Preparing For New Beardie

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this forum. I am planning on getting a bearded dragon this Sunday am I want to make sure I have his/her enclosure set up right. I have done a ton of research and I have learned a lot from this forum. Ii picked up a 40 gallon breeder off craigslist and I decided to use slate tile as a substrate.
My main question is about lighting and temperature. I have a 24 inch Reptisun 10.0 that I mounted underneath the mesh top because it's a t8. For my basking bulb I have a 100w clear bulb. It's a household bulb I got from walmart. My question is the basking spot is about 100 degrees, is this hot enough? I'm not sure what age I'm going to get, but will this be suitable for either? My tank is one of those with the vents all around, so it's hard to get a high temp.
Just kind of a side question, I'm getting my bearded dragon at a reptile expo on Sunday. Based on your past experience, how much can I expect to pay for a beardie? I'm not looking for any rare morph or anything like that. Just want to know how much more I need to budget for haha.

Congrats! And thanks for doing all the research. The care sheet on here is a very good one, I think it covers everything. There is an article on Newbies Guide, what to buy that you should also check out (to the right).

The temps depend on their age. If you get a baby, then temps should be 108, for juvies (4-9 mo) temps should be 105F. For adults over a year old, temps at 100 are great

As for price, depends on the breeder and the type of dragon. I have a friend who sells at the Repticon shows and her prices are about $75 for normal dragons but then her dragons that she has for sale right now are 10 mo old. Guess you'll have to check when you get there.

You should make sure the dragon has clear eyes, is alert and active. Those are the main things to look for. Also that the breeder has them in good condition and that they're NOT on sand. I'm glad you're getting tile as a substrate.

Hope that helps and when you bring your new beardie home, hope you post here to share!

Thank you for your reply! How can I get my temps up then? My dome enclosure maxes out at 100w. Its one of those 2 in 1 domes though, so should I just add another bulb?

Yes, add another bulb, but only if you're going to get a young beardie. I've only ever used deep domes on their own, I use mercury vapour bulbs (UVB and heat in one bulb) so it's been awhile since I've used basking lights. But that would probably work well. What are you using for a temperature guage? Make sure it's a temp gun or a digital guage with probe. They're the most accurate to use for temps.

Okay, I'll add another 60w for now and see how that does. I'm using a digital probe thermometer.

That's great, you'll get the right temps that way. Let me know when you get your dragon!

I definitely will! With a 100w and 60w the basking spot gets to 111.7 degrees. I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see what age beardie I get, and then play around with it from there.