skyfishcafe
Member
Hello! My partner and I recently got our first bearded dragon and we're trying to do things the right way. So far we've learned that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, i.e. don't trust pet shops -- even specialty pet shops -- to provide the things our beardie actually needs. :roll:
The bearded dragon, Alduîn, is about 10 weeks old. We took "him" (provisional pronoun until sexed, haha) to a vet with reptile expertise 2 days after bringing him home just to establish care, do fecal tests, and get advice. Thankfully all has been well and his appetite and activity levels have grown. Now I am trying to make some improvements and would like to hear your thoughts.
Questions up front:
1. Given the details of our setup, can we safely mount a T5 HO inside our enclosure?
2. Given the details of our setup, should we use a 150W clear incandescent or a lower-wattage frosted halogen floodlight?
Details:
Basic setup:
- 40-gallon glass enclosure (36"L x 18"W x 16"H), sliding top with fine mesh -- typically we leave the top off (no kid or other pets)
- About 1/3 of the enclosure is currently sectioned off by a piece of cardboard, giving him the remaining 2/3 (vet's advice to ease transition)
- Substrate: Gorilla non-adhesive shelf liner, taupe
- Hides: faux rock in cool corner, small faux half-log in basking corner
- Digital probe in basking area typically measures 100F-110F depending on time of day
- Ryobi temp gun registers basking area floor at about 100F, cool side floor at about 80F
- Night temps 70F-75F
We're currently using an MVB of questionable quality (SolarBrite) mounted in a deep dome on an adjustable lamp stand. I don't trust SolarBrite, so yesterday we got a 22" Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 UVB bulb, a Sunblaster T5 HO fixture (no reflector).
I'd like to mount the UVB fixture against the top of the rear enclosure wall, but my main concern is that the T5 HO might be too close to the spindly driftwood Alduîn uses for basking. He'd be able to get to about 6" from the bulb unless I move some things around. Reptisun recommends a minimum of 6", and when I looked at some of the charts that have been posted on this forum most of them recommended 10 to 12". However, the bulbs in those charts used a reflector, and from what I have read I believe not using a reflector cuts the UVB intensity in half (so, again, 6").
I'd rather not have to get a hood and put the bulb on top of the screen lid because (1) we prefer leaving the lid off if possible for ease of access, and (2) I absolutely hate having to move his light just to e.g. spot clean, add/remove food, etc. However, I want to do what is safest for Alduîn. So Question 1: Given the details of our setup, can we safely mount a T5 HO inside our enclosure?
Once we replace the MVB with the 22" Reptisun, we will of course need to provide a new basking light. I scoured Home Depot and found a 150W clear incandescent bulb to stick in the dome. I feel that 150W for a 40-gallon tank is a LOT a lot, but I am hoping I can get appropriate temps by adjusting the height. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a regular 60 or 65W incandescent at Home Depot, Target, or Walmart -- almost every household light seems to be LED now. Also, all the indoor non-LED halogen floodlights I found locally were frosted. Thus Question 2: Given the details of our setup, should we use a 150W clear incandescent or a lower-wattage frosted halogen floodlight?
Thank you for considering our situation and sharing your experience!
The bearded dragon, Alduîn, is about 10 weeks old. We took "him" (provisional pronoun until sexed, haha) to a vet with reptile expertise 2 days after bringing him home just to establish care, do fecal tests, and get advice. Thankfully all has been well and his appetite and activity levels have grown. Now I am trying to make some improvements and would like to hear your thoughts.
Questions up front:
1. Given the details of our setup, can we safely mount a T5 HO inside our enclosure?
2. Given the details of our setup, should we use a 150W clear incandescent or a lower-wattage frosted halogen floodlight?
Details:
Basic setup:
- 40-gallon glass enclosure (36"L x 18"W x 16"H), sliding top with fine mesh -- typically we leave the top off (no kid or other pets)
- About 1/3 of the enclosure is currently sectioned off by a piece of cardboard, giving him the remaining 2/3 (vet's advice to ease transition)
- Substrate: Gorilla non-adhesive shelf liner, taupe
- Hides: faux rock in cool corner, small faux half-log in basking corner
- Digital probe in basking area typically measures 100F-110F depending on time of day
- Ryobi temp gun registers basking area floor at about 100F, cool side floor at about 80F
- Night temps 70F-75F
We're currently using an MVB of questionable quality (SolarBrite) mounted in a deep dome on an adjustable lamp stand. I don't trust SolarBrite, so yesterday we got a 22" Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 UVB bulb, a Sunblaster T5 HO fixture (no reflector).
I'd like to mount the UVB fixture against the top of the rear enclosure wall, but my main concern is that the T5 HO might be too close to the spindly driftwood Alduîn uses for basking. He'd be able to get to about 6" from the bulb unless I move some things around. Reptisun recommends a minimum of 6", and when I looked at some of the charts that have been posted on this forum most of them recommended 10 to 12". However, the bulbs in those charts used a reflector, and from what I have read I believe not using a reflector cuts the UVB intensity in half (so, again, 6").
I'd rather not have to get a hood and put the bulb on top of the screen lid because (1) we prefer leaving the lid off if possible for ease of access, and (2) I absolutely hate having to move his light just to e.g. spot clean, add/remove food, etc. However, I want to do what is safest for Alduîn. So Question 1: Given the details of our setup, can we safely mount a T5 HO inside our enclosure?
Once we replace the MVB with the 22" Reptisun, we will of course need to provide a new basking light. I scoured Home Depot and found a 150W clear incandescent bulb to stick in the dome. I feel that 150W for a 40-gallon tank is a LOT a lot, but I am hoping I can get appropriate temps by adjusting the height. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a regular 60 or 65W incandescent at Home Depot, Target, or Walmart -- almost every household light seems to be LED now. Also, all the indoor non-LED halogen floodlights I found locally were frosted. Thus Question 2: Given the details of our setup, should we use a 150W clear incandescent or a lower-wattage frosted halogen floodlight?
Thank you for considering our situation and sharing your experience!