Finally managed to build my new enclosure for my 10 month old sulcata and am struggling getting temps right. Current set up from left to right a 75W CHE --> 9W LED --> 65W Flood bulb. I have the CHE on the left side to hopefully keep the hide warm overnight and keep the left side warm since the single flood bulb doesnt do anywhere near enough but at this current wattage i have to keep the lamp too low to the ground. The LED is to add extra ambient lighting but is the color too warm? What 0000K should i shoot for? its a 65W equivalent is that too bright for his eyes? The 65W flood bulb just like the CHE must be too low to ground to get temps right so i obviously need to keep toying around with a higher wattage but am wondering if there is a better solution and should i get a flood bulb that matches the 0000K of the LED. What other options do i have to keep the hide warm at night since it wont have direct bulb on top?
Heating/lighting guidance for custom enclosure
- Thread starter Wicr
- Start date
I like your effort, but the design of the enclosure will not work to keep temps and humidity where you want. The holes you have the lights in are very efficient chimneys that create draft and suck all the warm air right out of the enclosure. Imagine if you house had 3 bi holes in the ceiling and through the roof. You wouldn't be able to keep the house warm at all. Now imagine you put heat sources right in the middle of those holes. You would be creating a very effective draft that would accelerate the suction of air from your home.
The lights and heat sources must be inside the enclosure and the top of the enclosure sealed. You need to trap the air and humidity inside the enclosure. The way it is now, as you increase wattage to try to get things hotter, it will only work as long as the light or CHE is on and it is the radiant heat that will heat below, But the more you try to increase the heat, the greater the draft and air flow up and out the holes. So you have some temporary radiant heat while the fixture is on, but a lot of convection cooling though the drafting with the chimney effect of the holes. Once the fixtures turn off, the cooling from the drafting will quickly cool any heat and humidity gains.
As far as lighting, I install 4 100 watt equivalent LEDs in a 36 x 48 enclosure. Way, way brighter than you have. I use 5500k lights with a CRI of 90+ I use a 50 or 65 watt incandescent for basking. So that would be approximately a 2500k light. It does not need to match the LEDs as we are trying to balance the entire spectrum and the "redder" color of the basking light adds more of that part of the spectrum. I then use a few big potted plants for shade gradient and natural hides. I feel that is vital for overall health and well-being of a young tortoise.
As you plug up the air leaks in your enclosure, you will need to seal the wood. Even sealed, you will have to watch for mold build-up on a wooden enclosure kept at the proper humidity levels for a young tortoise.
Feel free to ask any more questions for clarification if you wish.
The lights and heat sources must be inside the enclosure and the top of the enclosure sealed. You need to trap the air and humidity inside the enclosure. The way it is now, as you increase wattage to try to get things hotter, it will only work as long as the light or CHE is on and it is the radiant heat that will heat below, But the more you try to increase the heat, the greater the draft and air flow up and out the holes. So you have some temporary radiant heat while the fixture is on, but a lot of convection cooling though the drafting with the chimney effect of the holes. Once the fixtures turn off, the cooling from the drafting will quickly cool any heat and humidity gains.
As far as lighting, I install 4 100 watt equivalent LEDs in a 36 x 48 enclosure. Way, way brighter than you have. I use 5500k lights with a CRI of 90+ I use a 50 or 65 watt incandescent for basking. So that would be approximately a 2500k light. It does not need to match the LEDs as we are trying to balance the entire spectrum and the "redder" color of the basking light adds more of that part of the spectrum. I then use a few big potted plants for shade gradient and natural hides. I feel that is vital for overall health and well-being of a young tortoise.
As you plug up the air leaks in your enclosure, you will need to seal the wood. Even sealed, you will have to watch for mold build-up on a wooden enclosure kept at the proper humidity levels for a young tortoise.
Feel free to ask any more questions for clarification if you wish.
Wow that explains why its been staying way too cool inside the table. I wouldnt even know where to go from here then this was a few months of planning and work. I had a hard time trying to think of a top design that was easy to open and keep wires out of way while also being flexable to adjust height of the bulbs for different temps. As far as sealing goes all edges are chaulked and i have about an inch of rubber flex seal paint on the bottom. Thank you so much for the reply but wow do i feel defeated
For it to work well, you need front opening doors, not a top that opens. You need to cover those holes and then mount all the hanging fixtures inside the box. Then make glass or plexiglass doors that open in front. You will need a CHE on either side for ambient heat, unless the room where it sits stays 70+ all the time.
I agree with Mark that wood does not last long with the needed moisture and humidity. Expanded PVC is the way to go. I tried many ways of using wood and none worked except with Pond Shield applied. That is what I sue for my outdoor boxes now. It took me years of trial and error to discover that its cheaper and better to just buy a finished PVC enclosure for inside. I used to use Animal Plastics. Their quality is excellent, their service is great and their prices are reasonable, BUT... it takes 6-12 months to get an enclosure form them. Now I get my enclosures from @Markw84 He makes 36x48" or 36x96" Smart Enclosures. They are the best thing ever. Designed and built perfectly to meet the needs of growing tortoises. You can buy them from Mark with all the lighting included and it is cheaper than buying all the individual components and assembling the whole thing yourself.
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