vision v415 tank

[spencerb]

Hey guys, So the babies were born!!! That means I will be getting a skink. I am wondering the vision v415 vision cage looks perfect for me. It has great floorspace and priced right. Its 48x16x21. What watt of a heat lamp should I use since its a bit tall. Also do you guys have any other tank recommendations. Thanks Spencer.

[Kurt]

Minimum recommended cage is 36x18. Height doesn't matter. I think that v415 vision cage would work just fine, but something 48x24 might be a little more recommended. There are many good brands out there (vision, showcase, pvc cages, boaphile, boamaster, constrictors nw, etc). I've never used any of them- so you may want to do some research. A few people on this forum use visions and they seem to love them, but I'll let them speak for themselves.

[Richard.C]

you need tp test lights to find the ideal bulb,conditions vary so much with where people have there cages that there can be no set guideline to bulb size ect

part of the reason to setting up cage first is to work all this out long before u bring baby home

a good thermometer will be your best asset in working out ideal wattage

[Scincoides]

Vision cages are fantastic, I have around thirty of them and wish I had more. The only flaw that I've found with visions is that if you stack the bigger cages, you have to take them all apart if the lightbulb goes out in the bottom cage. Since your only getting one though, I think you made a great choice

[Kurt]

Great point Richard. You might want to get a temp gun. It gives you instant feedback of surface temps and they have similar costs to digital thermometers anyways (check the ad in the classified section).

I had to try a handful of wattages. My tanks are 36x18x18 with the lights mounted inside the tanks. I started at 60 watts and it got the basking spot to about 117 if I remember correctly. I tried a few other wattages and finally settled on 40 watt flood lights which got the basking spot to 98-95. Your tank will have diff dimensions than mine so you'll have to play around with it.