Optimal Heat/UVB setup

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Sharp852

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Hello, I have currently 9 months old beardie in 140x40x50cm tank - I believe it's around 80 gallons. Equipped with ReptiSun Compact 10.0 13w UVB & ExoTerra Daytime 60w heat bulb.

I have two another tanks in works (both 100x50x40cm) for another beardies which will be juveniles.

So I'm wondering if I have correct setup or I should change it when buying bulbs for new tanks. My current go-to seem ExoTerra Compact UVB 200 13w - seems to be better suited for dragons based on ExoTerra chart system, or should I choose UVB150 13w variant which is basically the same as my current ReptiSun 10.0?

Also any recommendations for heat lamps? Is my current from ExoTerra enough? My dragon basking spots are 10-15cm from source if that depends, also they will have build-in cage on 3D wall.

My other possible manufacturers are ReptiPlanet and ZooMed.

Thanks for helping
 
CooperDragon

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With an enclosure that size I definitely recommend at least moving from the 13w bulbs to the 26w bulbs. The UVB200 is a decent bulb although it doesn't have a very wide spread of UVB. I prefer using the T5 tubes in enclosures because they can cast a wider beam.

As far as the basking light goes, that comes down to the surface temperatures you're reading. If it's producing a nice bright white light and producing surface temps of around 38-42c in the basking area with some low 30s around that and a gradient down to around 24-28C on the cool side you should be in good shape. Adjustment to the wattage or height of the bulb can be made to change the temperatures. You can also put halogen and some incandescent bulbs on dimmers or dimming thermostats if you aren't able to change the bulb height.
 
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Sharp852

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CooperDragon":2myx1b55 said:
With an enclosure that size I definitely recommend at least moving from the 13w bulbs to the 26w bulbs. The UVB200 is a decent bulb although it doesn't have a very wide spread of UVB. I prefer using the T5 tubes in enclosures because they can cast a wider beam.

As far as the basking light goes, that comes down to the surface temperatures you're reading. If it's producing a nice bright white light and producing surface temps of around 38-42c in the basking area with some low 30s around that and a gradient down to around 24-28C on the cool side you should be in good shape. Adjustment to the wattage or height of the bulb can be made to change the temperatures. You can also put halogen and some incandescent bulbs on dimmers or dimming thermostats if you aren't able to change the bulb height.
Click to expand...

To be fair I discovered i have Arcadia tubes avainable and I heard only good things about them, are they worth it? Considering price (25€ + 35€ powering controller) or is Compact enough?

What about Mercury vapour ones? Also have you heard about Reptiplanet? Thew have UVB 10.0 and 15.0, both 13 and 25w, theoretically they are same Asian reptisun or ExoTerra compacts so could I use them?
 
CooperDragon

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Arcadia is excellent and worth every penny. I've used an Arcadia 12% T5 for years and love it. If you can get one I highly recommend it.

Some mercury vapor bulbs are good. Some are not. The good ones need to be set according to UVB output which can sometimes make it difficult to set the correct temperatures without introducing additional lighting or a heat emitter. Their downside is that you can't adjust heat and UVB exposure independently which is why I prefer using the tubes for UVB - set them at the proper height, then mess with the heat independently. Mercury vapor bulbs do work well for travel and for basking spots outside the tank where the heat gradient isn't as important.

I have not heard of Reptiplanet so I can't say if they are good or not without doing testing. It's probably best to stick with known brands which have been tested, especially if you don't have a Solarmeter to verify the output of each bulb.
 
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Sharp852

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CooperDragon":xns9ow91 said:
Arcadia is excellent and worth every penny. I've used an Arcadia 12% T5 for years and love it. If you can get one I highly recommend it.

Some mercury vapor bulbs are good. Some are not. The good ones need to be set according to UVB output which can sometimes make it difficult to set the correct temperatures without introducing additional lighting or a heat emitter. Their downside is that you can't adjust heat and UVB exposure independently which is why I prefer using the tubes for UVB - set them at the proper height, then mess with the heat independently. Mercury vapor bulbs do work well for travel and for basking spots outside the tank where the heat gradient isn't as important.

I have not heard of Reptiplanet so I can't say if they are good or not without doing testing. It's probably best to stick with known brands which have been tested, especially if you don't have a Solarmeter to verify the output of each bulb.
Click to expand...

What about T8 ones? For my tank and basking spot setup T5 is probably too powerfull and the don't come on lenght I would need, which T8 have variants exactly for my tank
 
CooperDragon

CooperDragon

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Their T8 is high quality too. They just aren't as powerful as you're mentioning. Optimal distance for the T5 with a reflector is about 30cm while the optimal distance for a T8 with a reflector is about 15-20cm
 
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Sharp852

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CooperDragon":13h0t44m said:
Their T8 is high quality too. They just aren't as powerful as you're mentioning. Optimal distance for the T5 with a reflector is about 30cm while the optimal distance for a T8 with a reflector is about 15-20cm
Click to expand...

Good then, decided to go with Arcadia, and couldn't decide if I should get T8 with controller or ProT5...but my basking distance is about 17cm so I ordered T8, perhaps for other tanks I will try ProT5, probably on top of metal ventilation mesh.

I hope at least T8 will be better for "stealth" installation...is it possible to mount on metal mesh from underside?
 
CooperDragon

CooperDragon

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The T5 is a good bet if you're mounting on top of mesh. As far as putting the T8 underneath the mesh it kind of depends on how thick it is. You might be able to hang it using some picture frame wire or similar gauge wire that will fit through it.
 
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