Got a new enclosure

[OneBigDude]

I have been planning on building Toothless a crossfire cage in a couple months when he gets a little bigger. I went to Columbus this weekend to visit a friend and he had a 70 gallon tank that he no longer wanted. I had to take it. It measures 48 x 18.5 x 21". Seems like it should be perfect for him. I've got a 24" repti-sun, but am I going to need to get a longer bulb or pick up an additional 24" to mount? And for heating the cool side of the cage, should I place a CHE in the middle and the another in the cool end of the cage or give him a basking spot in the warm end an another in the middle?

 

[w0554096]

Hi there,
Your UVB should really cover 3/4 of the tank, though since they spend so much of their time under their basking spot, a 24" strip will work. If you had the option to upgrading to a 36", I would do that, though it's not strictly necessary.
As far as adding another light, check out his temperatures. If you find that you're able to get his basking spot high enough, and the cool end is still around 75 ish, then you don't really need to add another light in. If you feel that it's too cold, you can always add another one in after. Some dragons prefer hotter temps, and some cooler, so it'll really depend.
I have two adults, one of them will not leave the basking spot if it's under 105 with a cool end of about 79.
The other one though doesn't like the basking spot any higher than 100. If it is, she'll either hang out in the cool end, or alternate chilling out under her basking spot for awhile.

SO, your dragon will definately tell you if something needs changing.
Also, if your cool end doesn't warm up enough, you'll probably need to add another light.