New RF owner! Lighting and heat questions!

[HelloWorld]

[Edit 5/17] New question! My 75w CHE arrived, I placed it on top of the enclosure, and its barely emitting any heat into the tank. (To clarify, the lamp is definitely functional, and the bulb ITSELF is getting plenty hot, I can't even touch it, but the temp in the tank is not going up at all.) This is a 40g breeder tank, and everything I'd read convinced me that a 75w CHE would be plenty enough to get the temperature in the enclosure up. The temp gauge is staying at 70 degrees, which is barely above the temp in the room.

Can anyone tell me what kind of bulb to get? I was afraid to do anything above 75w but now I'm thinking I should go for a 150w!

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[RESOLVED]
Hello! I'll be getting my first red-footed tortoise hatchling in about a week, and I'm currently preparing for his/her arrival.

I have a 40-gallon tank that will serve as the tort's indoor habitat, and I plan on having a planted tank. For UVB and general light I purchased the Reptisun 10.0 florescent 18-inch tube and a matching fixture. For heating, though, I'm a little stumped on what I should get.

I've read a lot of people who prefer the ceramic heat emitters, because they don't give off any light and can be kept on at night. Others say a common 60w to 75w household incandescent light bulb would work well for heat, but what about at night when the lights go off? Or do tortoises not mind if the lights stay on all night? From everything I've read, it sounds like rf's prefer shade to basking, so would I be better off getting the lightless heat emitter? If I do get the incandescent bulb, would I just end up having to get a nighttime bulb as well?

Bonus question: Any tips for having an indoor planted habitat? I'm going to be planting several spider plants and possibly some hostas, hearty plants that can take a beating. I'm planning on using gold cypress blend mulch + sphagnum moss, unless anyone has any better suggestions!

Thank you in advance!

 

[Ashes]

Hello! I have the same setup (except for plants) with my redfoot. I have a CHE for nighttime and a basking light for daytime. He doesn't really use the basking light much, but a) it's there if he wants to use it and b) it heats the enclosure. I also have the UVA/UVB light.

I use the Eco earth coconut coir bricks as my substrate - it holds moisture well. I also am using sheet moss right now, but still looking for the right one. I put sphagnum in the hide and used to have it throughout the enclosure since it helped with humidity, but I just like the flatness of the sheet moss. It's a work in progress.

As for plants, I kill them easily so I used fake. However, I did plant a tort grazing mix in a large terra cotta planter thing, and it's perfect. He can graze through the day is he wants.

Here's a pic of mine, but it's kinda trial and error. Still working on it. Will build a permanent adult enclosure probably next year.

 

[HelloWorld]

I love the way your tank looks, that's exactly what I was going for! Definitely stealing some ideas from you if you don't mind~

I found a $10 CHE online that I'm leaning toward. If heat is more important than basking, then I think that might be the best choice for me, so I can just leave it on 24/7 and not have to worry about it. (I forgot to mention that he/she is going to be outside a lot of the time, so plenty of basking time in the sun!) After resurrecting my 40-gallon from the basement, however, I came to find that the lid has been destroyed by my cat! This tank is one of those weird old ones that has a sliding, locking lid, so a standard 40-gallon lid won't cut it. Does my tortoise need a cover? I know it would help keep in humidity, but I've seen a lot of coverless tortoise enclosures, or at least partial covers, so do you think this will be a problem if I make sure the humidity is maintained?

 

[Ashes]

I have no problem with that! mine has the sliding lid (and oh how I hate it) as well - I covered the top with aluminum foil to trap the humidity - it was too hard to keep up with just the screen.... Now I can keep it above 80%.

 

[crimson_lotus]

I put a piece of wood on top of mine as well as a shower curtain and it really helped my humidity a lot

 

[HelloWorld]

Ooh, I'm sure I can find a plank of wood or something similar to put on top!

 

[HelloWorld]

I edited my OP to add a new question! Help!

 

[Ashes]

I have a 100w CHE and a 40g as well, and it doesn't keep the heat up in the WHOLE thing above 80 degrees. I am actually considering getting rid of the basking light since he never ever uses it and getting another CHE (he still has the uv light for the day), that way I'll have one on either side of the tank 24/7 to heat both sides consistently. The temp stays above 83 during the day with the CHE and basking light on, but not at night..... Hmm. What are you thinking?

I'm actually re-doing the enclosure this weekend.

 

[Blgreek08]

Temps depend on placement of equipment, lid/cover on tank/enclosure and the ambient temp where the tank is located, as well as humidity. my old bearded dragon had a 40 gallon breeder tank and a 75che kept it at a solid 105-100 degree in the basking area. We have low humidity here and no ac so my house is hotter but in the winter I needed a 150che to achieve the same effect. It all depends on environmental things. You'll figure it out you just need to learn you're house and the area your in good luck