Am I doing this right?

[Tacohero]

Ok so I am about to get my first beardie and I'm very excited. I have spent the past month and a half doing research on proper care and just wanted to ask if I have his terrarium set up correctly. My breeder isn't able to respond at the moment so I'm hoping the nice people of this community could help me out.


I am using a 40 gallon tank 36" Long 18" Wide 16" Tall. Will an 18" UVB provide sufficient UVB for the lil guy? I am using the Zilla Slimline desert fixture. It has a plastic casing over the bulb which I intend to remove.

I also set up his heat lamp and basking spot. I am using a 100 watt intense basking spot light bulb. The basking spot is probably a good foot under the the base of the Fluker's sun dome I am using. Using a temp gun it says the basking spot is 105 however to me it doesn't feel that hot.

My beardie will be coming Tuesday, he is an Italian leather-back 7" and 11 grams. I have everything else all ready for him, but I just wanted to double check to make sure his terrarium is set up right.

 

[AchiKat]

i would use a 24' fixture, if you have a walmart near by you can get the fixture for under 10$ and a reptisun 10 for 25-30 if you can do with amazons super slow free shipping, they are the cheapest, i think i paid 28$ with free shipping. oh and the zilla bulbs are known to cause eye issues and a slew of other health problems. reptisun 10 is the safest and best, i used a zilla for a week, my beardie was lethargic and wouldnt look at the uvb at all kept closing her eyes. since i have switched over she eats better, is more active and her colors are showing a lot better. just my .02 im sure someone else will chime in,

 

[Tacohero]

Is this the bulb you would recommend then? http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun%C2%AE-Fluorescent-24-Inch/dp/B0009YHSWK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312068073&sr=8-4

 

[AchiKat]

yup, that's the one, took mines about a week to get here, but with free shipping, the price is good

 

[Tacohero]

Awesome, I just ordered it, what's your take on my heating and basking spot situation?

 

[AchiKat]

if your basking spot is 105, you are good to go, my basking perch is like 6 inches froom the light dome, and i use a 60w house bulb, i used to have a "reptile" bulb till i realized that i house one works the same and only costs me .60 at the hardware store.

 

[Tacohero]

Thank you, I appriciate your help it helps me rest easy. Just wanted to make sure my first beardie lives a long and happy life =)

 

[AchiKat]

just remember, no loose substrates, dont cheap out on lighting, and get the right supplements, try to keep the light and feeding cycles regular, and your beardie will be healthy and live a long life, we have only had ours for 4 weeks now, and the info i have found on these boards has been most helpfull.

 

[Tacohero]

I went and bought a fixture for the light at wal-mart, is it recommended to take the plastic covering off the light right? Since it would block the uvb rays.

 

[scubasteve25]

I went and bought a fixture for the light at wal-mart, is it recommended to take the plastic covering off the light right? Since it would block the uvb rays.

Yes, you'll need to take off the cover.

 

[Tacohero]

I went and bought a fixture for the light at wal-mart, is it recommended to take the plastic covering off the light right? Since it would block the uvb rays.

Yes, you'll need to take off the cover.

Alright will do, just a final question. Is it alright that the light sits on top of the screen or do I need to fix it into the tank itself?

 

[scubasteve25]

stick it to the wall of the tank, or mount it inside if you can.

 

[BeardedDragon6991]

how would you stick it to the wall of the tank? I have a Zilla Slimline Desert Fixture 18" and I am about to replace the bulb with a 18" Reptisun 10.0 UVB how do I mount the fixture on my glass 40 gallon tank wall? Also, I don't know if the Reptisun 10.0 UVB comes in an 18" that IS 10.0? Can you answer these questions please! ASAP THANKS

 

[AchiKat]

how would you stick it to the wall of the tank? I have a Zilla Slimline Desert Fixture 18" and I am about to replace the bulb with a 18" Reptisun 10.0 UVB how do I mount the fixture on my glass 40 gallon tank wall? Also, I don't know if the Reptisun 10.0 UVB comes in an 18" that IS 10.0? Can you answer these questions please! ASAP THANKS

I would suggest getting rid of the Zilla light (they're really bad, break all the time, that sort of thing.) and get something like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lights-of-America-24-Fluorescent-Grow-Light-Fixture/16879945

They have different sizes, but I would suggest the 24" one. 18" will work, but 24" would be better for a 40g breeder tank. Hope this helps!

*EDIT* Sorry, forgot to put this in here. You can mount it with 3M command hooks, double sided tape (we did this, but it's starting to sag a bit. =/), or rig it up with a wire hanger.

 

[bmw798465]

how would you stick it to the wall of the tank? I have a Zilla Slimline Desert Fixture 18" and I am about to replace the bulb with a 18" Reptisun 10.0 UVB how do I mount the fixture on my glass 40 gallon tank wall? Also, I don't know if the Reptisun 10.0 UVB comes in an 18" that IS 10.0? Can you answer these questions please! ASAP THANKS

The repti sun doesnt even fit in the zilla slimline fixture anyways. I went and got that lights of america thing from walmart, super cheap. I put it in my tank with industrial strength double sided tape from my dads work, cant come off. Works great