Tortoise Table Lightning

[cosmonautred]

Hello all, me again! The custom tortoise table has been completed. The only thing to do now is the lighting. I have attached a picture of our tortoise table to ask how you would go about lighting it up. What specifically would you do for this table?



There are plug points round the back, close to the wall, but we can run the cables anywhere along the table. Another side question I have... Would you personally line the table in plastic? If so, how would you personally go about doing that? This question isn't as important as the lighting, but if you could please get back to me, that would be very helpful.

It would be a great help if you could maybe draw on the image I have attached to show exactly how you would light it up. Thank you everybody in advance! You have all been a great help.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hi!
Let's start with an easy question: yes, I would line the wood. PVC tablecloth, durable shower curtain, thick greenhouse plastic film or pond liner or something similar. I would cover the bottom and the inside walls. If you are able to find cheap thin plastic sheets (expanded PVC, HIPS panels etc.) - you can use them instead and seal seams with aquarium silicone.

As of lights:
I would setup basking area by the window. Make Γ or Π frames for hanging light fixtures.

You will need a T5 UVB tube (Arcadia ProT5 Desert 12% or ZooMed Reptisun T5 Terrarium Hood with 10.0 lamp), 22"/24W will work. Approximate installation height is 18-20" above substrate level (it's better to have some room for adjustment).

Close to the UVB lamp you place the basking lamp dome/socket. Use incandescent flood bulbs for better heat spread (e.g. Arcadia Solar Basking Floodlight). To reach basking area temperature of 95-100F, basking lamp is typically installed at 12-13" above substrate (but it depends on room temperatures and such).

Add some ambient LEDs over open enclosure areas for overall brightness (e.g. shop lights).

Some light placement schemes can be found here: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/8-4-enclosure-lighting.215843/

Live examples of frames and mounting fixtures are here: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/enclosure-inspiration.220597/

Don't hesitate to ask more questions!

 

[cosmonautred]

Hi!
Let's start with an easy question: yes, I would line the wood. PVC tablecloth, durable shower curtain, thick greenhouse plastic film or pond liner or something similar. I would cover the bottom and the inside walls. If you are able to find cheap thin plastic sheets (expanded PVC, HIPS panels etc.) - you can use them instead and seal seams with aquarium silicone.

As of lights:
I would setup basking area by the window. Make Γ or Π frames for hanging light fixtures.

You will need a T5 UVB tube (Arcadia ProT5 Desert 12% or ZooMed Reptisun T5 Terrarium Hood with 10.0 lamp), 22"/24W will work. Approximate installation height is 18-20" above substrate level (it's better to have some room for adjustment).

Close to the UVB lamp you place the basking lamp dome/socket. Use incandescent flood bulbs for better heat spread (e.g. Arcadia Solar Basking Floodlight). To reach basking area temperature of 95-100F, basking lamp is typically installed at 12-13" above substrate (but it depends on room temperatures and such).

Add some ambient LEDs over open enclosure areas for overall brightness (e.g. shop lights).

Some light placement schemes can be found here: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/8-4-enclosure-lighting.215843/

Live examples of frames and mounting fixtures are here: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/enclosure-inspiration.220597/

Don't hesitate to ask more questions!

Thank you! This is all very good advice. Am I right in thinking he needs 3 L shaped light fixtures? One for heat, one for UV, and one for an LED light? The heat will be hooked up to an adjustable thermostat, which will come on automatically when needed, the UV light will be hooked up to a timer which will turn on for 4 hours a day before switching off again, and the LED light will be on another timer for 12 hours a day before switching off. All of these bulbs will be in overhead lamps.

Is this correct? Does this work? If this is all correct, where would you position each of these?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thank you! This is all very good advice. Am I right in thinking he needs 3 L shaped light fixtures? One for heat, one for UV, and one for an LED light? The heat will be hooked up to an adjustable thermostat, which will come on automatically when needed, the UV light will be hooked up to a timer which will turn on for 4 hours a day before switching off again, and the LED light will be on another timer for 12 hours a day before switching off. All of these bulbs will be in overhead lamps.

Is this correct? Does this work? If this is all correct, where would you position each of these?

