FAQs

Please contact me if you don't see an answer here to your question(s).

    • What size do I need?
      If you do not know the width, depth and height of your display, you need to measure it.  It should be represented using this format  -- width x depth x height. An 18x18x24 tank is 18" left to right, 18" front to back, and 24" tall.

       

      All lights I make and sell are tested by me or someone I know well to work over the top of the tank where they sit.  So there is no guess work here as to whether these lights work for any given terrarium or vivarium.

       

      Once you know the size of your display (rounded to the nearest inch if its a custom or odd size), you can type that into the "Search" feature on this website and you will see search results which look something like this:

       

       

      Now you can click on any or all of these search results to see lights that have been sized for your exact display.  If you get no search results or obviously wrong ones, then contact me to get the properly sized light for your needs.  If one does not currently exist, then one can be made at no additional cost.

       

      The size of the light panels listed in the "store" is length x depth.  To fit your display it's recommended that you check the top of your tank to make sure that these dimensions do not interfere with either a vent or misting system.  In general, these lights can go right over most vents without any issue other than some slight disruption of the air flow. 
      Also, if need be, I can design light panels that fit right over the top of your mistking nozzles, there is an up charge for that of course.

       

      The easiest sizing process is to simply measure the top of your display to find the exact width and depth that you would like a light panel to cover on your tank. These light panels are designed to sit right on top of glass, screen or a combination of the two.  It can be suspended above your display, but that is not the optimal way to light your tank in my experience. That places the light source further away from the plants and allows extraneous light to leak all over the room, which I see as a distraction from your presentation. 
        • How do I order?

        Go to "Store" and click on the lights that are correctly sized for your display. When ordering directly from the Store, you can use a credit card, or PayPal whether you have an account with them or not.  Once the order is placed, you will receive email notifications that confirm your purchase and let you know when shipping has occurred as well as delivery.  The Shopify system qualifies you for reduced shipping rates.

        • When will my light arrive?

        Please check the very top of my homepage where you will see "Current Lead Time: ____".  That is the time to make the light, at which point it goes into shipping from there.  Paying more for expedited shipping is NOT recommended.  If you have to have a light there in less than 7 days, I do not recommend ordering unless you talk to me on the phone and I tell you I can make it happen.  Shipping is a minefield and "gotta have it there tomorrow" (or even next week) ends up causing more problems than it's worth.  This is a one man operation and "life happens" so I make no guarantees about how quickly I can get a light to you.  But it's fairly rare that it will take more than 20 days.

        If you're a "gotta have it by ____ person" save us both the hassle and don't order from me.

        • How many watts (or lumens), or how much power do these lights emit?

        The LED strips emit 14.4w per meter (I'm in the process of updating each light with an approximate wattage).  I'm ambivalent about wattage, PAR and lumen numbers for a number of reasons. They are often misleading depending on your application.  It's not really a good method to use for how well a light will ultimately work and it creates a lot of confusion when comparing numbers out of context to other lights on the market (especially when compared with non-LED lights).  

        For instance a light with a high wattage rating over the top of a 36" or 48" tall tank will not properly light the bottom unless it's using large powerful diodes (20 watts or higher per diode).  So wattage and lumen numbers can be deceptive.  PAR is also problematic as different plants have different requirements.

        What matters most is that the light you purchase works exceptionally well over your display (via direct experience). Since all these lights are designed and extensively tested by me and many other advanced hobbyists, they have a proven track record of working over the exact display size that you need a light for.  There is no guess work here.  I am a very active hobbyist in the frog, gecko and herpetological community.

        These lights are designed by a frogger for froggers, by a gecko keeper for other gecko keepers, etc.  They are guaranteed to work for both your plants and animals.

        • Do you do UV?

        At this time, LEDs that emit UVB light are prohibitively expensive and under powered, so that's not an option.  But as soon as the price is reasonable, you can count on finding a light here that blends multiple lighting needs into one seamless display source.

        I am currently working with T5 UVB tubes that can be incorporated into a single light panel with LED strips and spots.  Keep an eye on My Blog for announcements, as these new products are currently being developed and tested and will be launched into production in the coming months.

        • How do I control these lights?

        As with any other lights you may have been using, a simple timer will work to turn the LED power supply on or off.  A much more advanced and preferable control option can be found here.

        • How much heat do these lights produce?

        A major design criteria for these lights was to find LED strips that run as cool as possible, which has resulted in a light panel that will only elevate the temperature at the top of the tank a few degrees.   Some animals or plants require elevated temps, to meet that need you will most likely have to add a separate heat source.

        If you find that these lights still produce more heat that you're comfortable with, just roll back the output by about 10% (using the dimmer). That will dramatically reduce the heat output while not affecting the light output all that much.

        An even better option is to use the controller/driver.  Not only does this closely mimic tropic solar cycles (even seasonally) but the output temperature of the light will rise and fall as the light intensity ramps up and down during the day, which again, more closely mimics the natural environment.

        • Do you make custom sizes not listed in the Store?

        Yes.  Another design criteria of this project was to make a light that can be adjusted to fit any size display and to do it with a very low profile that will never take away from the overall presentation.

        If you have an unusual lighting need based on fans, vents or misters on the top of your display, we can work together to design the perfect light for your situation and it can be done at no additional cost to you.

        After 10 years in the vivarium hobby, I've run across most situations, unusual needs and tank sizes, so not only can a light be made specifically for your need, but it's probably already been well tested. From fish tanks, to off the shelf or custom vivariums, I've owned or seen just about everything and made a light that works well over all of them.

        • Do you offer a night light option?

        Yes. I can add either a single blue or red LED strip to act as a night light.  They need to be powered separately of course, which can be done one of several ways.  Either a small 12v AC to DC wall plug conversion unit which the nite light would plug into (on a timer) or you can purchase the controller/driver and one of the 5 output channels will be dedicated to controlling the nite light.  The current up charge for this feature is $25.