Incandescent Light Frustration

[margosha]

I am at my wits end with this stupid incandescent light ban. I currently use 100W Arcadia heat bulbs in my tort’s enclosure, but even those are getting harder and harder to find and more expensive. I’m wary about switching to the Fluker’s Basking Bulb because it’s unclear whether it’s a spot or flood light. Can anyone confirm?

I also found these brooder bulbs, but I have a couple questions:

1. Would the higher wattage be ok for the tort if I hang it higher up to accommodate?

2. I’m not sure what infrared (IR) heat means in this case and whether it is detrimental in any way. I know red bulbs are a no-no, but this one says it’s clear in color.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, and if anyone has any other bulb recommendations please lmk, thanks!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Tagging @Alex and the Redfoot and @Markw84 for you!

 

[SinLA]

I have noticed that reptile bulbs on amazon are now about the same cost as (genuine) incandescent bulbs, where they are still sold. So I think a regular reptile bulb would be easier to find

 

[margosha]

I have noticed that reptile bulbs on amazon are now about the same cost as (genuine) incandescent bulbs, where they are still sold. So I think a regular reptile bulb would be easier to find

Is there a brand you recommend? When I last did a quick search there, those lights didn’t say whether they were spot or flood so I got discouraged haha.

 

[SinLA]

Is there a brand you recommend? When I last did a quick search there, those lights didn’t say whether they were spot or flood so I got discouraged haha.

I'm still working through my supply of clandestine incandescents, so i don't, but maybe someone else here can recommend...

 

[Tom]

I am at my wits end with this stupid incandescent light ban. I currently use 100W Arcadia heat bulbs in my tort’s enclosure, but even those are getting harder and harder to find and more expensive. I’m wary about switching to the Fluker’s Basking Bulb because it’s unclear whether it’s a spot or flood light. Can anyone confirm?

I also found these brooder bulbs, but I have a couple questions:

1. Would the higher wattage be ok for the tort if I hang it higher up to accommodate?

2. I’m not sure what infrared (IR) heat means in this case and whether it is detrimental in any way. I know red bulbs are a no-no, but this one says it’s clear in color.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, and if anyone has any other bulb recommendations please lmk, thanks!

As far as I can tell, the Flukers bulb is a flood and okay to use.

Trump signed an executive order on day one and ended this stupid ban. I don't know how many are out there for sale anymore, how long it will take manufacturers that were shut down to start back up, if they even want to start back up, and if individual states can or will continue on with the ban anyway. It does't seem to be helping yet, but hopefully it will.

 

[margosha]

As far as I can tell, the Flukers bulb is a flood and okay to use.

Trump signed an executive order on day one and ended this stupid ban. I don't know how many are out there for sale anymore, how long it will take manufacturers that were shut down to start back up, if they even want to start back up, and if individual states can or will continue on with the ban anyway. It does't seem to be helping yet, but hopefully it will.

Yes, I sure have all my fingers and toes crossed for it to! And if nothing else, it should at least allow for reptile brands to stop having to change their “formula” and rebrand every two seconds to comply with unnecessary regulations.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I am at my wits end with this stupid incandescent light ban. I currently use 100W Arcadia heat bulbs in my tort’s enclosure, but even those are getting harder and harder to find and more expensive. I’m wary about switching to the Fluker’s Basking Bulb because it’s unclear whether it’s a spot or flood light. Can anyone confirm?

I also found these brooder bulbs, but I have a couple questions:

1. Would the higher wattage be ok for the tort if I hang it higher up to accommodate?

2. I’m not sure what infrared (IR) heat means in this case and whether it is detrimental in any way. I know red bulbs are a no-no, but this one says it’s clear in color.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, and if anyone has any other bulb recommendations please lmk, thanks!

1. Higher wattage is okay if you can keep temperatures under control (by hanging lamp higher or using a dimmer).
2. They emphasize that lamp emits infrared (all incandescent lamps do), probably to sell it as a "specialty" lamp.

The lamp you've found has clear glass - this often results in uneven heated area (like on this chart: https://tomaskas.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Pro-Rep-Spot-100W.png), so I would avoid it.

On 1000Bulbs there are also traffic lights bulbs ("pear shaped", 112W) - if you have a wide lamp dome then such lamps can work for you.

If you can hang a basking lamp at 16-20" above substrate (1.5-2 times higher than Arcadia Floodlights) you can also use ExoTerra Intense Basking Spot 100W lamp or ReptiZoo (not ZooMed!) Intense Basking Spot 100W. Wattage is important, 75W and 50W have different output charts.

Flukers or Exoterra Daylight (not Intense) Basking Spot should work as a drop-in replacement for Arcadia Floodlight.

 

[margosha]

1. Higher wattage is okay if you can keep temperatures under control (by hanging lamp higher or using a dimmer).
2. They emphasize that lamp emits infrared (all incandescent lamps do), probably to sell it as a "specialty" lamp.

The lamp you've found has clear glass - this often results in uneven heated area (like on this chart: https://tomaskas.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Pro-Rep-Spot-100W.png), so I would avoid it.

On 1000Bulbs there are also traffic lights bulbs ("pear shaped", 112W) - if you have a wide lamp dome then such lamps can work for you.

If you can hang a basking lamp at 16-20" above substrate (1.5-2 times higher than Arcadia Floodlights) you can also use ExoTerra Intense Basking Spot 100W lamp or ReptiZoo (not ZooMed!) Intense Basking Spot 100W. Wattage is important, 75W and 50W have different output charts.

Flukers or Exoterra Daylight (not Intense) Basking Spot should work as a drop-in replacement for Arcadia Floodlight.

Thank you so much for such thorough information and options, definitely eases the frustration!

