First enclosure build-pre build questions

[Neebles]

Hey all, I'm new to the forums. I'm in the planning stages for my first dragon... I'm going to start a melamine enclosure build. I have a 75g built-in reef tank in my basement so this will hopefully be replacing that. It's a nice set up as the "business" side of the enclosure (behind the wall) has its own room that I can work in, have areas for bug colony tanks, room heaters, dehumidifiers etc...

Ok so I have read quite a bit here and other sites online and my head is swimming with info. I'm sorry if my questions have been asked over and over but it's helpful to me if I get direct answers to my questions...

The enclosure is going to be 48x19x24(I have the space build out to go 48x19x30 if that is better) ..yes it's 19inches tall as that is how tall the standard 75 tank is, as is the existing hole in my wall... The hole is trimmed out so if I have to go 18 that's fine.
Lighting and heat is my biggest concern at this point. I'm going to get a UVB tube, probably the Arcadia, question is, can I get away with a 36" bulb in the middle of the enclosure? Or do I want a shorter bulb that is placed in the "warm" side of the enclosure? Or do I want a longer bulb expanding the entire 48" enclosure? Can the light be down the middle of the top vs closer to the back wall? Ideally I would want the uvb in a more overhead middle position and the basking light closer to a back corner. This may not be ideal for the dragon however.

Being this is going to be a "display" piece in the basement, is it possible to have all light and heat fixtures mounted outside of the tank? If not that's ok l, but I would prefer a clean look. If outside mounting is ok, will it be trial and error as far as bulb strength goes? I do plan to maximize the vertical space available by doing some sort of "ledge" around the sides and the back of the enclosure (in addition to rock/wood for the basking area)

If anyone can address my lighting questions to start that would be much appreciated. I will keep you abreast of the build once it's started. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Taterbug]

Hey all, I'm new to the forums. I'm in the planning stages for my first dragon... I'm going to start a melamine enclosure build. I have a 75g built-in reef tank in my basement so this will hopefully be replacing that. It's a nice set up as the "business" side of the enclosure (behind the wall) has its own room that I can work in, have areas for bug colony tanks, room heaters, dehumidifiers etc...

Ok so I have read quite a bit here and other sites online and my head is swimming with info. I'm sorry if my questions have been asked over and over but it's helpful to me if I get direct answers to my questions...

The enclosure is going to be 48x19x24(I have the space build out to go 48x19x30 if that is better) ..yes it's 19inches tall as that is how tall the standard 75 tank is, as is the existing hole in my wall... The hole is trimmed out so if I have to go 18 that's fine.

Dragons are semi-arboreal/climbing lizards. If you can give them vertical space and furnish it with climbing structures they will use it and the larger the enclosure overall it will help them get more exercise and give you more flexibility for furniture and a heat gradient.

Lighting and heat is my biggest concern at this point. I'm going to get a UVB tube, probably the Arcadia, question is, can I get away with a 36" bulb in the middle of the enclosure? Or do I want a shorter bulb that is placed in the "warm" side of the enclosure? Or do I want a longer bulb expanding the entire 48" enclosure? Can the light be down the middle of the top vs closer to the back wall? Ideally I would want the uvb in a more overhead middle position and the basking light closer to a back corner. This may not be ideal for the dragon however.

Ideally for the dragon the heat and uv light should be in the same area, its recommended with dragons t have a UV gradient as well as a heat gradient, so its "sunnier" where the heat is. What size UV bulb however depends on the bulbs you get. The UV light radiates out from the bulb, so you can place it up against the front corner as long as you keep the distances for useful exposure. I've made this chart to summarize the different setups. https://sites.google.com/site/thelizardmadness/lighting-guides
For reference, I use a 22" T5 for my 48Lx48Hx24W

Being this is going to be a "display" piece in the basement, is it possible to have all light and heat fixtures mounted outside of the tank? If not that's ok l, but I would prefer a clean look. If outside mounting is ok, will it be trial and error as far as bulb strength goes? I do plan to maximize the vertical space available by doing some sort of "ledge" around the sides and the back of the enclosure (in addition to rock/wood for the basking area)

Its always ideal to have the lights outside the enclosure, using the higher power UV lights will make this easier. For heat lights you'll probably be left with trial and error. mounting heat ligts further away will also usually yield a more uniform basking area temperature.

If anyone can address my lighting questions to start that would be much appreciated. I will keep you abreast of the build once it's started. Thanks in advance!!!

If you have other lighting questions i'd be happy to help out

 

[Neebles]

Thank you, that is very helpful. I was just confused as I read a bunch of posts that said to have the uv bulb span the entire length of the enclosure. It does make sense to have a sunny side and a shady side. So, I can get a shorter bulb and mount it offset to one side....lets say my enclosure is 30 inches deep, front to back, would mounting the uv light in the middle at 15 inches be ok). I would want it directly overhead vs being closer to the front panel or back wall.

 

[Taterbug]

Thank you, that is very helpful. I was just confused as I read a bunch of posts that said to have the uv bulb span the entire length of the enclosure. It does make sense to have a sunny side and a shady side. So, I can get a shorter bulb and mount it offset to one side....lets say my enclosure is 30 inches deep, front to back, would mounting the uv light in the middle at 15 inches be ok). I would want it directly overhead vs being closer to the front panel or back wall.

For the older type or lower output bulbs a longer bulb gives a lower "average" dose of UVB. It's sort of like a sunny day vs a cloudy day of that makes sense. You need to be out in the sun longer on a cloudy day to get the same exposure as a short time on a clear sunny day.

you'll want to line the UVB up so that the closest distance to the basking area is the correct distance away (with the T5 and a reflector, for example it would be 12-14") if it works out best in the middle or forward or backward doesn't really matter as long as it is basically overhead. I have mine a little toward the front because that's where the basking perch is.

 

[Neebles]

Thank you, that is very helpful. I was just confused as I read a bunch of posts that said to have the uv bulb span the entire length of the enclosure. It does make sense to have a sunny side and a shady side. So, I can get a shorter bulb and mount it offset to one side....lets say my enclosure is 30 inches deep, front to back, would mounting the uv light in the middle at 15 inches be ok). I would want it directly overhead vs being closer to the front panel or back wall.

For the older type or lower output bulbs a longer bulb gives a lower "average" dose of UVB. It's sort of like a sunny day vs a cloudy day of that makes sense. You need to be out in the sun longer on a cloudy day to get the same exposure as a short time on a clear sunny day.

you'll want to line the UVB up so that the closest distance to the basking area is the correct distance away (with the T5 and a reflector, for example it would be 12-14") if it works out best in the middle or forward or backward doesn't really matter as long as it is basically overhead. I have mine a little toward the front because that's where the basking perch is.

Alright, that makes sense. So basically get my basking spot set and then determine where the uvb will go.