Best lighting, best tank

[Obsidian]

Hello and ty for input,

My bd is 5 mo. old in a 20 gal. long Zilla kit. What I've found is I've had to replace almost everything, according to what I've read. Had to replace substrate (alfalfa pellets) with paper towels/non adhesive shelf liner. Thermostat is useless and can be off 10+ degrees. Coil lighting can be bad for bd's, both heat and UVB. So basically I bought 4 sides and a bottom of glass for 189$.

I read UVB distills thru a screen top, making it less, so I cut away part of the screen. Replaced what came w/ the kit w/ Reptisun 10.0. Replaced coil light with basking light.

In a couple months I want to buy her a tank that will be her permanent home. I'm looking at http://www.petco.com/product/115538/
I like the front doors.
Moving around the domes on top of the screen everyday is such a pita.
I want the height and breadth but am concerned about UVB,A.
Of course I would build, branches, where she had access to the best lighting for her needs.
Should I add a second Reptisun to make sure she gets all she needs met no matter where she is in the tank?

Help! I don't want to make the same $$ mistake twice but want to give her a very happy, healthy life.

What do you think of this model http://www.petco.com/product/115538/

Ty, Dez

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi Dez,

Both of your links link to the same thing. It would be easier if you just told us the dimensions of the tank you are wanting to buy.

1 reptisun 10.0 tube is suitable. You don't need two. But make sure you replace the bulb every 6 months, even if it is still lighting up.

-Brandon

 

[Obsidian]

Ty for reply,

I'm trying to find the best tank that she will live in her life.

This is the best I've found Natural Terrarium Large/X-Tall

90 x 45 x 90 cm / 36” x 18” x 36” (WxDxH)
http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/natural_terrarium_large.php

(I don't want to put out all the extra dollars for stuff I have to replace because it was bad or useless like the Zilla kit I bought ,as mentioned before).
Again.

But because it's so tall would I need double UVB/UVA?
I don't know these things.
I'm trying to learn.
Is this a good tank for a bearded dragon?

 

[Claudiusx]

The 36x18x18 would be better.

That is a 40g breeder. And is the generally accepted minimum space required to adequately house and adult.
It's what I use for most of my tanks.

-Brandon

 

[Yaaeee]

http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12330526&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo

The exo-terra tank comes in large "low" which is 36x18x12 if I'm not mistaking. Has the front door access and all the features of the regular large tank. It seems it would be easier for heating/ lighting purposes because it's so low. I've also had people mount there UVB lights inside the tank using a basic fluorescent lighting housing unit from like Home Depot. They're relatively cheap & can be mounted with command hooks/ strips that you find at walmart.

 

[chrism1]

Hey, sorry about your previous set-up, but good thing you're doing research now!

Currently, I own a 36x18x24 tank, similar to the one you posted, and it's pretty cool, but I had to add some extra branches to make use of the extra height. For heating, I have one 100 watt on the basking spot and a smaller 40 watt bulb next to it to warm the tank up, but i find that the cool side is still a little too cool at 76 degrees, but it's usually not an issue as my dragon tends to bask for most of the time. One thing I do recommend is to set up the logs in way that lets him get as close to both the heat and uvb bulb as he wants; my dragon is usually good about the distance, but just make sure he can't get too close.