Need guidance

My husband and I bought our daughter a baby beardie on oct. 20th. Beust guess is he was about 2 mo maybe a little less. Got a 20 gallon starter set up with plans to build an enclosure for her and him for Christmas. The time has come, he's not thriving with current set up.
My husband builds houses but knows nothing of dragons, it's been on me to do all the research.
Our plan is to convert this piece of furniture using the top bay as the enclosure:


It's painted wood sealed with polyurethane. Is that OK?
The inside dimensions are 46"x 22"x 17"

next I've got
- Mercury Vapor bulb for basking
-a 22" reptisun 10.0 T5-Ho UVB 24 W fluorescent + fixture
-a day / night timer
-this for a thermometer
ThermoPro TP52 Digital Hygrometer Indoor Thermometer Temperature and Humidity Gauge Monitor Indicator Room Thermometer with Backlight LCD Display Humidity Meter (from amazon)

I'd really like some suggestions for fool proof thermometer/ hygrometers and placement.

House temp in the winter is generally set at 68 degrees f

Thanks guys!
-Kelly

Hi Kelly,

That will be fine to make an enclosure out of. I would go ahead and put another coat or two of sealant on it though if you weren't planning to do so already.

Your height is really gonna be your limiting factor here. I wouldn't use an MVB as your basking bulb. MVB's are quite big, and that will already make the bulb encroach on the limited height you have. Pair that with the fact that most MVB's require the dragon to be around 12 inches or so away to not be over exposed to UVB, and you really don't have the space for that.

I would go with just a normal bulb for basking. The reptisun t5 will give all the uv exposure needed

A timer is definitely helpful.

I wouldn't go with that thermometer though. I would get a couple of these:
https://www.amazon.com/AikTryee-Thermometer-Temperature-Fahrenheit-Refrigerator/dp/B07QGVFV2K/ref=pd_bxgy_199_3/132-2740613-9829910?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07QGVFV2K&pd_rd_r=7e380b9e-96df-41e8-9c94-777b37ed685c&pd_rd_w=bh6Ml&pd_rd_wg=6Gvyx&pf_rd_p=09627863-9889-4290-b90a-5e9f86682449&pf_rd_r=7DTJ530DA0GK3BGQPPZ9&psc=1&refRID=7DTJ530DA0GK3BGQPPZ9
Cheap and will get the job done. You need a way to measure surface temps and those ambiant thermometers don't really cut it. You can still use what you picked, but you need a probe end thermometer also. You could use an IR thermometer too, but I recommend probe ends over IR guns.

Any hygrometer you get will be fine. Most all are a bit inaccurate anyways. Truth be told, none of my tanks have humidity gauges. It's not really needed unless you live in a very humid area. However, for peace of mind, they don't hurt. And most hygrometers can be calibrated anyways.

And with a house temp of 68 at night, you will be perfectly fine. No additional nighttime heat needed unless you want to add it. However a cool down period at night is good for them IMO.

-Brandon

Hi Brandon,
The plan was to drill a hole in the top large enough for the basking bulb to be placed on top, but I'm thinking Ill need some kind of a heat shield insert, does any one know of such a thing?

Also, my husband says he can't remember what he sealed that with, it may just be some kind of clear coat. So, I'm seriously thinking of getting a Zen Habitat from Amazon as I feel time is of the essence since Oscar is not growing, shedding, eating enough, and trying to brumate at approximately 4 mo old.

Well it wouldn't be too much work to scuff up the finish real quick and reseal it. But the zen habitats are nice.

I like building my tanks because I like woodworking. But if I didn't, I would definitely go with the buying a tank option lol!

OscarLuvBug":2mf32a8g said:

Oscar is not growing, shedding, eating enough, and trying to brumate at approximately 4 mo old.

Click to expand...

Do you have a post in health or something where you are getting helped on this? Usually that comes down to temperature issues, or other lighting issues.

-Brandon

I had a thread in general discussion that you just moved to enclosures, it's definitely a lighting and temp issue (we've had a cfl UVB for the pst 2 mo's). That's why the new enclosure, I feel, is urgent.
Considering what I've read in the past few days< I feel more comfortable with a MVB for a basking light under the circumstances.

This is what I think I may go with

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KMK6CMZ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2OTIXXOQL4T6X&psc=1

This is the 100w MVB that is coming tomorrow

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CRJXJZ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It should be 12" above the basking spot?

That would be a good choice. It's a nice tank.

