My bearded dragon won’t grow and is incredibly small

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mikey7

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It says that it includes a 24W 22” Reptisun T5 HO lamp, so i will wait until it comes in to be sure whether its the 10.0 or 5.0. What is the difference between the 10.0 and 5.0?

Also, I can see if i can get the probe tomorrow at petsmart.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
It will come w/ the 5.0--- you can use it but bulb is not as strong it's more for aquarium use- I would get the 10.0 bulb tomorrow at Pet smart and keep the 5.0 for back up-- 5.0 would need to be 6-8 inches from basking whereas the 10.0 12-15 inches if it's inside the tank
Karrie
 

mikey7

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Could I wait until after christmas to buy the 10.0? Also, after buying the probe thermometer tomorrow I should be able to determine if I should buy a halogen or flood lamp?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Does he have a UVB at all right now? If not I would not wait till after Xmas too long to go w/ out a UVB unless you can get him outside everyday for about 15 minutes - direct sunlight is = to 4 hrs of UVB--- if you need to hold off on the bulb use the 5.0 till you get the 10.0- but remember it needs to be approx 6-8 inches from basking spot and no cover on the bulb -- needs to be exposed for the best effects of the rays
Karrie
 

Claudiusx

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mikey7":pj64fcwl said:
What is the difference between the 10.0 and 5.0?

Effectively, the 10.0 is 2x stronger than the 5.0.

The 5.0 is designed with tropical creatures in mind, creatures that need lesser uv requirements.
The 10.0 is designed with desert creatures in mind.

So you can use the 5.0, it just needs to be twice as close as the 10.0 HO. So, the 10.0 can be 12-15 inches unobstructed, which means the 5.0 needs to be 6-8 inches from the basking site unobstructed.

If you want to mount this outside your tank, you will need the basking site to be within about 4 inches from the bulb to get the proper exposure. So ultimately, if you end up using the 5.0 HO, you'll still want to mount it inside the tank at 6-8 inches away from the basking point. IF you switch out to the 10.0, you can move the fixture back on top above the screen.

And, halogen or flood doesn't matter. Either or can get your temperatures to the proper range. And, most floods are halogen bulbs anyways. The only thing you need to care about with a bulb is two things.
1. it gets you the proper temps
2. it doesn't give off some funky light color like red or blue.

So most household bulbs fit this bill as long as they get you the temps you need. Do note that obviously CFL's and LEDs don't put off much heat, so they are the two types of household bulbs that really don't work as basking bulbs.

-Brandon
 

mikey7

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I do have a UVB up on his tank already but it isn’t the Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0. his basking spot is on his hammock and is 8 inches away from the UVB bulb and heating lamp, but is covered by the screen. The 5.0 will also arrive before christmas and i can replace it then until after christmas.

should i leave half of his tank uncovered with the uvb light on the uncovered side and heat on covered half? or just wait for the 10.0 to do anything. also, with the 10.0 is 8/9 inches too close to him? should i lower his basking spot to 12 inches?

side note: i gave him a bath tonight and he is a lot more colorful and seems a little more plump and happy!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
mikey7":1lwu6zuf said:
I do have a UVB up on his tank already but it isn’t the Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0. his basking spot is on his hammock and is 8 inches away from the UVB bulb and heating lamp, but is covered by the screen. The 5.0 will also arrive before christmas and i can replace it then until after christmas.

should i leave half of his tank uncovered with the uvb light on the uncovered side and heat on covered half? or just wait for the 10.0 to do anything. also, with the 10.0 is 8/9 inches too close to him? should i lower his basking spot to 12 inches?

side note: i gave him a bath tonight and he is a lot more colorful and seems a little more plump and happy!

Yes take the screen off or open it up for the 5.0 bulb --- basking spot should be 6-8 inches for the 5.0--- what are you using for the UVB now? The basking spot is however you want to do it --- most say to get the UVB and basking spot together - my tanks are not set up that way --- they will go to the light they need --- my two bounce back and forth during the day --- and yes the 10.0 would be too close if its inside the tank --- if its on top of screen no it would be fine -- you haft to remember that the screen filters 30% of the rays --- and you want basking temps 95-105 -- if you can provide a gradient for him meaning different temps on a piece of decor that he can pick would be great for him ---
Karrie
 

Claudiusx

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mikey7":1gg7r783 said:
The 5.0 will also arrive before christmas and i can replace it then until after christmas.
This is fine.

mikey7":1gg7r783 said:
should i leave half of his tank uncovered with the uvb light on the uncovered side and heat on covered half?
No. You want your uvb and your heat to be on the same side. Just leave it over there next to the basking site.

mikey7":1gg7r783 said:
also, with the 10.0 is 8/9 inches too close to him? should i lower his basking spot to 12 inches?
Depends. Like I told you a few times, depending on your setup dictates the proper distance.
The 10.0 HO needs to be 12-15 inches unobstructed
OR
8-10 inches if placed on the screen.

So determine whether or not you are going to place it in the tank, or on the screen, and that will give you the number you need.

Half that distance for use with the 5.0. Although, for a week or two, the lower amount of UV will be fine if you can't find a bulb local. It will still be much more effective than the current UVB bulb you have.

I know lighting can get confusing, that's why I just wanted you to focus on getting that temperature worked out first, so that we could then focus on just the lighting. But it really is quite simple once you get it down.

-Brandon
 

mikey7

Member
Original Poster
His UVB bulb came with his enclosure and it screws in and is joined next to the heat lamp. I believe they are both 100W but I’m not positive, I just used it because the enclosure I bought said it was suitable for the lizard.

I am planning on leaving the UVB on top of his tank, so i will keep his basking spot 8 inches from the screen where the UVB sits. His thermometer gun comes in tuesday, but I am running to the store this week (most likely tomorrow) to get him a probe thermometer and new heat lamps.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
The thermomter, yes.

As far as the bulb, you won't know which wattage is best until you get your thermometer and start testing. If you are going to go out, I'd buy a couple different wattages of bulbs.

However, I use the BR type bulbs (stands for Bulge Reflector) and like them. Others use the PR (parabolic reflector) and have good success too.

Luckily they are pretty cheap, so if you can pick up 3 or so different wattages, you have a good chance of getting one that's just right. And once you know what's right, no more guess work :)

-Brandon
 

mikey7

Member
Original Poster
I bought the thermometer and his basking spot only reaches 95 degrees. I a new 65W flood light soft white BR30 but the heat reaches only to the eighties. What should I do now?
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

Thanks for coming back and updating us.

Yes definitely go with a higher wattage bulb. Thats why I mentioned picking up a few different wattages.
Your first bulb produced a more directed beam, the BR bulbs produce a wider beam so the heat spread a bit more, but it's better for a basking area. Just keep working your way up until you find what works. I'd imagine a 100w would probably do you just fine if the 65w only gets to the 80s.

If you have bulbs around your house you can try those out just to see what the temp gets to.
Remember to leave the probe in place for 5-10 minutes to get an accurate reading.

-Brandon
 
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