Building a Enclosure lighting question

[Jmaj]

Hello all,
Just wanting to make sure I do this correctly. I’m building a 48”wide,30” Deep 30” height Beardie mansion. Of course I like to go extreme. My question is lighting. I will have two basking spots that will step up a foot and a half.One on one side and one on the other. Leaving shade under the steps. I’m looking at a T8 reptisun 10.0 3ft UVB fixture. My concern is will 30 inch height be good enough for this or will the lighting be to intense with the UVB

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

Thats sounds wonderful....however the lighting will actually be the exact opposite. The beardie would barely get any UVB with such a weak bulb unless it an get within 6-8 inches of it most of the time.

Depending on how your basking spots are setup its best if you go with a Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 34" bulb or a Arcadia D3+ T5 HO 12-14% 34" bulb with a reflective fitting fixture.

Also for the two basking spots it may be best to only have the heat on one side so there's a proper gradient still.

 

[Jmaj]

Ok, Thank you for that quick response. So 34” T5 instead. Should I drop down the height of the enclosure? I thought it would be good for climbing. Where do you find that fixture? See will 34” be enough for 48” inch wide enclosure

 

[Taterbug]

My setup is a bit narrower (2’) and taller (4’) than yours but with how I have things set up the effective space is similar. I use a 22” T5HO Arcadia 14% lamp, 2 T5HO 36” daylight lamps an 3 halogen basking lamps. The 22” is plenty of UV but not enough overal brightness for the size of the cage. My UV is 12-13” away at the closest and a year old; I’m still getting great uv from it. I used reptisun 10.0 lamps for years too and they did fine, just not quite as strong as the 14%, certainly cheaper though. A T8 won’t cut it and wouldn’t make your enclosure look like a cave anyway, they are not nearly as bright.

I wouldn’t shorten your tank, climbing is great enrichment. What I did was to have a big basking area with different “zones”. The highest UV is also the highest in heat, and I step down from there. The bottom and far side are his cool areas.

This shows the heat gradient:

And this illustrates the UV gradient (this was made when I used the reptisun bulb):

 

[lizardmom25]

I am working on an enclosure build right now. I am doing 4'x2'x2'. I haven't installed my lights yet, but I bought this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKKUD3Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26062-Reptisun-Fluorescent/dp/B00AQU8HKO/ref=pd_sim_86_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00AQU8HKO&pd_rd_r=X0P3N80SCNM14SX5CC9C&pd_rd_w=QymiS&pd_rd_wg=MQhjW&psc=1&refRID=X0P3N80SCNM14SX5CC9C&dpID=31QDwNV8eSL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
the bulb was a lot cheaper when I bought it, and you can definitely find it cheaper than this other places.
I chose the sunblaster fixture because it has a reflector and the mounting system is conducive to a ceiling mount.
For basking lights, the bare bulbs drive me crazy, so my husband cut a hole in the top so i can sit dome on top

I actually bought a pendant light fixture with a ceramic socket and very attractive reflective dome that fits our decor to use for this. I have several different wattages of halogen flood light to try, as well as a dimmer if I need it.

 

[Jmaj]

Finished. My Beardie is amazed of his space. Still a bit stressed but doing well. The only thing I see wrong with his new VIV is the crickets like to hide. He has to work for his catch. Unless he goes to his bowl where the Superworms are and veggies. Crickets are tough for him. Lol..