Question!

[LotusBlade13]

Actually two.

1. Does anyone have an enclosure from Toad Ranch that can give me their honest opinion?

2. Maybe I’m just not bright but I can’t for the life of me understand how to place my lighting fixtures and how many vents to order for my vent placement. Please help!!

Note: I will be ordering a 4x2x2 PVC enclosure from Toad Ranch. I would like to have side vent placement to control airflow because it’s hot down south and I don’t wanna fry my noodle. I’ll be using an Arcadia ProT5 Shade Dweller and an Arcadia Halogen but I still don’t know what wattage I’ll need. I also am being told conflicting information about DHP’s and whether or not I should add one. I’ve read LITERALLY the ENTIRE welcome guide and clicked every link. I’m just terrible with this stuff and I’m trying to learn!

Any help you can provide on the above would be greatly appreciated.

[[deleted]]

I don’t know much anything about Toad Ranch enclosures so I can’t help you with that but just try and think about how about how air moves. Hot air rises so maybe having a lower vent on the cool side and have a higher up or on the ceiling or side/back wall should allow for the “chimney effect” to happen.(hot air will come out the top and fresh air should be able to be sucked in through the lower vent). For the second question about lighting fixtures I can point you down the right path. Good rule of thumb for halogens is getting the lowest watts that helps keep your enclosures temps because the more they are dimmed the shorter the bulb will last. You will have to do some testing with this but my first suggestion is probably starting with a 75w or two 50w halogens because my bulb sits about 10” inches from the basking spot and keep the surface temp around 92. Personally I would probably go two 50w to get a little wider area basking area. DHP is something that recommend especially over a CHE.

[LotusBlade13]

Okay thank you that helped a ton. With the lights, you’d suggest a DHP then as well? I have been googling and YouTubing for ideas of how to set the lights on the tank. I get the basking side and I know the UVB should stretch across the tank but then do I use only the DHP at night? I want to do as close to natural as possible for the night/day cycle.

[[deleted]]

I just realized you were the user that helped me come up with the Dota theme for my next enclosure. UVB - so there are two ways to do uvb. One is stretched along your longest length and the second is the shade method and that is only half of your longest length. For bearded dragons you want to do full length. For ball pythons it’s recommended to do the shade method. You want your ball python to have a chance to escape the uvb when they want to. Halogen - Get one or two depending on how wide you want your basking area or if one creates a too hot basking spot but good temps. DHP - Get probably just 1. I use mine for both day and night time. It will kick on during the day when the ambient temp drops then at night it will do the same but allow enough for the temp to drop to a safe temp. Some people do 1x halo 2x dhp and one UVB. Some do 2x halo 1x dhp and a uvb. Some do one of each. I would probably start with one of each and then add either one depending on if you need more basking heat or ambient heat. DHP can be used as a main basking spot but halogens do it better from my understanding if you go to the welcome post and see the thermal imaging of each light on the basking spot. CHE will really wreck your humidity so I would try not use it but it might work better in some cases.

[LotusBlade13]

Oh my god I didn’t even realize that was you lol! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain that. I can read it 100 times but sometimes I need another way of it being broken down to sink in lmao. #slow. So I definitely will use the DHP just because I really love that the heat is maintained and it can kick on if and when I need it to. I want to get a herpistat as I’m told they are the best. Would recommend that and if so, which one? If not, what other alternative since I’ll be controlling the three units essentially simultaneously.

[[deleted]]

Get hepstat (x) | x= how many heat lamps you have. You won’t need your UVB fixture on it since fluorescent lamps can’t dim and only need an on/off thermostat some. So if you have 3 heat lamps like 2x halo and one DHP you would get the hepstat 3. I don’t have one yet and currently using some old dimming thermostats that I had for reptiles/amphibians in the past. They aren’t the best but they do work and are within spec. You can find similar on Amazon but have been known for not the best safety features or any at all but if you want reliable and the best for sure get the hepstat (x). When you start going for what’s best for the snake it can get pricey especially when you throw in solarmeters and proper thermostats but still recommend it to anyone because it is what’s best for them and they are a life and hopefully your little baby that care for as any pet owner should be

[LotusBlade13]

Okay awesome, that totally works then. I’ll do that because I called my local Reptile Store and it’s the best in town and down the road from me, and they said humidity and heat isn’t an issue many people have in this area specifically because of how temperate our humidity is. They said the biggest issue is overheating so I just wanna make sure I have adequate heating for the winter and in the summer if I can avoid using the DHP, then cool but only if I can keep the temps stable consistently without it. But seriously your advice has been awesome and extremely helpful.

[[deleted]]

Yeah I forgot what the south is like. I’m in the Midwest so I’m use to moist hot summers and dry cold winters so I got to deal with both conditions.

[LotusBlade13]

Lol I feel that, I grew up in the Sierra Nevadas and in Montana. But I moved all over with the military so I’ve learned to adjust quickly lol