4'X2'X18" wood enclosure though, Can I get any suggestions on where? Like slightly over the warmer hid or completely all the ay over the warm hide? Would that give me optimal temps on my "cool" side?
please and thank you everyone! This forum is great.

[Gungirl]

If you mount the RHP over the hot side you set it for your hot temp- 90 then if your viv is well built the temp will automatically be lower on the other side of the viv. I use RHP's in my vivs as my hot spot and the temp on the other end is about 12 degrees cooler. My Royal is in a 4'x2'x18" and his hot side is 90 cool side is 78

[etc]

You could also try contacting Greg West

Accessories - Cornelsworld (http://www.cornelsworld.com/accessories)

He's in Calgary.

[kreaturekeeper]

Thanks Gungirl! I knew you would be the one to know haha.
AND Thanks etc! I might be heading up in two weeks so that would be perfect to pick those up :) Ill get in touch with him asap
Im so excited to get this done! Finished the door today and going to prime soon.

[Gungirl]

Glad I could be of assistance... Hope you get it all set up soon and please post pictures!

[kreaturekeeper]

Ill try to post pictures tomorrow of what I have so far. Which is quite a bit! As far as fake plants.. Are any plastic or silk ones toxic to snakes? I was thinking of some nice flowers and such from the local craft store.
They sell plastic ones in the pet stores so I wouldn't think that is a problem. Let me know if there is something I should watch for though! Climbing branch too.. What do I need to do to a piece of wood I find in the coulee. People say bake it in the oven?
Anyone have more clarification on that?
Thanks guys!!

[Gungirl]

Any fake plant is fine.. I use silk ones but that is because I like the way they look more. As far as wood from outside I just look it over and if I see a bunch of bugs on it I toss it and grab another piece. If I can't see any bugs/mold on it then I just place it in the viv. A few tiny bugs or something won't hurt your snake. Snakes live in the wild and they do not need a completely sterile environment.

[MoreliAddict]

It would be best to use UTH with a good quality thermostat
UTH doesn't do much for ambient temps, so if the enclosure in a room which gets cold at night, this may not suffice.

I need to use strong RHPs, as my snakes are in my bedroom which even gets into the 50s some nights. (I like it cold)

If I didn't use thermostats, my tanks would hit like 200 degrees during the day.

The UTH + thermostat is an excellent set up in a snake room though...

[Gungirl]

I used a UTH for about 2 months until I realized that once my house temp got below 75f ( which it does all the time) that it was useless to keep my vivs warm. I then switched to a RHP and am VERY happy I did. The only snakes I will ever use UTH's for are ones that Don't really need Added heat but I want to make sure they can digest well. My Corn snake will be getting a UTH this winter due to the room he is in being cold most times.

[kreaturekeeper]

Everything is coming together! so exciting. RHP and hides will be on their way shortly, I have my LED lighting and the viv is almost done!
pics of tank before and after painting (outside only)
and one of Kahlil cuz she is so cute :o (mac laptop for size reference)
Thanks for all your help guys! I will put up pics of the finished product hopefully soon

[kreaturekeeper]

with flowers and door!