Yes, probably, 3 Γ-shaped frames would be enough. I would attach UVB fixture to the first 2 (it's a long fixture and has two mounting brackets). A basking lamp socket/dome can also be attached to one of the same frames (there should be enough space for that).

And long LEDs can, perhaps span through all three frames.

Timings for the lamps are correct, however I would use a rheostat (simple lamp dimmer) and a timer with the basking bulb so it can stay consistently bright through the day (e.g. for 13 hours to make some yellowish dawn/dask light). You can also adjust basking lamp height and wattage and skip the dimmer (however, it makes temperature control more precise and slight dimming increases bulb lifespan).

Example positioning schemes are in the thread I've linked above.

 

[cosmonautred]

Yes, probably, 3 Γ-shaped frames would be enough. I would attach UVB fixture to the first 2 (it's a long fixture and has two mounting brackets). A basking lamp socket/dome can also be attached to one of the same frames (there should be enough space for that).

And long LEDs can, perhaps span through all three frames.

Timings for the lamps are correct, however I would use a rheostat (simple lamp dimmer) and a timer with the basking bulb so it can stay consistently bright through the day (e.g. for 13 hours to make some yellowish dawn/dask light). You can also adjust basking lamp height and wattage and skip the dimmer (however, it makes temperature control more precise and slight dimming increases bulb lifespan).

Example positioning schemes are in the thread I've linked above.

So, to clarify, one Γ-shaped support will have the heat bulb. The other two Γ-shaped supports will have the UVB strip hanging from them, with a gap in the middle? How would you set this up? Would you have them next to each other, or opposite one another?

When you mention the LED lamps across all three frames, how do you mean?

Thank you!!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

So, to clarify, one Γ-shaped support will have the heat bulb. The other two Γ-shaped supports will have the UVB strip hanging from them, with a gap in the middle? How would you set this up? Would you have them next to each other, or opposite one another?

When you mention the LED lamps across all three frames, how do you mean?

Thank you!!

Probably, one picture worth thousand words (even, the bad drawing like mine). )

All lights can be hanged using chains or metallic cords (to make height adjustable). Or can be directly fixed to the support bars.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

There’s a definitely a few different ways you could tackle this, these are the ideas I had

Probably, one picture worth thousand words (even, the bad drawing like mine). )

All lights can be hanged using chains or metallic cords (to make height adjustable). Or can be directly fixed to the support bars.

I like Alex’s idea too, and that little tortoise in the drawing was too cute not to mention! Lol

 

[cosmonautred]

There’s a definitely a few different ways you could tackle this, these are the ideas I had
View attachment 394167
View attachment 394168

I like Alex’s idea too, and that little tortoise in the drawing was too cute not to mention! Lol

These are really good sketches, and we might switch to this in the future depending on how the current set-up goes, but we're going with the set-up Alex proposed. We've built three L-shaped arms, and we're going to put them all against the back wall.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

These are really good sketches, and we might switch to this in the future depending on how the current set-up goes, but we're going with the set-up Alex proposed. We've built three L-shaped arms, and we're going to put them all against the back wall.

Sounds great! Looking forward to seeing this all set up

 

[cosmonautred]

Sounds great! Looking forward to seeing this all set up

I think we'll end up doing a combination of the two set-ups. I think we'll probably have a long piece of wood connecting all three arms together. Is it essential to have a spot for a ceramic bulb, or do you think I could just swap out the heat bulb with the ceramic one during the winter and leave it on 24/7?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I think we'll end up doing a combination of the two set-ups. I think we'll probably have a long piece of wood connecting all three arms together. Is it essential to have a spot for a ceramic bulb, or do you think I could just swap out the heat bulb with the ceramic one during the winter and leave it on 24/7?

You won’t need to worry about a CHE placement until the weather starts dropping, but the ceramic does need to be separate to the basking bulb, the purpose of the ceramic is to boost ambient temperatures and provide night heat, tortoise will still need access to a basking spot. It’s recommended to mount a singular ceramic in the middle, if one isn’t cutting it and you need two, mount either end of the enclosure equal distance apart for a more even heat distribution. One should suffice depending how cold things get in your house