Moving to 40 - lights and feeding area Q

Hi all
We got Larry about 4 weeks ago at age 9-12 weeks(?), and he seems to be doing quite nicely. He eats about 30 crickets each day, and has a freshly grated salad each morning as well. He also enjoys a little treat of dried Flukers and some Zoo Med gourmet blend. He has been pretty skittish about being held, but we just discovered that he (she) LOVES being swaddled in a towel with his head and front legs out. After purchasing Larry, we realized that we had not done much research and relied on a pet shop owner who was not exactly interested in Larry so much as Ben (Franklin $$). Now that we are thoroughly in love with this little guy, we have decided to improve his living conditions. Bellow you can see our setup; before you gasp and start typing, I have read the FAQ's and am aware of the popular issues with this tank.



I have since purchased and am about to furnish a 40 gallon 36"Lx18"Dx16"H enclosure. I have a few questions and am open to any suggestions you might have regarding my proposed setup and my current feeding regimen.

Lighting: Basking fixture will have two tiers, 8" and 11" from top lip of tank.
Deciding between interior mount or hood mount, T5 or T8, 5.0 or 10.0. I have read several articles, and found quite a bit of information (overloaded!!). My preference would be an interior mounted fixture, with minimal visible hardware and DIY visual ugliness. My thinking is a low profile T5 might be nice but am open. So, length, strength, and mounting location would be very helpful. I would like the basking bulb to be stand mounted as shown for ease of enclosure opening by my family. Bulb suggestions welcomed.

Feeding area: I know the thinking on this board is that walnut substrates are undesirable, and I do not intend to argue that point. However, as a note, I have not see a single grain of sand in Larry's droppings, which are regular. I wonder if anyone has made a tiered setup with a tiled feeding "pit", perhaps 30% of the tank, with the basking area floored with a more enjoyable surface.

This may be more information overload but is a quick illustration of the strength of different tube bulbs. What to use will depend on your situation and preferences. I like to use the reflected T5 tubes so I can keep them further away from the dragon - who wants to live right next to a light bulb? Plus the further away it is the more over head it will be as the dragon moves around the tank. The intensity of the configuration you pick will determine the length. A "sunbeam" style setup would want a shorter bulb (1/3-1/2 cage length) where a shade method would want a longer bulb.
https://sites.google.com/site/thelizardmadness/lighting-guides

However, there is no one solution for all situations. If you prefer something less conspicuous an unreflected T5 10.0 or 12% bulb would work on the inside and the fixtures are not much bigger than the bulb.

I use bioactive soil for my dragon, and tried a feeding pit for a while, he still tracks dirt into everything. If you like a loose substrate look into bioactive, it offers enrichment benefits above and beyond something like walnut shell or play sand.

Taterbug":11lxzrt7 said:

This may be more information overload but is a quick illustration of the strength of different tube bulbs.......
https://sites.google.com/site/thelizardmadness/lighting-guides



I use bioactive soil for my dragon, and tried a feeding pit for a while, he still tracks dirt into everything. If you like a loose substrate look into bioactive, it offers enrichment benefits above and beyond something like walnut shell or play sand.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply and the link. The bulb in face seems logical, so perhaps I will look to see if I can mount external fixture independent of sliding screen. I was not familiar with bio-active soil; more information, great! Looks really cool.

I'm sure they sell commercial hangers that are more attractive, but aquarium folks have some clever PVC stands for lights - a little spray paint may make it looks less DIY

Taterbug":2602wqth said:

I'm sure they sell commercial hangers that are more attractive, but aquarium folks have some clever PVC stands for lights - a little spray paint may make it looks less DIY

Click to expand...

Am I reading the chart correctly in assuming at 8 and 10 inches with reflector through screen, a T5 5.0 is the correct bulb for sunbeam? And same bulb not reflected for shade method?

Thanks.

beardedlarry":nbihsug0 said:

Taterbug":nbihsug0 said:

I'm sure they sell commercial hangers that are more attractive, but aquarium folks have some clever PVC stands for lights - a little spray paint may make it looks less DIY

Click to expand...