In the mean time you can at least get your temperatures proper. I think I did see Karrie mentioning it to you on your post. IMO, temperatures are the most important part of the husbandry we provide. UV coming in a close second. But obviously both are desperately needed.

If you go with this as a DIY, it will likely take you a week or two to get it all setup. How soon would you be willing to buy the zen habitat tank?

I think personally, I'd go with the zen habitat tank unless your husband wants to build a 4x2x2 himself.

-Brandon

OscarLuvBug":2i68r27m said:

This is the 100w MVB that is coming tomorrow

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CRJXJZ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It should be 12" above the basking spot?

Click to expand...

Honestly, that's an off brand MVB that has no mention of its output strengths or recommended distances (that I can find). And it's not a bulb we have tested.

Our distance recommendations for bulbs comes from the goal of providing a UVI level of around 3-5 at the basking surface. If you don't have your own solarmeter that can measure UVB output, you have to rely on either the manufacturings recommendations (which are often subpar at best) or another reputable person measuring the output to find out at what distance the bulb produces 3-5 UVI.

Since I haven't ever tested that bulb, and the manufacturer themselves don't even seem to mention it's output, I couldn't recommend it as a suitable bulb.

Not to mention, I can buy 10 heat bulbs for my tanks for the price of that bulb. That's why I like the setup of a regular basking bulb, and a fluorescent uvb bulb.

-Brandon

I just ordered it, will be here the 6th.
Honestly, that's an off brand MVB that has no mention of its output strengths or recommended distances (that I can find). And it's not a bulb we have tested.

Our distance recommendations for bulbs comes from the goal of providing a UVI level of around 3-5 at the basking surface. If you don't have your own solarmeter that can measure UVB output, you have to rely on either the manufacturings recommendations (which are often subpar at best) or another reputable person measuring the output to find out at what distance the bulb produces 3-5 UVI.

Since I haven't ever tested that bulb, and the manufacturer themselves don't even seem to mention it's output, I couldn't recommend it as a suitable bulb.

Not to mention, I can buy 10 heat bulbs for my tanks for the price of that bulb. That's why I like the setup of a regular basking bulb, and a fluorescent uvb bulb.

OscarLuvBug":3jk59aom said:

I just ordered it, will be here the 6th.

Click to expand...

The Zen? It's a great tank. Karrie uses it too im sure she told you. You won't be disappointed in it.

OscarLuvBug":3jk59aom said:

Click to expand...

Sorry, I know this can all get frustrating. There is a lot of junk out there, and unfortunately a lot of it has caused issues. But that's what we are here for, to try and help. Luckily if you want to return the bulb, amazon has quite a decent return policy and it's quite easy to do so.
Personally, I wouldn't use the bulb unless I tested it myself. Which you can do too if you want, but you'd need to drop another 200 bucks to buy the solarmeter. It's a fun thing to have, but definitely far from a necessity for the average hobbyist.

-Brandon

Is's OK, I've got A LOT of returns. At least we're not going to destroy a perfectly good piece of furniture to slowly kill our dragon with.

OK, you know what tank I'm getting (my husband can build a base or something)
What would you get as far as the technical stuff.

I'll get whatever you tell me to get

I keep it pretty simple honestly. Thermometers like what I linked you to and any good on off timer will do.

Unless you were looking for lighting recommendations or something specific.

The 22 inch t5 reptisun you were planning on would be a great bulb for your tank. You might want to look into getting the Arcadia 14% instead. I've been using the reptisuns for a long time but the Arcadia 14% is a bit stronger and better suited for large tanks like 4x2x2s. I'm using it in one of my tanks and so far so good.

If you have questions before buying anything though, don't hesitate to ask

-Brandon

Ok, so, should I replace the reptisun with the Arcadia 14 or maybe just add the arcadia in a V like configuration?

Also, in the mean time, is it ok to use the reptisun on top of the mesh of the standard 20 gallon tank he’s in for the next week (which is 12” tall)

The humidity in his tank is often around 70%
We live on the coast in VA and it’s quite humid

You could use either the ReptiSun T5 or the Arcadia T5. I wouldn't use both of them though. The difference is output strength so you'd want the ReptiSun 10 to be about 12'' above the main basking area while the Arcadia 14% should be more like 16-20'' above the main basking area. You want this to be next to the basking light over the main basking area while providing other spots in the tank with little to no UVB so there is a gradient and choice available.