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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!)

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...

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 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.

I've used halogen lights for heat sources without any problems.

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 ^^;

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.