light or no light?

BigBadConrad

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 6, 2003
Messages
359
I have a 6" Emperor in a 20 long, gravel/watering tubes, on peat/potting soil. UTH on all the time and on same end as clamp lamp (on timer to cycle day/night), 80% of screen covered with galss to keep humidity up. I moved the thermometer around and it's 80-84 degrees on the end away from light, 90 on the lighted end. The clamp lamp gets too hot for me to touch (a ZooMed 60 W Blue Daylight bulb), and dries the substrate on that end of the tank within a few hours. Humidity drops to low 60%s within hours of adding water to tubes. He likes the flower pot hide right under the lamp (which is next to the UTH).

If I can get low-to-mid 80s without the lamp, should I remove it? Since scorps are nocturnal is there any reason (except heat) to have a light at all (very little light gets in the room otherwise). It would certainly help to keep the humidity up. It is important to cycle the light for a day/night effect even if I don't need the heat from the light?
 

XOskeletonRED

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 6, 2003
Messages
707
The scorpion has probably chosen the section directly under the light because it is warm and it is humid in combination (whether the light removes the moisture in the air, it will not be so fast to remove the moisture from underneath something). A daytime/nighttime schedule is not required but is advised by many people because it is more realistic for the scorpion (whether it has any positive effect for them is truthfully anybody's guess). Keep in mind, a smaller wattage bulb will serve the purpose just as well without removing all/most of the humidity so quickly. 80 Fahrenheit will sustain P. imperator.



adios,
edw.
 

Kugellager

ArachnoJester of the Ancient Ones
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Jul 24, 2002
Messages
2,363
If you have your humidity gauge near the light it will give you a false reading. My humidiy gauge is on the side away form the lamp and gives me a 70-85% reading all the time...unless I get exceptionally lazy :rolleyes: I have nearly the exact setup you do for three H.spinifer and have not had humidity problems' and I live in an arid climate.

Also remember your scorp will spend most of its time in a burrow in the moist substrate.

John
];')
 
Top