Lighting idea....

[Telson]

Ok, I'm thinking of building a stepped shelving unit to put all (well.... most!) of my enclosures on for a good looking display in the nook that passes for a dining area in my apartment, since it isn't used for dining anyhow. The reasons I'm thinking of making it stepped is two fold:

1: So I can open tanks on the lower shelves without having to pull them off the shelf to access the opening past the shelf above it.

2: So I can hang a true UV lighting system (previously mounted on a very nice live coral reef aquarium) from the cieling that will bring out the colors only seen in natural daylight, without having to put the system out too far in front of the shelves.

I figure if the lighting system is set at the right hight it can pull double duty by perfomring the function listed above and at the same time if hung low enough it can provide a little heat since the kitchen / dining nook gets pretty chilly in the winter months (50-60 degrees F. sometimes!).

Obvious flaw in plan:
The lower shelves will require an alternate heat source if I am to keep the lights high enough to avoid cooking the upper shelves inhabitants.

Alright.... Suggestions? Commentaries?

:?

 

[Nixy]

Try strip heating. I've been working on dining room conversion here. Also, never used for a dining room.. lol....
When I get the wall units done I'm gong to run strip heating lines with a thermostate at regular intervals. I'm looking into possable sensors for the enclosiers. And a boxed unit to monitor them. It's an idea in progress. If it comes out well the adults will have from opening homes. They're permanaent residences. And open shelves for cups and K. keepers for slings and juvies.
I'm going to dim strip lighting just for decor and maybe a few mini spots to snap on when company is over and we want to show off. . I don't want to UV them. and lights are drying. So I try to avid it other then over all pocket ambiant warmth on chilly nights. Other then that I more work to keep the room the right temp.

Good luck and remember pictures when your done!
Will be a while here due to funds, but I have it all planed out an messured. Buying materials in spits and starts as I can and setting it aside.

 

[Telson]

On the strip heating, how are you going to set it up? I want to avoid having the heat source UNDER the tanks. As for the UV, I could set it up so there is normal lighting and then use the UV just when I want to show off the T's colors without having to take them outside in to natural sunlight.

Money as a factor here as well, and my next major purchase is going to be a good macro capable digital camera before I start on this, or any of the other projects I've thought up...

On that subject, I've had a few recommendations for decent cameras and sources, but can someone explain "macro" to me in detail please? I've seen a few cameras with "macro mode" but no details listed about it on the adverts for them, and some posts from people who've said their own macro modes stink while others have intensely awesome macro pics... I've had some real nitwits at a couple stores try to sell me crapola cameras and the only reason I knew they were full of it was cause they started talking about the computer end of the pics and I know enough about computers to know they knew very little, so I didn't trust their knowlege of the cameras themselves to be any better! What I REALLY need to know is, specificly, what features do I look for in a camera to make sure I can get really crisp clean closeups of slings, molts, etc...?

 

[NEMESIS_112]

Hey Telson!

I have no idea what macro mode means, but i bought a digital camera that does takes really good pics. when i saw a thread that MizM posted with a lot of pics and said she bought a certain camera i went ahead and bought the same one because i loved the pics she took. the pics looked like professional pictures. I bought it off the internet at about $125.00 which i believed was cheap compared to other cameras. it came with the cd rom, usb port and a video input wire so you can display pictures on your television. it was the Kodak easyshare CX4200.
here is a link so you can see what the cam looks like.
hope it helps.
Adrian
Nemesis_112

 

[NEMESIS_112]

forgot the link sorry!

http://www.70tallet.no/topp15/cx4200.shtml

 

[Telson]

Thanks, but it's all written in another language! (LOL)

 

[NEMESIS_112]

sorry about that!

sorry about that. Just go to a search engine and plug in Kodak CX4200 and it gives you a link that gives you information. You probably know about this already.
Nemesis_112

 

[Nixy]

Friend of mine collects inverts and herps and his setup is strip heated in the back. Very utilitarian and in his basement. He showed me his setup and gave me tons of pointers and I can do electrical work so the whole thing is a project I can enjoy doing. Trying to regulate individual enclosiers might be a bit much though. But if it's set up well each shelf can have it's own thermostate and switches. Just a few more wires and setting up a box for them wouldn't be a proble. Set it to cut off or on when and if the temperature moves under or over a specified range and the ambiance lights can be put on a timer for any hour to cut on by themselves. The spots would be regularly swtched of course.
Yeah, showing off under UV would be alright, maybe set up some for That and use somehting else the rest of the time?
The Ambiant lighting I want won't interfier with nocternal habits but wil allow for them to be seen and watched at night.
Money is Always an issue. LOL.
Which is why I'm collecting the parts a little at a time before ripping apart my dining room. Where I'm putting it through is Right over the area of my basment where the cicut box is though. Add a few outlets, run some romex. I have room in the box and it's Nothing to add another breaker and give the setup it's Own breaker. That way if I turn on the blender or plug in the toaster then that won;t be effected.

 

[Telson]

Re: sorry about that!

Originally posted by NEMESIS_112
sorry about that. Just go to a search engine and plug in Kodak CX4200 and it gives you a link that gives you information. You probably know about this already.
Nemesis_112

No prob, just thought it was funny.



Nixy:
Sounds like your project is going to be a lot more involved than mine, hehe. Good luck with it.

 

[mebebraz]

Heres what I did two years ago, I built enclosed sections in my living room, as for heating, Its built over a heater vent, in the winter I put a bowl of water over the vent to raise the humidity, as for lighting, regular bulbs on an adjustable switch, go from brighter to dimmer, depending on the temp, I can ususlly get it within two degrees of where Id like it, depending on the time of the year. Cant really see it but the left side door flips up and hooks to the ceiling and the right is a regular screen door, nice one, with the plastic heat shrink on it, I like it.

 

[Telson]

HOLY TARANTULA-HAULICS BATMAN!!!

Is that a picture of heaven???;P

 

[NEMESIS_112]

mebebraz

That is sooo tight. I wish i had an extra room in my house to make into a T-section only. But i dont think i have the authority to modify the house in any way except my room. No one will let me mess with my computer room because its close to the kitchen and when visitors are over they dont want to scare them. I hate when people judge tarantulas and say they are sooooooo dangerous and that they kill people. Well cant blame them i use to think that way. Its true that people are afraid of what they dont know.
Nemesis_112

 

[MizM]

Mebebraz: That's bee-you-ftiful!!! You should be in "Tarantula House Showcase!"