40 Gallon Breeder - Heating

[danaemichelle]

We recently switched from a 20 Gallon Aquarium to a 40 Gallon Breeder. Our little guy seems to be doing well. After MANY changes with his lighting, I think we are comfortable. I would hate for anything to happen to him so I wanted to see what you all think about our set up. We plan on making a few small changes in a week so or, we are still in our break in period for our new lights.

Our temperatures are currently...
Warm side 96.3 F (Basking area is reading the same)
Cold side is 81.6 F
And our humidity is 29%

We are using...
Reptisun 10.0 uvb Compact Fluorescent (26w)
150w Repsi Basking Spot Lamp
AND a 100w Ceramic Heat Emitter

I don't understand why his basking area isn't warmer.
We do have a mesh lid on top. 2 digital thermometers, one on each side, and a probe thermometer near our basking area. Our hydrometer is in the middle. All near the top of the tank.

His basking area in his previous tank was normally at least 99 F, but usually higher.

Any suggestions?

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

I'm kind of confused based on your picture. Is your basking site the middle of the floor in the tank?

What you want is the heat bulb on one side of the tank, over a basking area such as a log or rock. This allows the dragon to actually bask, and allows the basking site to be a slightly warmer temperature because it's up higher and thus closer to the heat source.

Additionally, having the heat bulb on one side allows for a proper temperature gradient down to the cool side of the tank.

Are you only using those dial stick on thermometers? If so you absolutely can not rely on them to give you proper temps. And on top of that, they have absolutely no way to tell you what your basking surface temp is, which is the most important temperature.
Obviously if the device you are using is only an inch under the bulb and reading that low, it's going to be much lower down where the dragon is so hopefully you are using a digital with probe end thermometer to get your temps.

The reptisun you have also really isnt suitable, I'd recommend upgrading to the long tube fluorescents as opposed to the CFL version.

-Brandon

 

[MrSpectrum]

I don't understand why his basking area isn't warmer.
We do have a mesh lid on top.

That's why. Insulating the sides & back will help some.

I second replacing the compact fluorescent with a tube, especially at that distance and through a screen.

 

[danaemichelle]

Thank you both for responding!
His basking area was previously on that rock to the right when it was in his old tank, and I had the tree in mind for his new basking area, but moved the light fixure off to the side a little so he wouldn't be too close while we're in this break in period for the lights.
We do have the stick on thermometers (one with a probe), but they're digital, if that makes any difference? Either way, we plan on getting a temperature gun asap.
We had the 10.0 uvb T8 at first, but it was only a 18 inch bulb on a 20 inch fixture, so we went with the lights that come with the starter kits and made a few changes.

 

[MrSpectrum]

.... we went with the lights that come with the starter kits and made a few changes.

Unfortunately, most of the stuff that comes with those kits is (IMO) useless/worthless crap, and the enclosure is really too small for an adult. They're marketed/targeted at first-timers. Don't feel bad if you're in this situation--you are not alone. Chalk it up to one of the cheaper of life's lessons, learn, and move on... :wink:
Bearded Dragon Starter Kit: Total Lifesaver or Complete Waste of $$$?