I plan on getting a radiant heat panel from Vivarium Electronics to go into my new enclosure from Toad Ranch (it’ll be a 8×2×2) so what wattage would be best 80 watt or 120 watt?
As well if what other lighting elements in your opinion should be included? I’ll have a linear 6% UVB.
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an 8x2x2 is alot of space and what we use for our adult boas, a ball python would do much better in a smaller setup , this bigger tank comes with the need for both bigger heat ,bigger hides,more bedding, bigger water dish, and bigger cleans, with little advantage to the animal. Preferences aside:
for ours we use ceramic heat emitters (CHE) with screen tops , panels are more for those with stacking MDF cages. (since this is what you are using and asking about, highest wattage you can afford, LLL reptile has great deals on dry goods (ve/RBI heat panels cheaper than RBI has them and new although RBI has free shipping over 100$) I will say that on our MDF style stackers, we actually just slide a 24" strip of 21" heat tape between the levels. This is far cheaper and does the exact same thing as the panels but with better effectiveness as you are using the MDF as a thermal insulator, with proper thermostat setup. Reptile basics inc has heat tape at cheap prices and its the good korean made stuff, havent had any issues yet although this is recommended to be replaced yearly, similar to heat panels.
Best to get a temp gun and tweak it, start the highest you can afford and pull back in terms of wattage , better to have a powerful bulb /panel toned back or off more than one you are always maxing out (longevity of all parts)
As far as UVB its actually far easier and better for the animal to just dust the rodent once or twice a month with calcium +d3, ball pythons are nocturnal and will get very little if any time basking in uvb, not to mention albinos will almost ALWAYS avoid light in every capacity. We use simple LED strips to light our cages, High quality white chinese LED USB or wall Plug, and prefer to supplement our vitamins/d3 in the form of actually going outside.
We use 150 watt for anything 4x2x2 , and 8x2 requires two 150 watt bulbs, hooked up to exo terra thermostat (alot of bad sensors out there, exo terra proves to be the best thermostat for the money, highly accurate and long life span) via a hole & grommet on the ground of the enclosure under where the lamps placed. (if using heat tape you should place the probe on the white part between the tapes heat bars not touching or crossing black into white covered with non conductive tape provided usually with the heat tape.)
If you decide to get down to a 4x2, the bulb from arcadia now has a complete d3 setup, but once again, animal gets more out of a dusted rodent than a bulb just burning up electricity that the snake will practically never get benefit from.
You can always find us on morphmarket if you have any questions ill try to help when we have the time , this is a complex topic with many outcomes, TLDR, yes, LLLreptile or reptilebasics both have good deals on equipment, two of my favorite suppliers that carry the panels you seek
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I’ve been wanting to provide her with more space for a long time, she’s 5 feet long and currently in a 4×2×2, and because of my job I rarely get to handle any of my reptiles so I’ve been wanting larger terrariums (and higher quality ones) for my mature snakes so I can include more enrichment inside of them. I love decorating and filling up terrariums so the extra clutter and hides are not a problem, and I generally do try and have 3+ hides in all of my terrariums as well as a water dish large enough for them, which is difficult to give her with the limited space I have for her currently. If I notice signs of her becoming stressed I will look into getting her a 6×2×2 at that point or try and cover the glass in the front to help her feel more comfortable. Money also isn’t really something I’m very worried about when it comes to my pets as I love to spend most of my free money on them as I consider it my hobby also.
The new enclosure will be a solid top and the brand recommendeds to stay away from CHE because of how hot they get. I also live up north so going outside isn’t an option 6 months out of the year unfortunately, also along the lines of that my home normally rests at around 68° making it somewhat important to me to have heat sources I can run at night. Also living in an apartment building where my 5 foot python has scared people when I tried to take her outside for some enrichment doesn’t make it very appealing. I’ll look into calcium dusting, because that wasn’t something I was aware you could do or was even done with snakes (I’ve seen it done with a lot of lizards though) and something I may consider for my reptiles that I don’t use UVB for. I’ll also look into heat tape as I know little about it and believed it was something only really used with breeders when keeping reptiles in a rack system.
I think (with my current knowledge) I’ll personally stick with maybe a small basking bulb of some type (mounted inside and caged and connected to a thermostat), a 120 watt RHP from VE (connected to the thermostat from VE) and a UVB or a LED bar, and simply monitor it for a few days before adding her into it. If the 120 watt isn’t hot enough to keep the entirety of the 8 feet within range I’ll look into different alternatives.
I’ll look into what you suggested though, thanks for the help! 
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