Hello! It’s my first time ever getting a bearded dragon and setting up the tank. I’ve got a 40 gallon and a 100w basking bulb but the basking area doesn’t seem to be getting hot enough. It’s staying in the 80s. Should I buy a different bulb?
How are you getting the basking temp? No stick ons they are inaccurate - the probe needs to be set on the place where he bask -- if its correct then you need to go up to a 150 watt -- what are you using for a UVB NO coils please they are inadequate --- these two things I am posting about are the two most important things in your tank -- they control the overall health and behavior of your dragon--your basking temps need to be 105-110 for a baby
What kind of probe do you recommend? I’ve got a stick on digital thermometer in there right now. And I should be all set with the uvb bulb I’ve got the 18 in strip light one.
I would get rid of that thrive bulb - and get the Reptisun I recommended- the dual humidity gauge is ok for ambient temps but when you can upgrade to a probe digital one- it should be placed on the back wall center of tank- take the digital probe thermometer and place where he sits for basking wait 10 minutes then get temp you do not need to leave it there but stick it on the side wall and check his basking temps every so often
What do you have for fixtures, heating and lighting?
I'm guessing that's a glass tank? When you get ready to upgrade, go melamine and it will hold the heat much better.
If you have a 10.0 or better lightbar, make sure it's not obstructed - bare air to dragon if you can - and no further than 1-2 ft away, then you can make any place a basking spot with a ceramic fixture and a heat bulb. Ceramic is important or your bulb will melt it.
Make sure your heating is off to one side so there is a hot/cold gradient in the tank. Go one up on the wattage from whatever your current heat source is - save any old bulbs - you'll eventually need them
For lamps:
Ceramic = area heat, slow to dissipate if there is a power cut. Good on a thermostat and long lasting. Less obvious when they fail.
Red or Blue bulb = good for directional heat, quick to dissipate, pops easily, can explode, bad on thermostat but very high heat output so really needs to be on one, very obvious when they fail
Heat projector = directional + some area, slow to dissipate, higher heat at lower wattage, good on thermostat, but expensive
They all have their uses and I have a couple wattages of each handy - but we also don't have AC here in NZ, so indoor temps can fluctuate.