Equipment Review and Discussion :: Halogen light for heating?

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Post Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 3:06 pm   Halogen light for heating?

Hi there,

I'm trying to get the basking area of my 20 gallon tank warm enough to encourage my hatchlings to bask. The heating light that came with the tank kit I bought didn't seem to be getting it warm enough, so I added a 60-watt incandescent lightbulb (the highest my ordinary bedside lamp can safely accommodate.)

Still wasn't getting up there, so I finally found that adding a small 50-watt halogen lamp gets the basking area up to 87-88 degrees. And the little guys are finally coming out.

My question is - halogen lamps can be very harsh on human eyes and possibly hurt them. Is the same true of turtles? I would hate to permanently wreck their eyes while trying to get them warm enough!

Thanks so much!

(PS - I know I'm going to need a bigger tank soon... this 20-gallon-er was all I could afford for now, and I'm saving up for an upgrade!)
sarahji
 
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Post Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 6:19 pm   

i dont know really knw what to say except i find it safer to just trust lamps & lightbulbs made for reptiles...


such as repti-glo. some things i can go cheap on like filter media but with things like that i can't risk it. the money will be worth it i believe...
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Post Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 6:53 pm   

Last edited by LilTurtSquirt on Sun May 23, 2010 12:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 11:46 am   Thanks guys!

Was trying to get away with not having to buy another lamp that can accommodate a 75-watt bulb. D'oh, looks like I'm out of luck. :)
sarahji
 
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Post Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 1:22 pm   Re: Thanks guys!

sarahji wrote:Was trying to get away with not having to buy another lamp that can accommodate a 75-watt bulb. D'oh, looks like I'm out of luck. :)


Clamp lamps are pretty cheap at hardware stores. :)
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Post Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 7:15 pm   

I've used halogen lights for heat sources without any problems.
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Post Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 2:19 am   

I've got a halogen bulb for heat on one of my tanks, never had a problem. Just make sure if you've got egg crate lid, it's not too close. Melted mine a little bit when I accidentally left it touching ^^;
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Post Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 1:28 am   

I love halogen lamps. If you are using a small one, are those made for desk lamps? I think some halogen desk lamps have a protective glass layer to filter out harmful UV. If the kind you have requires it, please make sure you are using it.
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