I am setting up my beardie's Zen Habitats terrarium (48x24x24) and am trying to setup the proper distance between her and a T5 HO 10.0 UVB in a 24 inch Reptisun Terrarium Hood. In the guides on the Zoo Med website, it recommends around 8-10 inches but in other resources, I see that if mounted inside the distance should be increased (especially if the hood has a reflective surface inside). Any recommendations? Thanks!
Thanks for the reply. I am trying to sort out how to get the UVB above her basking area but not too close to the basking bulb (since the basking fixture is above the screen top and the UVB fixture is below). The way I have it setup currently is the basking bulb is roughly in the front left side of the tank and the UVB is hanging down more in the center left side, angled slightly to point toward the front towards the basking log (cannot post an image currently because it does not work on mobile, but can later if needed).
I did purchase a Solarmeter 6.5R to gather some metrics based on where it is now. According to data sheets I have, the recommended UVI is 2.6 to 3.5+, but not past 6.5/7. On her basking log, is there a recommended level? For the rest of the tank? As of now it is within that range and if she walks off her log to other areas, she can get closer to get as high as 4+ and others very low (to escape the UVB).
You can set the UVB light to the rear next to the basking lamp and that should be OK. It will just create a gradient along the depth of the enclosure (this is how I have mine set up). It will be great to have a Solarmeter to check everything out for sure. I generally shoot for 3-6 UVI in the most intense basking spots. 3-4 is pretty common and my dragon often likes to hang out in areas around 1-2UV with surface temps in the mid-high 90s. As long as you measure a good variety of options, they are pretty good at moving about to find what they want at a given time.
Another benefit of having the Solarmeter is that you'll be able to check output and know when to replace the bulb. Some of my Arcadia bulbs are still going strong after 4+ years!