rockstar1992":1610d said:
repti glow 5.0 but i will look into that link cause im due a change. i have one more question and its a biggie, can you explain what lights i need in the viv and how often they need to be on, cause i reelly dont understand what people are on about with MVBs and that lot :? atm i have a reptiglow 5.0 tube light and a red household bulb for heat. what else do i need? im pretty sure that they are meal worms and i will also look into getting some silworms as i have read that they have very good nutritional value. i use crickets and locusts for littlebit but fester is slightly more fussy and prefers a larger amount of crickets. i do dust the worms and veggies but not the crix. should i? im not sure what the stuff i but i know it contains calcium and phosphorus and is siuatble for beardies according to the tub... at the weekend i will pick up 2 thermostats 1 for either end of the viv so i know the exact temps all the time but i know they stay around that and do not drop at night. as my house tends to be warm lol
thanks again
I'm not aware of a ReptiGlo 5.0, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. :mrgreen: There is a Repti
Sun 5.0 which is a safe bulb, but only "ok" in terms of UVB emissions. Indeed, you want to replace the tube UVB every 5-6 months and I highly recommend you follow the above link to the ReptiSun 10.0 tube. I can't say enough how important
quality UVB is for a beardie. For a growing beardie, it can make all the difference.
As to the lighting, it sounds like you've gone the more traditional route of tube UVB (the ReptiGlo), with a basking heat lamp. That is a fine way to go so long as it meets beardies needs. That said, beardies have NO need for colored bulbs.
They require BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT for their heat lamp, so you will want to
replace the red bulb with a bright white incandescent (either basking type specific, or household bulb, so long as it gives you proper temps). The bright light white is important for UVA and optimum health. Additionally, it guards beardie's eyes from the UVB rays. Atop your tank, you want the two bulbs to align at the basking end as follows:
_____________tube
0 basking bulb
...so that beardie has benefit of both while basking. When you get a ReptiSun 10.0 tube, you will want beardie to be able to get within 6-8 inches of the bulb (but no closer) for optimum calcium processing/D3 synthesis.
You asked about MVBs. An optional lighting/heating route
for tanks 40 gallons and larger is a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB), which houses UVA/UVB/HEAT all in one bulb. Basically, it eliminates the need for the two bulb system (UVB plus basking). If you would like more information on MVB's I would be happy to provide it. A UVB tube and basking bulb together can work very well however, provided they are giving beardie what he needs in terms of UVB emissions and temps.
As to a thermometer,
one will do so long as it has a sensor probe you can move about the viv. This is actually the ideal way to go. A thermometer at either end of the tank still will not give you the temps DIRECTLY UNDER the basking bulb, which is very important to know for the health and safety of your beardie.
TIP: there is an inexpensive digital with probe carried by WalMart. It's made by "Accurite" and it's about $12. It also has a built in hygrometer for gauging humidity which should be running 30-50%. When gauging the basking temps, place the probe end onto the basking surface, DIRECTLY under that NEW bright white light :wink: for a full 45 minutes BEFORE reading temp.
Indeed, I'd nix the meal worms. Silks are great, as well as phoenix if you prefer worms as a staple to crickets. The phoenix are particularly easy to care for in that they need no feeding. In addition, they are super high in natural calcium which is wonderful for growing beardies.
http://www.phoenixworms.com.
Please feel free to ask more questions!
The best,
Em