General Care Discussion :: Lighting...

[ohsnapitscharity]

What is safe to set my clamp lights on top of that wont melt? I have to have some sort of top though as the water is high enough to where they would escape without one.

[marisa]

Hardware cloth.

[BiteyBits]

I see a lot of good use from eggcrate- might also be what marisa was talking about. It has big square gaps that let light through, but is sturdy because it was made to be used in light fixtures and you can cut it to size.

[ohsnapitscharity]

alright. what is eggcrate called in the hardware stores though? i thought about that.

[BiteyBits]

I went to home depot and they knew it as eggcrate. I also described it/ how it's used for lighting. If you have a printer, you can take in a picture, maybe?

[chelonian]

They are called light diffuser panels and can be found in the lighting section of Home Depot.

[Melvira_Fox]

Go to the lighting department of Home Depot and wander around until someone asks you for help- then ask for the eggcrate.

That's what I did, and come to find out they had it hidden away.

We also got questions on what we were going to do with it.

[untsmurf]

if you're using egg crate, make sure and cut out a square where the bulb will be that way it's not resting directly on the egg crate.

[ohsnapitscharity]

ok! thanks for that because im going to get the stuff in a few minutes!

[marisa]

If you're going to actually set your lights on it, especially the heat light, I wouldn't use eggcrate/light diffuser. which can melt if it gets too warm.

Hardware cloth is made of metal and comes in rolls, which you can cut to the size you need. You can get it at hardware stores, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. the 1/2 square size is preferable---it allows in more UVB light.

[ohsnapitscharity]

alright. well ill see the prices when i get there. i will let you all know what i decide to get and update with pics!

[untsmurf]

we have the heat lamp for our skink about two inches above the egg crate. We cut a square out below the light so the bulb isn't near the egg crate. We've had it like this for about two years now and it hasn't melted. I can post a pic if it helps.

[marisa]

The original question asked what was safe to set lights on top of. That is why I recommended hardware cloth and not egg crate...

[ohsnapitscharity]

I went with the hardware cloth. The holes are 1/2" is that good or do I need to make the holes bigger?

[marisa]

No, as was stated above, 1/2" hardware cloth is good. If you cut it a bit bigger than you need, you can attach a wooden border on it or otherwise bend it as you like.