Placement of UVB light?

I'm currently using a Reptisun 10.0 T8 UVB bulb. It's 750mm, 25 watts. I was previously using an Arcadia Euro Range Desert 10%+UVB lamp, also 25 watts but I'm not sure if it was a T8 or T5 as I don't have the original box.

I was advised by my local reptile store when I was using the previous bulb to move the fixture from the ceiling to the back wall of the vivarium, so that the bulb ran horizontally across the back wall, exactly half way down. She said something about my current bulb not reaching far down enough for my dragon to get what he needs from it, and also told me there's no risk of him burning himself because the bulb only gets warm and some dragons even lie on it.

However, I've since changed the bulb to the Reptisun T8, as mentioned above, and it does feel warm to the touch when I test it. I've already moved the fixture to where the lady told me to put it, yet on one of my previous posts, I was told that the UVB should never be placed along the back wall and instead needs to be overhead, as serious eye damage will occur if it's placed near eye level. I'm looking for a second opinion on this purely because I want to make sure my set up is the best for my beardie, and I've had a lot of lighting issues already. I haven't had him for long, and I'd like to make sure there's no real risk of injury due to the placement of the light.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
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Yeah that was me who told you to never do that. So if you want another person's opinion I guess I cant help you there lol. But I will say you stare at the bulb at eye level and see how you feel about it ha. Uv is very damaging especially to the eyes, it needs to be over head.
For a second opinion too I guess you can look at literally everybody else's setup on this site. There is a reason no one does it how the petstore told you to

The effective distance for the reptisun t8 bulb is around 8 inches from the basking surface.

-Brandon
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
My second opinion is to place the light directly overhead and right next to the basking light so it provides good UVB levels over the main basking area. Overhead so that it better imitates the way sunlight reaches them. You can adjust the height of the main basking area to get within appropriate range as needed. This can include branches, stones, etc. - creativity can come into play here. Those are both T8 bulbs, and good ones. I'd keep them around 6-8'' above the main basking area for best results in terms of output.
 

beaniethebeardie

Member
Original Poster
So in order to adjust the height of the basking area, I just change up the stuff available for him to climb on to minimize the distance between him and the basking bulb? At the moment, he sits on a small rock hide, which puts him about 3-4 inches away from the light.

CooperDragon":h246n1qa said:
My second opinion is to place the light directly overhead and right next to the basking light so it provides good UVB levels over the main basking area. Overhead so that it better imitates the way sunlight reaches them. You can adjust the height of the main basking area to get within appropriate range as needed. This can include branches, stones, etc. - creativity can come into play here. Those are both T8 bulbs, and good ones. I'd keep them around 6-8'' above the main basking area for best results in terms of output.
 

beaniethebeardie

Member
Original Poster
Haha yes, I'm a new dragon owner, and I'm learning very quickly that it's best to get as many different opinions as possible, as demonstrated perfectly by the crappy advice the pet store gave! His previous owner clearly have no idea what they were doing either, so I'm really just trying to get as much guidance as possible and see how loads of other people do things so I can get an idea of what's best. Thanks for your help though, otherwise I would've just gone with what the pet store told me to begin with, and would never have known it was wrong.

claudiusx":gv0ynpkp said:
Yeah that was me who told you to never do that. So if you want another person's opinion I guess I cant help you there lol. But I will say you stare at the bulb at eye level and see how you feel about it ha. Uv is very damaging especially to the eyes, it needs to be over head.
For a second opinion too I guess you can look at literally everybody else's setup on this site. There is a reason no one does it how the petstore told you to

The effective distance for the reptisun t8 bulb is around 8 inches from the basking surface.

-Brandon
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Yep, just rearrange the "furniture" to allow a variety of height options for him. The main basking area is usually easily accessible and relatively flat but doesn't necessarily have to be. 3-4inches is a bit close, I'd not put the lights closer than 6'' or so but try to keep the main basking area about 6-8'' or so.
 

beaniethebeardie

Member
Original Poster
Thank you!!

CooperDragon":28jv1tu5 said:
Yep, just rearrange the "furniture" to allow a variety of height options for him. The main basking area is usually easily accessible and relatively flat but doesn't necessarily have to be. 3-4inches is a bit close, I'd not put the lights closer than 6'' or so but try to keep the main basking area about 6-8'' or so.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
beaniethebeardie":1yi657q0 said:
Haha yes, I'm a new dragon owner, and I'm learning very quickly that it's best to get as many different opinions as possible,

Totally understandable :) that's the beauty of this site, multiple opinions and multiple experiences.

-Brandon
 

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