Basking lamp

[Skeletor411]

I have 2 beardies Ina 75 gallon tank. I have a basking area/ hammock around 6inches from the top Ibe have been taking the Temps regularly with a infared gun and it's in the high 80's I am using flukes 75 watt bulb. Do I need a second light?

 

[Skeletor411]

 

[Rampagingraptor]

You are better off getting a stronger light than a second light. You can just get a normal bulb (reptile bulbs are essentially just regular bulbs) that is 100-150 watts and try that, but you will probably want to use a dimmer switch with it (which you can get from a hardware store or online) to better control the temperatures.
Do you also have a UVB? And if so, what kind do you have? If you do not already have one, you need one IMMEDIATELY. I recommend a reptisun 10.0 tube light (not a compact) or Arcadia 12% tube light.
And you said you had them together? You should separate them, ESPECIALLY if one or both or male. Bearded Dragons are solitary animals, and they tend to bully each other, even to the point of the larger one biting limbs off of the smaller one or even killing them. It is not worth keeping them together at all.

 

[Skeletor411]

I do have a uvb light it's 18inch long can't remember the brand though. 1 is a is a male and the other is female. I will try getting higher watts with a dimmer

 

[Skeletor411]

 

[Rampagingraptor]

I can't really tell what kind that is based off of the picture. I would make sure its a 10.0 instead of a 5.0, as well as if it is a t5 or t8 bulb. the 10.0 and 5.0 one matters as the 10.0 provides superior uvb coverage, and the t5 or t8 will determine how far you should have the bulb from the basking spot.
You should still separate them. Any bearded dragon can (and almost certainly will) bully the other one, stealing food, basking spots, and resting spots. Males are just more likely to do it, but both sexes can and will do it to either sex. I do not recommend ANYONE who is not a professional in caring for bearded dragons and doesn't have the time commitment to watch them constantly should ever keep bearded dragons together.
Don't mean to berate you at all, just that we constantly run into issues where people have kept more than one bearded dragon together and then one isn't growing properly, or the bigger one just straight up attacks the other one.
IF you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

[Skeletor411]

http://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=26938&cmpid=07cseYY&gclid=Cj0KEQjw3-W5BRCymr_7r7SFt8cBEiQAsLtM8td45zt6vaXx9c9xLUFDcQR5Z1e3a-7OVBghqf9G0rsaApkM8P8HAQ

I will take all the info I can get. They had them together at the pet shop so figured it was OK to keep them together I have noticed some bullying but for the most part they eat really well together they don't fight over crickets/veggies. As far as basking he will lay on top of her. But then some of the time she will lay on top of him. ( which is a dominant thing I believe)

 

[CooperDragon]

That's a Zilla Slimline fixture. I use those too and they work well. Just be sure to remove the clear plastic cover from it as that will intercept all of the UVB. It's a T8 fixture but I'm not sure which bulb you're using. Generally, those are best at 6-8'' above the basking area. There are two holes on the back side that will fit into the small (1lb rated) command hooks so you can mount it on the back side of the tank with the light facing down.

 

[Rampagingraptor]

The pet shops tend to give bad information, so I wouldn't trust them with that. They keep them together because baby beardies can be kept together, but its best not to if you can avoid it.
I think he is just using the bulb that came with it maybe? I never really used the zilla bulbs much myself, so I don't know how good that one is.
Also, another thing To take into consideration is that the screen. I'm not sure if this is what you are doing, but if you have the UVB bulb on the screen, it decreases the level of UVB, thereby needing you to put it closer to your beardies basking spot. Its better if it doesn't go through a filter.
As for keeping them together, if you don't want to get another tank, you can always just try splitting the tank in half with a divider so that they can have their own sides. Either way, if you already saw signs of bullying, I would definitely suggest separating them to prevent any fights or stress.
Its not that beardies can't interact at all, its just best to keep it more controlled.

 

[Skeletor411]

OK so here the setup. The dome lights on the right one is for the basking bulb smaller one is for the night time and the third one is another uva/uvb since it was such a large tank didn't want the right side without the uva/uvb. Can you please explain about those command hooks? I will look into that divider.

Thanks for all the input I really do appreciate it. Keep it coming

 

[CooperDragon]

I'd stick with just the basking light on one side and move the UVB fixture over next to it. That way you'll have high temperatures and UVB levels on one side and cooler temps and low UVB on the other. The gradient will allow for self regulation. You don't need high UVB levels across the tank, just an area a bit larger than your dragon to allow for even basking.

The command hooks are made by 3M and stick to the glass. You can then mount the fixture on them by putting the hooks into the holes on the back of the fixture. This small (1lb size) fits into the holes in my fixture and they are rated to be able to hold the weight. http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/447154/3M-Command-Clear-Hooks-Small-1/