Reddit reviews Bayco SL-302B3 10 1/2" Brooder Clamp Light

First things first: GORGEOUS plant room! I'm a tad envious :)

Heat issues: if your windows are single-pane glass, you're going to suffer heat loss no matter what you do. Maybe next year's budget could include double-pane insulated windows? Those have made a huge difference in our house's energy efficiency.

One thing that's worked well for me is an [oil-filled radiator] (https://www.homedepot.com/b/Heating-Venting-Cooling-Heaters-Space-Heaters-Electric-Heaters-Oil-filled-Radiant-Heaters/N-5yc1vZc8od). They're relatively inexpensive, fairly energy efficient, and do a great job warming up a room. Our cats spend most of their day huddled around ours! If you're willing to spend a little extra, you can get a programmable one so you don't have to turn it on/off all the time. They roll away tidily during the warm season, and are virtually indestructible - your kids will inherit it.

You could try hanging [clamp lights] (https://www.amazon.com/Bayco-SL-302B3-Brooder-Porcelain-Ceramic/dp/B0061MZ4Q6) over your plants, but I don't think this is going to be any more efficient (space, energy cost, materials expense) than an oil filled radiator. A combo of full spectrum and infrared heat bulbs will provide heat and some extra light on dark days, but you're probably going to need at least 10 to cover all your plants. Also, you'll have to monitor plant reactions to make sure they don't get "sunburned."

Hope these ideas help; good luck!

Correct.

I made the same mistake my first go round.

also, i'd really suggest some of http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061MZ4Q6/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 with Y-splitter adapters and 2 100w eq 2700k CFL bulbs placed within 2-3 inches of the plants with the LED lighting. (kind of center the led lights, then surround from the outside shining into the plant with the clamp lights.. the clamps can hold/hang perfectly fine on something as simple as garden string)

It makes a huge difference, I have two procyon 100's and 8 (well 16) 100w cfls

Lettuce likes cooler temps and needs less light than veggies. But you'll need more than just a bulb or two. If you want to use CFLs and keep it cheap, you can use a couple brooder lamps with splitters. Each lamp will hold 2 bulbs - one at 2700k and the other at 6500k. This will provide a broader spectrum and I've found it's perfectly adequate for lettuce. The number of lamps you need will depend in how many plants you have. You need to have every part of the plant illuminated and keep the bulbs pretty close to the leaves.

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/8254/FC85-S50OD.html

I strongly suggest something like this to get the most out of it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061MZ4Q6/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687742&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B007RKKEHA&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1VG0W28M78J5APDDDMAX

Thanks! I'll check on the bulb. Something like a 6200K 23 watt I think. Daylight with blue end mostly. CFL to keep heat at 80 deg works perfect at 10 inches away. About 10 bucks on amazon plus another 10 for the reflector is best I could find. Will get a 2800k for the peppers and tomatoes to induce flowering after I get them on the hydro for a month or two. The lettuce stays on blueish since it's all veg growth you want.

edit
bulb: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKKU7SA/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_33
holder: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061MZ4Q6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

First things first, how large is the tank you have? For a juvenile, you will need a minimum of a 20 gallon. These guys grow fast when kept properly and well fed, so you can expect him to outgrow that within a few months. Do keep an eye on craigslist and other similar sites, or even check around with local aquarium supply stores when you're looking to upgrade him. (They may give you a really good deal on a lightly damaged tank because it won't hold water, but is in good condition for a reptile.)


For the light, it looks like the one you've linked might have a plastic base. For heat lamps, it's best to go with something that has a heat resistant base such as this. You do not have to get this one specifically, just remember to look for something with a ceramic/porcelain or otherwise heat tolerant base.


As for the decor, it is perfectly fine to use things you've found outside, as long as you've sanitized them thoroughly. Here is a pretty good article on sanitizing wood for use in your dragon's enclosure. Rocks can be cleaned in a similar manner, but as a warning do not bake rocks. However unlikely it may be, some rocks can explode when baked if there is moisture inside them.


Finally, I want to note that young dragons can get very expensive to feed. When they're small, there are fewer safe prey items to feed opposed to an adult, and their diet should largely consist of protein. Pellet diets can be added as a supplement but they should not be fed these exclusively or to replace either part of their diet, and it often takes work to get them to eat it. I would definitely suggest keeping an eye on your local craigslist and see if you can adopt an adult, they are much easier on the wallet and you get to help a dragon in need.

Best of luck!

Yeah, I noticed that. I will be buying 2 more of these to finish the lighting.

https://www.amazon.com/Bayco-SL-302B3-Brooder-Porcelain-Ceramic/dp/B0061MZ4Q6/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1466894079&sr=8-9&keywords=clamp+light

I put an old image at the end of the album.

I have two 26-watt and two 32-watt 6500k bulbs above my 55g (soil substrate with sand cap, DIY red-clay root tabs, and Excel dosing 3x weekly), in 10.5-inch reflectors pointing downward with a photoperiod of about 10 hours a day. I have swords, vals, hygrophila, and pretty much everything else I've tried have done well with very healthy growth and basically no algae problems. I tried HC, though, and that wasn't such a success; none of it has died, but in about five months, it hasn't spread noticeably. Other light/CO2-hungry carpeting plants (DHG, glosso) have done only slightly better. I assume my poor HC growth is more a matter of inadequate CO2 than of inadequate light.

I bought my bulbs online since I wasn't able to find 6500k bulbs in stores, but they weren't anything special--I think GE brand. From what I've heard, the consensus is that shelling out for specialty CFL bulbs from hydroponics stores, etc., (assuming comparable color temp, watts & lumens, etc.) probably isn't worth it.

I spent maybe $60-70 on the whole lighting set-up (including a bar and chains to hang the lights from), which is pretty good, but with a 48" Finnex Planted+ going for like $140 on Amazon, I really wonder if the CFL route is no longer such a cost-effective way to go.

That's what they look like. I use these on my 60gal with CFL's and they do the trick. Just spray paint them black and they don't even look bad.