Beginner Basking Light Question.

haasume · Aug 13, 2018

Hello,
I recently rescued 2 3 month old beardies, I have them in a 40gallon breeder tank. I am looking for a basking lamp and every site and forum I have read say go with household bright white incandescent bulbs. They say these are cheaper than the "reptile" lamps. My problem is these forums were from 2012 and if you search for bright white incadescent bulbs on any site the reptile lamps are cheaper than the household lamps. Are "clear" household lamps the same or just as good as "white" household lamps? I am guessing I need a 100w or I may be wrong. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you

CooperDragon · Aug 13, 2018

Basking is more about bright light and heat so anything that produces a fairly wide beam of white light and produces adequate surface temps will work. If the reptile brand lights (don't use neodymium coated ones) are cheaper, give them a try. I've had good luck with PAR38 and BR40 halogen flood lights as well. They produce a nice wide beam and plenty of heat. You will need a good UVB light as well. In a tank that size a 22'' T5 tube with a T5 fixture is a good fit.

Since you have two of them, they will each need their own enclosure. If they are kept together they may become territorial. This can lead to one monopolizing resources such as food and basking area or even to them attacking and harming eachother.

Drache613 · Aug 13, 2018

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

haasume · Aug 14, 2018

Thank you for your response. I will look at the two halogen lamps you suggested. I picked up a used 20 gallon long yesterday so one of them will be going in that. I know that I will have to get a larger habitat for the beardie in the 20 gallon but that will have to wait a few pay days.

CooperDragon · Aug 14, 2018

I'm glad you picked up a second tank. The 20g long should be fine for now at that age. It's more important to give them their own space so they can thrive at this point, even if it's a small space. You still probably have a couple few months to find a bigger enclosure. Maybe building a stacked setup would work in your situation.

Beginner Basking Light Question.

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