 

[Zathras]

I'll second using the Exoterra Intense bulbs. I redid the lighting in my Russian's enclosure, and tried one of the extra basking lights I had lying around for my bearded dragon. The basking area is in the mid-90s, and it nicely sets up a temperature gradient through the enclosure.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I'll second using the Exoterra Intense bulbs. I redid the lighting in my Russian's enclosure, and tried one of the extra basking lights I had lying around for my bearded dragon. The basking area is in the mid-90s, and it nicely sets up a temperature gradient through the enclosure.

What is bulb wattage and distance to substrate? (Just for statistics).

 

[Zathras]

What is bulb wattage and distance to substrate? (Just for statistics).

100w bulb. About 16 inches from the basking spot, so maybe 18-19 inches from the substrate. With the temp gun, the basking spot is mid-90s, substrate surface all around it is in the low to mid 80s. I initially tried a 150w bulb at the same distance, but the basking spot was getting above 100F, substrate surface in the 90s. Based on reading on this forum, I'm making a lot of changes to the enclosure and lighting, as I was given suboptimal recommendations from YouTube, online care guides, reddit, etc.

I really want to start from scratch and build something larger, but I'm likely changing jobs and moving in a few months, so the hatchling will have to remain in the Aivituvin tortoise table (with a lot of modifications to keep humidity up).

 

[margosha]

What is bulb wattage and distance to substrate? (Just for statistics).

The description for the Exoterra Intense bulb says it emits a “tight beam” of light which is something I’ve always been told to stay away from. Is having it hang pretty far from the substrate what negates that?

 

[Tom]

I'll second using the Exoterra Intense bulbs. I redid the lighting in my Russian's enclosure, and tried one of the extra basking lights I had lying around for my bearded dragon. The basking area is in the mid-90s, and it nicely sets up a temperature gradient through the enclosure.

 

[Zathras]

When I take temperature readings from around the enclosure, the ExoTerra seems to behave more like the floodlight example than the spotlight. As I keep making adjustments, I may change it around yet again, but at the moment with what I have on hand, it seems to be providing heat to a large surface area, with the elevated basking platform reaching the higher desired temperature, in part due to proximity.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

The description for the Exoterra Intense bulb says it emits a “tight beam” of light which is something I’ve always been told to stay away from. Is having it hang pretty far from the substrate what negates that?

That's a super confusing thing about these lamps. They fall in the middle ground between "true spot" like ZooMed Basking Spot bulbs and floodlights like Arcadia Solar Basking Floodlight. Tests show that ExoTerra Intense Basking Spot has uniform heated area and rather large heated surface. Yet, it should be placed higher to get the same heat intensity and heated area as flood lamps.

 

[margosha]

That's a super confusing thing about these lamps. They fall in the middle ground between "true spot" like ZooMed Basking Spot bulbs and floodlights like Arcadia Solar Basking Floodlight. Tests show that ExoTerra Intense Basking Spot has uniform heated area and rather large heated surface. Yet, it should be placed higher to get the same heat intensity and heated area as flood lamps.

Gotcha. Well since it’s worked for me thus far, looks like for now I’ll stick with the Arcadia or Fluker’s bulbs. Thanks!

 

[Tom]

When I take temperature readings from around the enclosure, the ExoTerra seems to behave more like the floodlight example than the spotlight. As I keep making adjustments, I may change it around yet again, but at the moment with what I have on hand, it seems to be providing heat to a large surface area, with the elevated basking platform reaching the higher desired temperature, in part due to proximity.

The key element is well illustrated by the cartoonish picture. The beam under the bulb needs to be fairly even with no hot spots, and it needs to be an area larger than the tortoise. If whatever bulb you have accomplishes that, then its good to go.

The best way to check temps under you bulb is to lay a digital thermometer on its back at tortoise shell height, and let it cook for an hour or more. This will tell you what the bulb is doing to your tortoise's carapace as it basks. Most "spot" bulbs fail this test miserably and have to be mounted so high up to prevent the hot spots and temperature extremes, that they become ineffective.

As Alex explained, the manufactures and their inconsistent use of these terms, has made it very confusing for people to figure out what to buy. The little cartoon illustrates the concept very well.

 

[JTH]

I am at my wits end with this stupid incandescent light ban. I currently use 100W Arcadia heat bulbs in my tort’s enclosure, but even those are getting harder and harder to find and more expensive. I’m wary about switching to the Fluker’s Basking Bulb because it’s unclear whether it’s a spot or flood light. Can anyone confirm?

I also found these brooder bulbs, but I have a couple questions:

1. Would the higher wattage be ok for the tort if I hang it higher up to accommodate?

2. I’m not sure what infrared (IR) heat means in this case and whether it is detrimental in any way. I know red bulbs are a no-no, but this one says it’s clear in color.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, and if anyone has any other bulb recommendations please lmk, thanks!

Higher wattage bulb might be suitable, but get a good thermometer and be sure what the substrate and tortoise's temperature are. Infra-red is the part of the spectrum that corresponds with heat production. You can buy combination heat and UV bulbs, but use with caution... they need UV, but needs to be controlled, and some are too intense and can harm the animal's eyes.

 

[Zathras]

Higher wattage bulb might be suitable, but get a good thermometer and be sure what the substrate and tortoise's temperature are. Infra-red is the part of the spectrum that corresponds with heat production. You can buy combination heat and UV bulbs, but use with caution... they need UV, but needs to be controlled, and some are too intense and can harm the animal's eyes.

I have a laser thermometer that I use to measure around the enclosure to spot check, in addition to digital thermometer/hygrometers on the hot and cold sides. I can't say that I've shined it directly on the shell surface. What shell temp do you shoot for while basking?