Am I reading the chart correctly in assuming at 8 and 10 inches with reflector through screen, a T5 5.0 is the correct bulb for sunbeam? And same bulb not reflected for shade method?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

So, I re-read the chart and other threads where someone in the uv meter group recommends 6-7 uvi in the basking spot. I think a decent way for me to get there is T5 10.0 interior mount 7 inches from basking spot, no reflector at 18 inches long for sunbeam method. Can someone be kind enough to confirm this analysis?

Thanks

I think 6 or 7 is a bit high but if you have enough space and can provide a good gradient it may be OK. I keep my basking area at 3-5 and build a gradient down to around 1 to the sides and down to 0 at the cool side with some shade areas. I get these readings by mounting the UVB fixture about 12'' above the highest basking point. The best way to go is to provide as much variety as you can to allow for self regulation. My concern about going so high in the basking spot is that if the UVB is too high it might cause him to move away and miss out on good basking temperature.

Yep, cooper has it. I try not to go over 5-6, and that's with other basking spots. I want to say I had my unreflected bulb at 8-10" away when i had it like that.

Hello again
I have a few updates and would appreciate some more feedback. Thank you to those who have responded. I now have a exo terra 36x18x18 unit, a 12 inch T5 reflector, and a 10.0 reptisun bulb.
According to the chart linked in other threads, https://7acd2ea3-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites...tfLJV94JmuHiWXZGscYTG7N3TJS6s=&attredirects=2, it appears that 12 inches throng a screen will yield 4.7 at the hot spot. I have read that 6-7 are good for beardies but I feel a little more comfy at 12 than 10 inches for some reason. Is this a good setup, and do I need any more uva aside from this and basking bulb? Since it's only 12 inches, should I put in any cool side lighting, or will I need any special basking area elevation changes?

Thank you again for all the great information here.

That should be fine. I agree it's safe to err to the side of caution - keep in mind many dragons do fine with "shade" levels of UV so not quite getting the max is quite aright.

That and a basking bulb are about as much UVA as you can supply without investing in more expensive lights. If you have indirect sunlight in the room, that helps too.

Extra lighting will be up to you - I like a bright cage and adding shade give the dragon the choice. Depending on the room and all that you may be fine. It's harder to over light than under light, but if you don't have options for shade it can be overly stressful. My glass walled vivs are always brighter than the solid wall ones.

It sounds like a good setup. As always, keep an eye on your dragon after you make changes to make sure they aren't too bothered by them. Some dragons get crabby but if it seems like they are avoiding the lights or distressed, you may need to adjust them.

I would set the 12" away at the tallest point and use vertical and horizontal space as much as possible. That way your dragon gets max exposure only when it wants too. The more options your dragon has the better, space allowing. With what you have I might give a tile propped on a brick for him to hide under at the basking spot, something snug but stable and warm and the branches on top of that.

Thanks again tater. I like the shade idea, so I will try to incorporate that into the basking area. We will move him in tomorrow and hope it's not too stressful. Pics to follow.

I wonder if I can find out if this is safe. Are there spread figures that might help me get an estimate without a meter? I am shopping for a meter.

I have the same enclosure and a similar bulb. I got readings that are pretty close to what you're describing at 12'' below the bulb. I consider 3-5 to be a good UVI range for basking. Increased UVI may be OK but I wouldn't provide it across a wide area or for extended periods. UVI increases through the morning and decreases through the afternoon naturally so with most setups it's best to find a happy medium. I have some spread numbers that you can reference if you'd like. Same tank. Using an Arcadia 12% bulb with reflector. Keep in mind the bulb is almost a year old now but it hasn't been fired up in about 4 months.

Through a screen at 12'':

Center - 3.9
+3'' - 2.8
+6'' - 1.6
+9'' - 1.0
+12'' -.6
+15'' -.4

No screen at 12'':

Center - 5.7
+3'' - 4.5
+6'' - 2.6
+9'' - 1.8
+12'' -1.0
+15'' - .7

At 4'' down with a screen top I get 7.6 right under the light, 1.0 - 6'' back, .2 - 12'' back.

That's just perfect. Exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you very much. I'm looking forward to actually metering the various spots in the tank. Do you have any light or heat on the cool side?