Lights review

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Peach

Hatchling Member
Thanks to this site, my enclosure is nearing completion. I've spent this week cutting tile, hooking up lights, re-cutting tile (*g*), now I"m rearranging the decorative part. The tank is 75 gallons, 48x18x18.
The lights are as follows:

UVB: Sunblaster T5 fixture 36" with reflector and Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 34". It's attached inside back, left corner, just under the cover.

Heat/basking: I have a dual dome left over from my water dragon and it has a 100w Reptisun heat/basking lamp.

Ambient light: the other side of the dome has a 60w regular household cfl, 5000k. At the far end on the cool side, I have a small 12" LED strip mounted under the rim pointing down. It runs front to back and is ~3000k - just to add a bit of light down there.

From what I can see here, this UVB light inside, with reflector, the basking area should be at 12". Is this correct? I built the basking ledge and it's drying now, but will put him at this height. Once the silicone is dry, I will put it inside and run a temperature test. I'll have a lower level on the warm side too, at about 14-15" from the light. Any farther than that and the beardie will be on the floor, so he'll have three levels there. There is also hiding space under the basking shelf.

The cool end has some climbing/snoozing spots and a hide too.

So, any glaring issues I need to fix? I have a dimmer switch for the basking light, so I can adjust as needed once the temp test is done.

Thanks!

*Note: Regarding the Sunblaster fixture - I ordered it from Amazon but the picture is not correct. It shows the one with the fold-out reflector, but they are now shipping with a snap-on reflector that comes down on both sides of the bulb.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
That sounds good. That UVB should sit 12'' above the main basking area but you can have some areas closer and further. The key is to create a nice gradient just as you do with temperature. You may not need so many LEDs but give it a try and see what works best in your setup.
 

dezismom

Juvie Member
That set up and viv sounds great! Lots of work, but your beardie will definitely enjoy it. Only advice I can give, is to be sure to let it dry and air for a good while, before placing any beardie in it, as the fumes from sealants, etc., can build up quickly, even though we humans cannot smell it. But I suspect you already know all that, since you obviously have been doing your "homework" and have been educating yourself. Do you have a beardie, or are you going to get one when the viv is done? Photos of both viv and dragon would be nice...
 

Peach

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Thanks so much! Re: the led's I got the smallest one I could find just to lighten up the cool end a bit. Finding those cfl's just to add white light down on the warm end was an interesting trip though. Home Depot had none here and Lowe's had them on the clearance rack. The lighting industry seems wholly enamored with LED bulbs now.
 

dezismom

Juvie Member
so true! I have some LED over the vivs and they are OK for just adding light,and one is cool for viewing at night,because it has a pretty blue setting, but they do not seem to add any good UVB...they are just for dcorative purposes. I use the repti sun desert 10 fluorescent tube lights for UVB. It has done well for Dezi. He is a big, healthy boy. So, I am using that for my new girl, Penny. For heat, I use the ceramic heat lamps that do not put out any visible light. That lets them sleep at night. I had a dark, purple heat light over Pennys viv, but she was more nervous and grumpy...when I stopped using it, she was calmer and happier. When the dragons are happy, the mama is happy.:)
 

Peach

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I ran a temp test and let the probe sit on the basking shelf for a good 3 hours. It only got to 99 so I am going to try switching out the cfl secondary light in the dome for an incandescent just to see if that will bump up the temp enough. If not, I'll switch out the basking bulb for a stronger one. The cool end was sitting on 80 F. Humidity 24%, which about normal for SW Montana. It won't be hard to keep the humidity down :)
 

Peach

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I replaced the CFL in the dome (for ambient light) with an incandescent light and now the temp is running between 106 and 107 after an hour on with the basking light and the incandescent. The cool end has hit 85 but it's been the hot part of the day.
 

Peach

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Just saw your first post dezismom, somehow it didn't show up when I was in this thread before. The viv is a premade glass tank, so no fumes other than the tiny bit of silicone I used to stick the basking shelf to the bricks :) We're off to a reptile expo on Saturday and will be bringing one home, assuming we find one we like. It's a good chance to get a good one from a good breeder instead of the big box pet stores, which is all we have here in town. Once the new addition is here, I'll put some pics in my intro thread.
 
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