best brand of flood light?

[mbeans27]

so I decided to get a 65 watt flood light for my future bearded dragon and I was wondering what brand of lightbulb was the best. I was also wondering if 65 watts is going to be hot enough for a juvenile bearded dragon in a 40 gallon tank? last question will I need a deep dome or can I use a normal clamp lamp?

 

[CooperDragon]

I've had good luck with GE and Philips PAR38 halogens but I'm sure others are OK too. You may have to try different wattages until you get one that puts your temps just right. A 65 or 70w is a good place to start. Just be sure they aren't the super energy efficient once since those won't put out required heat. You can use them with regular clamp lamps but they may stick out a little at the bottom. I use brooder domes from the farm store which work really well and are a bit cheaper than the reptile branded fixtures.

 

[mbeans27]

will this light work it says it is equal to 60 watts but it is actually 39 watts http://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-60-Watt-Equivalent-Halogen-PAR38-Dimmable-Floodlight-Bulb-421289/203248908

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah that looks like a good place to start. If that doesn't get hot enough you could move to something like this http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-75W-E...-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-53PARHIR-8KF25T2/203504848 or up to a 90w if needed.

 

[charmander16]

Be aware that to use these types of lights it will require a dimmer. To get the best use from them you need to be able to raise them up higher and use a dimmer to get the correct temps. They tend to produce a narrow very hot spot. Moving them back helps to reduce this.

For most "typical" setups I'd say that a traditional basking bulb is better. The main advantage of the halogen flood lights is being able to dim them and have them come on gradually with a dimmer timer, and they last longer, but the light spread is not as good as a basking bulb unless you can move them back a considerable distance.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

I agree, I love the Par38 Halogen flood bulbs, they are wonderful & so bright. They do get hot
but when properly mounted they are perfect.
There are several brands that Cooper recommended which are really good.

Tracie

 

[Beardeddtagonlover]

one thing about glass tanks is you can also use a lamp stand and raise or lower to control temps i was running 100 watt mvb on my 40 gallon breeder i raised about 3 inches from the screen it worked great.it all depends the temperature in your room heat escapes a lot on glass tanks you may need more then 39 or 53 watts but you may have to experiment with a lot of bulbs.i certainly have bulbs wattages of all kinds lol.