T5 Lighting help

Currently my son's bearded dragon has a T8 10.0 light that is 8" from the surface of highest basking spot. It is in one of my DJ blacklight fixtures and I'll need it back Anyway, purchased a T5 fixture with reflector and a ZooMed 10.0 bulb. Changing in-tank decor is kind of last resort so how far above the tank/basking spot do I need to move the light.? I can get it about 12" from light to surface of highest basking spot. Would that suffice with no tank lid screen? Or would I be better off keeping it lower and use the mesh lid from the tank? It's the old school looks like screen door mesh. Another option is I have some plastic gutter guard with bigger openings (see attached pic) that I could used to fashion a "cover" for the light to diffuse some of the UVB.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

With no screen 12-15 inches from basking decor --- w/ screen and on top 8-10 inches from basking decor - he needs to be able to sit directly under it - No cover on the fixture bulb needs to be exposed
Karrie

So, I guess I'm asking is 12" enough (can't go any higher) and that would be to basking spot so to dragon it would be 10" inches. Is that cutting it too close? Or would it be better to be lower with a screen? And if so what kind of screen...the fine screen door mesh of the tank lid (which is currently not on the tank so it doesn't filter out the UVB from the current T8) or make a lid of the plastic gutter mesh (which has larger openings)...

if it's 12 inches away unobstructed it will be fine

What would the distance be from bulb to floor level?

-Brandon

claudiusx":2ua7j10m said:

if it's 12 inches away unobstructed it will be fine

What would the distance be from bulb to floor level?

-Brandon

Click to expand...

About 20" to floor.

Perfect

-Brandon

Working out the open screen/mesh % area is easy.

claudiusx":1i6u7k84 said:

Perfect

-Brandon

Click to expand...

Thanks! And now that it's set up, he's officially got areas from 11" to 18" on his basking spot to regulate his UVB.

Great! I'm sure he will appreciate the gradient of UV. That is the goal, to have a UV gradient just like a heat gradient

-Brandon