BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Just got my 4x2x2 enclosure ordered and it should be constructed and delivered within the next 6 weeks. As of right now, I'm getting everything I need together and I thought I had my heating and lighting setup figured out, but through some experimentation realized it wasn't going to work how I had planned. I'll be getting a northern after I get my enclosure stabilized, and I was going to use a 150w CHE in a 10" ceramic socket dome that's plugged into a thermostat, into a timer to provide the hot spot heat during the day. However, I set up a mock stand and it wasn't even hitting 90°F from a little more than half the length I'd have it at in the enclosure. I'm aiming for at the very least 4" of substrate and since my enclosure is 24" tall, that leaves ~20" of space between the top and substrate. I do have an elevated tile that I'll be using as the basking platform but it's lifted about 1.5" so there's no way it's going to get warm enough. The appeal was due to still having these left from when I had my hedgehog and that since CHEs produce no light, I wouldn't see it dimming. I'm going to be using a T5 10.0 UVB tube, and was going to use a LED bulb to establish the photoperiod, both plugged into a timer. However, since the CHE isn't getting me the temps I need, I'm considering a halogen flood bulb, but I'm not sure what wattage I'd need for ~20" of space. I'm also wondering if a dimming thermostat is worth it, or if just using a regular dimmer switch will work fine. I'm very excited but obviously a little bummed that my original plan isn't going to pan out how I had hoped.

Don't use the CHE. A halogen floodlight will produce a more intense hot spot. Not a huge fan of the 24" tall enclosures for this reason. Head to your hardware store and pick up one of the Par38 floodlights. Those tend to get pretty intense. I'd definitely pair it up with a dimming switch to make life easier. And if for whatever reason, you still can't get it hot enough, add more substrate. Bag of topsoil is about $5 and will definitely get your skink closer to the heat source. Adding a flat stone under the light will help retain the heat much more effectively than the substrate will. Plenty of those in the garden section.

I was initially going to go with a 48" x 24" x 18", but I did figure that it was better to get a taller enclosure and need a higher wattage bulb than one that was too short and be looking for a bulb that was low enough. I went with this enclosure: https://customreptilehabitats.com/colle ... -enclosure
Do you have a suggestion of where to start wattage wise? I was thinking 60 watts. Also, do you have a specific style of dimmer switch that you recommend? I'm headed back to Lowe's today to get materials for the next round of experimentation. For now, the plan is to use the halogen floods in a ceramic socket (not sure of diameter yet) plugged into the dimmer which is on a timer; the T5 UVB tube as well as a LED bulb for viewing (on the opposite end of the enclosure since they don't get hot), both plugged into the same light timer. I may just end up getting a timer that can have all 3 attached for simplicity's sake.

ETA: Called the enclosure manufacturer because the customer service representative I spoke to prior to ordering was super helpful. I explained the situation and she suggested a 90 watt in a lamp with a built-in dimmer to have less cords and said that was totally fine in a light timer.