MVB and Reptisun 10.0 UBV? Calcium with or without D3?

Hello, everyone!
I have been searching for answers to these questions and cannot seem to find any consistent answers. Any help and experience would be greatly appreciated!
I recently purchased a Mega-Ray MVB 160W bulb. In addition to this, I have an 18" Reptisun 10.0 UBV tube light. Can I and should I use both? I want to make sure my beardie has enough UVB, but in reading that MVB's are a two in one for both heat and UVB, I'm not sure if I should use both, just the MVB, or switch back to a typical 150W/160W basking light in combination with the Reptisun 10.
Also, should I use calcium with or without D3? If yes, D3 every day? Every other day?
I have a 40 gallon tank, 100-110 degrees on the basking spot (MVB is elevated above the screen top, otherwise it would be way too hot. Temperature aside, is 160W too much even if the temp is correct?) and 85 degrees on the cool side. I will be getting a happy and healthy 12 month old male beardie tomorrow and I want to make sure he stays that way. The breeder I got him from is very knowledgeable and recommends calcium with D3 3-4 times per week as well as herptivite multivitamin, but I'm not sure if the MVB/Reptisun 10.0 negates this. Thank you so much for you help!

It depends on a few things. Is the 10.0 a T8 or T5? What size is the enclosure? Will the uvb be above a screen? More than likely it's fine to have both if you don't place the tube too close to the mvb. Just make sure they have a couple of hiding places.

T8. The tank is a 40G/BR. MVB currently on basking side, Reptisun 18" is next to the MVB and runs the remaining length of the tank on top of the screen. His basking fixture has a hole in it for hiding and on the cool side he has a place to chill under a hammock, although no where to completely cover himself :/

How far is the MegaRay? The 160w is a pretty powerful bulb. It needs to be about 16-24'' above the basking spot to produce proper UVB levels (a little closer if it's shining through a mesh top). With that level of UVB (3-6UVI) I would use a plain calcium supplement like Repashy Supercal NoD.

The Mega-Ray is 16-20" above his basking spot through a screen top. The temperature is perfect, but I am concerned that the 160W is a bit too powerful. I have purchased the 100W Mega-Ray yesterday and I will install that tomorrow while he soaks to see if that provides enough heat at the correct distance. I have heard of Repashy, but I have always used Rep-Cal. Do you think the Repashy is a superior product? Should I ditch the Reptisun T8 10.0 and just use the Mega-Ray for now? If the 100W works well, should I still just use the Mega-Ray, or use the Reptisun as well? Thank you SO much for your help, I really appreciate it!

Okay, great! Thank you everyone so much for your help and information. This has really helped to put my mind at ease. This is an awesome community. Drogon arrived about 30 minutes ago and he is beautiful! I will switch to the 100W tomorrow when the bulb arrives, check the temps, and add heat if needed. Given that the temperature is correct, is it okay for him to use the 160W for one day? Perhaps after 24 hours of travel in a dark, cold box he could use the UVB boost for a day? If not, I have an old 150W basking bulb by zoomed or something, I can't remember. I could use that for heat and pair it with the new Reptisun 10 until the 100W MVB arrives tomorrow. Not sure what type of personality he has yet in terms of climbing/chilling on the ground. He is still stressed from traveling and just getting used to his new home. He's a year old, so it's a big change for him .

I would get a couple of hides to put on warm and cool end. They need access to 0 uvb areas too.

Hello everyone! Please help. I just had a mini panic moment. His left eye went white all of the sudden. I know beardies have nictitating membranes, and I'm hoping he just needed to use it for whatever reason for a little while. I turned off the MVB straight away and turned on my old basking light and the reptisun 10. I'll attach pictures of the white eye and then the regular eye and would greatly appreciate it if you could give me your thoughts. Is this something to be very concerned about, or did I "dodge the bullet" by switching back to my old lighting setup. He seems to blink into "white eye" mode now and again but he is in "normal mode" most of the time. Thank you for your help! Here are pictures:

White eye: https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/58074/full
"Normal" Eye: https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/58073/full

Looks like he's adjusting to the lights. If it's bothering him continue to use old setup he will be alright. My beardie did this when I changed from the Reptisun 5.0 to the 10.0 and heat bulbs. Might be too strong for his eyes to adjust. But he will be ok

Okay, thank you! Back to the old reliable set up for sure! The breader said the exact same thing and mentioned he had just finished a shed on his whole head, so it makes sense for a number of reasons. What a relief. Thank you!!!

At that distance your 160w should be fine and if it's putting out proper temps it should work. Repcal is fine. Just use the version that is plain calcium noD.

Update: So we tried a few different set-ups. First Mega-Ray 160W, then the Mega-Ray 100W. The first time I used the Mega-Ray 160W, I didn't keep it far enough away from his basking spot, which resulted in him using his nictitating membrane to block the UVB from harming his eyes I think. I went back to the old set-up of a 150W basking with a reptisun 10.0 UVB, that was too hot. Then I switched to the 100W and the temperature was perfect, but he still didn't seem fully satisfied. So this morning I tried the Mega-Ray 160W again and raised it so he is 14"+ from the bulb instead of 11-12" and I cut a 2"x2" hole in the screen right under the center of the bulb to make sure he is getting direct UVB when basking. WOW! It was like he came alive this morning almost instantly after I did this. He had so much energy, exploring and climbing and chowing down on his morning salad as well . No freaky white eyes :lol: This is his third day with me so it could be a combination of the light and getting more comfortable in his new home. He also soaked yesterday and drank a lot of water, I think he was probably dehydrated from the journey.

Question: I'm a big "If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it!" kind of guy, so I want to stick with the Mega-Ray 160W. My only concern is that on the cool side of the tank it's a little dark. I could put the reptisun 10.0 on top of the screen, but don't want to overload on UVB. Should I just let it be, or maybe get a reptisun 5.0 just to add some light. I figure the screen would probably filter out a lot of the UVB anyways, right? Do you guys have experience with this? Thank you so much!!

I use a 6500k light tube in an old T5 fixture, which are brighter than uvb. You could also use led bulbs in a dome fixture.