newbie first time buyer bearded dragon

Status
Not open for further replies.
So I have gotten a 130 gallon tank. I'm wondering about the lighting. I have a dual lamp and a UVB bar. I can put the dual lamp on top of the lid or just the basking light on the lid and than a UVB bar 24" inside the tank. Or what should I be doing I'm very new to this hobby.
107454-7888677148.jpg
107454-9719335171.jpg
107454-8721279841.jpg
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
The first thing I would do is get the tank off the floor- its going to be cold down there and the dragon likes to see whats going on ---- the floor is not a good place for him/ her- the next thing the UVB needs to be a Reptisun 10.0 tube T 5 - w/ a fixture that has a reflector- and NO cover over the bulb- it should be 12-15 inches from the basking decor- you need a good bright white basking bulb that keeps basking temps 105-110 for a baby and 95-110 for a juvie /adult dragon -- NO loose substrate dragons lick everything so I would suggest slated ceramic tile or NON adhesive shelf liner both are cheap and can be purchased at your local home improvement store - the tile would need to be cut by a tile cutter so you dont get jagged edges - also do not grout or seal the tile cut the tile to the size of the tank lay them in there so you can pull them for cleaning -- others on here can also give you ideas of how to set this up as well - your going to need 2 digital probe thermometers and I also would invest in a infrared heat gun - the probes can be bought at petco or petsmart for $5 - the heat gun from your local home improvement store for $10-12 - how tall is the tank ?
Karrie
 

hunterkevin8

Member
Original Poster
I have 2 150W basking light and 2 ceramic heat 150W. I'm planning to get a stand. I'm not buying a bearded dragon yet until the end of march. I have the reptile carpet is that fine than using the tiles?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
2 150 watt basking bulbs might be over kill -- you dont want to burn him up -- same w/ the 2 150 watt ceramic heat emitters - I have a 120 gallon tank and use a 150 watt basking bulb and a 100 watt CHE for winter only - you only need it if the tank is dropping below 65 at nite - my tanks usually dont drop below 68 on our warmer colder nites - if temps are dropping below zero then my CHE's are on - but I also have them in a warm room -- it is trial and error w/ basking temps / bulb etc --- but you MUST have the digital probes to get those temps --- NO stick ons they only give ambient temps -- you can use stick ons for just that to give ball park figure of temp in the tank but for actual basking temps your gonna need the probes and you will use the infrared heat gun as well -- I use all 3 --
The reptile carpet is going to be expensive to keep - you will need to take it out and wash it at least once a week I am thinking--- the tile is way easier to keep - and for $13 I tiled my tank - the reptile carpet is gonna be more than that --- even the shelf liner or linoleum would be easier - insects cannot get underneath either of the the carpet they will be able to but its up to you ---
Karrie
 

hunterkevin8

Member
Original Poster
I tried a 100 watt and I can only get temp up to 80 on the basking spot. But for the other half of the tank it was around 50 to 60 degrees. I'm using my fish aquarium probe temperature.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
You need a zoo med terrarium probe thermometer- I don't think an aquarium thermometer will work-- please get 2 of those and go from there
Karrie
 

hunterkevin8

Member
Original Poster
Ok thank you just brought some on amazon anything else I need to be added. So you told me 150 is overkill what should I be getting my tank size is like 72x18x24.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
No 2 150 watt bulbs might be over kill - basking bulbs are trial and error - the only way to know is get the tank set up and have your probes w/ the decor placement and then take the temp- start w/ the 150 if you want and go from there but only do one - you can always add another lower wattage if its not enough but start there first - the 150 may be too much then you would need to go down to 100 - but you want those digital probes sitting on that basking spot for at least 10 minutes before getting temp and you want basking temps between 95-110 for an adult / juvie or 105-110 for a baby
Karrie
 

hunterkevin8

Member
Original Poster
So I tested the 150W basking light it's hitting almost 96-98 degrees. Been sitting there for like 30 minutes. Basking light from the branch top is like 10 inches away and the other side of the tank gets me around 70 degree.
107454-8480470222.jpg
107454-3164153216.jpg
107454-4548318936.jpg
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
That stick on is totally inaccurate - you need to get a digital probe from petco or petsmart looks like this https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/PetSmart/5176729 2 of them $6 50 / each for each side of the tank a UVB Tube looks like this https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/PetSmart/5123303 and a hood / fixture that looks like this https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/PetSmart/5142800 you dont haft to get this stuff at petsmart you can shop Amazon or you can shop here they have fixtures there that are cheaper than petsmart http://www.pangeareptiles.com -- basking temps for a baby need to be 105-110-- that temp your getting from that stick on can be off by 20-40 degrees --- Do not get a fixture the same length of the tank get like a 24" --- you dont want a fixture the same length of tank because they need to be able to get out of the rays w/ out hiding from them --
Karrie
 

hunterkevin8

Member
Original Poster
If I'm getting a bar fixture can it be inside the tank or does it have to be on top of the tank. I have a wood cover on the tank?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
A bar fixture? You mean a fixture to hang a UVB from or a UVB fixture itself? If the tank is 18 inches high a T 5 would need to be 12-15 inches from basking decor--w/ no cover on the fixture bulb exposed
Karrie
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

No members online now.

Still Needs Help

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,897
Messages
1,255,656
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom