# Lighting a tall Vivarium



## nick76 (Apr 10, 2020)

Hi there! As i am finishing up my first vivarium build an x-tall exo terra, 24x18x36in for my crested gecko. I am noticing that my current light setup is leaving two many areas of shade due to them being direct beams of light. I am currently using two of the super bright Jungle Dawn 40 watt spotlights. 

I want to add some additional light to cover the darker spots. What would be an additional LED powerful enough to reach the bottom of the 3 foot high vivarium? Currently looking at the Current Satellite+Pro, the Tincman Herps 22 inch bar, Arcadia 34 watt LED Jungle Dawn Bar, and a few cheaper ebay options. Cool effects like lighting storms and lunar lights would be a plus.

I would probably move the spotlights to the front of the viv and run the new light across the back

Here's a pic of the viv with it's current light setup:


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## minorhero (Apr 24, 2020)

They don't mention it on their website but I am guessing your current lights have some optics built in that are narrowing the beam down to a 40 degree angle or maybe even a 90 degree.. either way you end up with a lot of shadows with such a setup as you noted.

Other options include bulbs that do not have such a narrow focus (120 degree beam angle would be good) or more expensive lights. 

I would steer clear of the current brand their lights are frankly a bit underpowered. 

I just bought a chihiros wrgb light from ebay. They are an overseas company so you will need to wait for it to be imported but they are generally considered a budget high light solution in the aquarium world. When I say 'budget' I don't really mean cheap.. just cheaper then some of the other options in the same power category. Another option is a couple of popbloom freshwater lights.. buying 2 would be very expensive, but it would solve your issue. They are not the most programable lights in the world but they do have some sunrise and sunset options etc.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Your plants might not love the lighting setup, but the crested gecko will like the shadows much more than being blasted with light


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

fishingguy12345 said:


> Your plants might not love the lighting setup, but the crested gecko will like the shadows much more than being blasted with light


Agree 100%. Cresties need provisions for hiding, in secure darkness, all day.


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## Broseph (Dec 5, 2011)

fishingguy12345 said:


> Your plants might not love the lighting setup, but the crested gecko will like the shadows much more than being blasted with light


This. Embrace the shadows. 

Also, there’s only so much you can do to overcome the shadows created by plants and hardscape.


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## nick76 (Apr 10, 2020)

Got it! No additional light haha. I will be adding a mistking system though. Would I be fine with just two of the single nozzles in the top corners or should I use a double nozzle on each side?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

nick76 said:


> Got it! No additional light haha. I will be adding a mistking system though. Would I be fine with just two of the single nozzles in the top corners or should I use a double nozzle on each side?


Personally, I think you'd be fine with two single nozzles, but I'm not super familiar with the mist king systems yet.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

I'd use singles (well, for a single crestie viv, I would mist manually -- crested geckos only need a light misting once each evening); one nozzle on each front corner will cover your plants fine.


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Building a tank that balances light and use of negative (empty) space is one of the biggest vivarium design challenges that I can think of. Skyscrapers make this challenge even tougher (because of the available light angles, all narrow). I have three of these and I am only partially happy with 1 of them. They are all functional, but I don't particularly like how they have grown in. I recently redid my 36x18x36 for the same reason. It is just really difficult, at least for me. I guess what I am saying is that you are only noticing it now in the context of lighting, but the shadow issues started when put in your hardscape, I am guessing. At least that's when the problems start for me 

Mark


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## RyanD (Jul 18, 2006)

Encyclia said:


> Building a tank that balances light and use of negative (empty) space is one of the biggest vivarium design challenges that I can think of.
> 
> Mark


That is a very true statement, a bit of a challenge in tall tanks for sure! I wonder if a not so bright light, illuminating the top back would help add some dimension? When I’ve considered taller tanks I always imagined a mix of lighting types- spot lights for shadows and other wider angled lights for general illumination. There probably would be plenty of shadows still? Not sure how much shadow is preferred. Admittedly I’m not very familiar with crested gecko practices. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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