1st of 4

ok so i got off work early today, so i decided to build the 1st of 4 enclosures i am building. i went with gray 5/8 melamine. it measures 48" x 24"x30". pretty basic box ,and very simple to do.


now i need a few suggestions

as far as vents go.....how many would you put, and where would you place them?

i am also wondering if i could use the ceramic fixture from an exoterra dome. if you unscrew the ceramic nut on the inside of the dome it comes apart,can i just screw that through the top of the enclosure?(i am using mega rays and want to keep the bulbs as high as possible)


also can a Under Tank Heater be mounted to the bottom of the enclosure?(5/8 melamine)


i got a ton of questions but these are at th top of the list :P

thanks

This for your Bearded Dragons right?
I doubt that the Under Tank Heater will do much on the bottom of the 5/8 melamine. Wood is a pretty good insulator.
For vents I would put one at each end, near the top, which can also double as a handhold for moving the enclosure. Since heat rises this will circulate the air. If you find that this keeps it too humid you can always go back and put another one in the back. I like the round plastic 3, and 4, inch louvered vents that are made for irrigation systems. You just use a hole saw make the proper sized hole, put a ring of silicone on it and pop it in.
If I understand what you are proposing, I would be leery of having the base of the bulb in contact with the wood of the cage. The reason that ceramic sockets are stressed is that these things get hot, possibly hot enough to burn your wood.

This is supposed to be a serious question: Why do you want to fit an undertank heater, presumably you`ll be fitting something to the floor of the tank (tiles)? the ammount of heat that would come through would be negligible with that thickness of wood.
And I agree with Merlin re fitting the ceramic socket directly to the top of the tank, they get extremely hot, I`m using a range of wattages (Megarays, ceramic bulbs and infrareds), it`s best to have at least 3 or 4inches between the fixture and the lid. What wattage are you thinking of in the Megaray?

thanks merlin

i was kind of worried about the light socket getting too hot as well. i will just install pull chain style fixtures in there then to be safe.

well i was hoping you were going to say put the vents in the back haha:P
the tanks will be be 2 side by side and 2 more stacked on that(i wll have ajustable feet on the uppers to allow for wireing ) so the inside walls will be touching maybe i can put one in the side and one at the back by the inside wall??

i wanted to have the Under Tank Heater to maintain night time temps(my reptile room is in the basement and it can get low 60s) i was trying to decide between Under Tank Heater or ruv heat projectors as my Bearded Dragons seem to notice the red infrared bulbs i used to use.

i use 160w megarays for my dragons. which is the reason i made the enclosures 30" tall to accomodate the bulb and keep proper distance(minimum 15" i believe)

For my dragon cage vents I used 2x12 louvered floor vent that are used with hard wood floors and forced hot air systems. They were like $10 at Lowes. Just cut the right size rectangle and they pop right in.
Gary

i think i will go with the 4" circular ones. i have seen these at rona and think they will do the trick .

and yes merlin, for my Bearded Dragons

well i have 2 of these enclosures built now and im just waiting for the glass to be cut and the tracking to be delivered. my thermostats just arrived yesterday and a week early

so i am going to get the lighting fixtures installed and do some tests to see how accurately 1 thermostat will control 2 enclosures.

i am wondering if anyone has any suggestions about the placement of the lighting fixtures.
should i put both basking lights on the inside wall? outeside wall?

For the Under Tank Heater you could affix it to a piece of glass, like a picture frame or something, and put that inside the cage (just make a little hole for the cord). Then cover it with a piece of slate or some other material that will conduct the heat but prevent them from being in direct contact with the heater to avoid burns.