Cage temperatures

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Pandasan

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I just got a 75 gallon tank for my bearded dragon and I'm having a hard time getting the temperatures right. Right now i have a 150watt bulb, a ceramic heater and a UVB fixture on the basking side during the day and it still only gets to about 92.. Can I get a higher watt basking bulb or will this hurt him? My beardie is about 1 year and 3 months old and i know he needs a higher temp basking spot.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
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150w should be plenty in most setups. Can you post a photo of what kind of enclosure you have? You may be able to play around with a different type of bulb or adjust the height of the fixture etc. Also good to double check your surface temp readings to make sure those are accurate. Often the surface temps will be warmer than the air temps so you may be closer to the target range than you think.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

We all love pictures, that definitely helps us look at lighting placement.

Tracie
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Pandasan":3aml2hda said:
I just got a 75 gallon tank for my bearded dragon and I'm having a hard time getting the temperatures right. Right now i have a 150watt bulb, a ceramic heater and a UVB fixture on the basking side during the day and it still only gets to about 92.. Can I get a higher watt basking bulb or will this hurt him? My beardie is about 1 year and 3 months old and i know he needs a higher temp basking spot.
Temps need to be taken w/ a digital probe thermometer-- NO stick ons they are inaccurate- that 150 watt should be enough to get your basking temps to what they need to be - if for some reason its not heating up get a smaller dome place next to the 150 watt and use a lower wattage like a 50 watt to start w/ but you want a accurate temp of what is there now-- take your CHE and place it the center of the tank for nite time heat it will heat the whole tank -- you dont need the CHE if your temps are not falling below 65 at nite - good nite time temps are 65-75- if you need temps for middle of the tank they should be in the 90's get a regular house hold bulb the old style no LED's a 40 or 60 watt and place in the middle of the tank to get those temps up -- I have had to resort to 3 bright white bulbs this winter for my 120 gallon tank -- I am using one 150 watt and one 75 watt on the basking side - and one reg hh bulb its a 60 watt for the middle of the tank to get that temp in the 90's - I check temps every morning and afternoon and the dragons are doing really good w/ the way its set up now -- I have two tanks set up this way-- Blaze is pooping every other day before it was once a week or every two weeks -- so evidently the heat temps must of improved that along w/ the fecal test that were done on both dragons in the last couple of weeks came back negative on both - Hiccup is pooing more often now too not as much as Blaze but definitely more -- I have always used the 150 watt in the past and was leaving the CHE on all winter but this winter I didnt use it at nite except the weeks in Feb when it went to below zero - so I dont know what changed but Iam using more bulbs to keep the temps to where they need to be
 

Pandasan

Member
Original Poster
108360-1490067235.jpg
I check his surface temperatures with infrared temp gun is that good way to get surface temperatures? Here is a picture of his enclosure.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Pandasan":n4j5b8mm said:
108360-1490067235.jpg
I check his surface temperatures with infrared temp gun is that good way to get surface temperatures? Here is a picture of his enclosure.
The IR gun does not read off of hammocks-- please take the probe place it on the hammock where he sits and get the temp--- what is the white fixture hanging in the tank? What are you using for a UVB? Brand and bulb? It looks like a T 8 sitting on top of the screen-- if it is it needs to go inside the tank T 8's are not strong enough to go thru screens- I would up grade the UVB to a T 5 when you can -- the T 5 can sit on top of the screen DEPENDING on the screen -- if your using a fine mesh screen like a screen door it too would need to go inside the tank -if you have a wide hole type it can sit on top--- T 8's and T 5's have different placement and distances --
 

Pandasan

Member
Original Poster
The white fixture inside the enclosure is a T8 Reptisun UVB bulb, I have it hanging about 12 inches from his lower hammock. I also just placed the probe on the top hammock and it's at 102 F.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
T 8's need to be 6-8 inches directly above the basking decor-- there should be NO clear plastic cover over the bulb - it needs to be exposed and the bulb should be changed every 6 months I recommend 5 -- does the white fixture have a reflector in it?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Its the shiny part behind the bulb it is very important for the fixture to have a reflector in it- its like tin foil - it directs the UVB rays downward toward the dragon and it intensifies the rays-- he needs a reflector if there is not one-- you can either order one for the fixture from here
http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/miscellaneous-accessories/arcadia-flourescent-lamp-reflectors-new-hot/
or use the fixture sitting on top of your tank -- that looks like a T 8 fixture --
I would look at upgrading the UVB -- for a 75 gallon tank you want a longer fixture like a 24"
 

Pandasan

Member
Original Poster
Okay so I checked and doesn't have the reflector and ordering one right now, thanks for the link and the advice!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I would recommend getting a longer UVB fixture for your 75 gallon tank a 24" -- a Zoo Med or Arcadia fixture
 
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