55 Gallon Lighting Setup?

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hazela35

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Hello all!

A few months ago, I acquired a 55-gallon fish tank for my beardie, Tazo. The dimensions (as measured by me) are roughly (48" x 13" x 21"). The tank has no lid/top/cover, so it is completely open.

Current Lighting Setup:
- Daytime: 160W Powersun Mercury Vapor UVB Lamp
- Nighttime: 50W ExoTerra Night Bulb

Positioning / Temps / Other:
- Powersun Mercury fixture hangs 11" from basking spot, 21" from ground of tank
- ^ Openly hanging dome fixture above tank
- Basking daytime temps 95F. Nighttime temp, 75F.
(NOTE: It is in the 85-95F range in NYC this summer | Tazo's tank temps are measured with temp gun)

When I took Tazo to the vet recently for a checkup, the vet recommended I use the Powersun bulb since it provides both UVB and heat sources. Prior to this, I was using a 100W ExoTerra Daytime Heat Lamp, and a Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb in a T5 fixture. I was using the same brand of nighttime lamp.

I am responding to Tazo's recent behavior by writing this post. Though the vet recommended the Powersun Mercury Lamp, it seems that Tazo is uncomfortable with something in her setup. Her diet and decor has remained the same, and when I first put her in this 55-gal tank months ago (with prior lighting setup), she seemed to be way happier, basking and crawling on her ladders and branches.

The past month, I've noticed she is hiding under her branch on the cooler side of the tank (Reading 78F in the middle of the day), all day. When I take her out of her tank to run around or cuddle, she is curious, active, and her colors pop, often showing no sign of any stress marks (even when she basks in natural sunlight). I am not assuming it is brumation, as she often does that in the winter time (she has an insulated box she likes to crawl into), and she is still eating well.

Any advice, suggestions? Please let me know!

Thanks a bunch,

Essie
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
The reasoning behind the vet recommending the powersun is quite silly. Your old setup also provided uvb and heat. I don't understand why that was recommended.

I assume you still have your old lighting setup. You could always revert and see if the behavior changes. There is a reason we recommend tube + basking bulb here over MVBs.

Using a temp gun, what is your basking surface material? Wood, driftwood, stone, brick, etc.?

I'd ditch the nighttime bulb. It disrupts their sleep they should have complete darkness at night. And you don't need to provide heat at night unless temps drop below 60-65.

-Brandon
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I am not a fan of all in one bulbs --- simply because its too hard to control temps --- I agree w/ Brandon and switch everything back to the the single lights --- and yes ditch the night time bulb - that too can be causing the behavior issues - but for now I would go back to the separate bulbs and see what happens--
Karrie
 

hazela35

Member
Original Poster
Thanks a bunch for your recommendation. I too was a little skeptical of the vet's reasoning for the mercury bulb. I will ditch the nighttime bulb for now... should I keep it for winter time, though?

Her basking material is a green large hammock (I am assuming some plastic material, though it does not get hot to touch), with a fuzzy cat ladder leading up to it.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
No colored bulbs at all! Use a CHE for heat at nite or winter -- Ceramic Heat Emitter -- they use a dome and have NO light only heat - bulbs come in different wattages --- 75-100 or so - I use one on my tank in the winter and it keeps it around 70 during the winter-
Karrie
 

hazela35

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":49m8eqes said:
No colored bulbs at all! Use a CHE for heat at nite or winter -- Ceramic Heat Emitter -- they use a dome and have NO light only heat - bulbs come in different wattages --- 75-100 or so - I use one on my tank in the winter and it keeps it around 70 during the winter-
Karrie
--

I understand now. Thank you very much! What brand of CHE do you use/prefer?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I dont remember what brand mine was ---- I know its white solid coil looking bulb and I got it at Petco for around $30 or $30 dollars -- dome was bought separate
Karrie
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
I like using the heat projector bulbs from MegaRay. They don't get quite so hot on the surface as a ceramic heat emitter but are able to project quite a bit of infrared heat down into an enclosure.
 
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