heating/lighting questions

[osmbr]

so i have a 75 gallon aquarium 48Lx18Dx22h

i was wondering if i get a MVB and A36" Flourescent reptisun 10.0 both in the same tank will it harm the BD??

What Wattage of MVB should i get and what is better Powersun or any others that might be better??

How far should i place a basking Area underneath it ??

and i was going to place a under tank heater for heat at night as well ?? or would a red Light be better ?? or ceramic heat emitter??

i only want the best for the 2 bearded dragons im setting up for!!

what are some other good heating sources for beardies??

sorry for all the questions.. thanks in advance!!

 

[SarahUK]

Bearded dragons should be housed singly. Having two sharing one viv could lead to dominance issues and tragedy further down the line; even if they are siblings or have been housed together a while, one could turn on the other with fatal consequences. If they turn out to be male/female the hassle from the male to mate would place excess amounts of stress on the female.

Regarding UVB, having both in one viv would be a case of too much of a bad thing, use one or the other in each viv. Im sure someone on here can shed a bit more light on it (i wrote that before i realised how much of a pun it was... *groan*) :roll:

If your house temps fall under 65F at night a ceramic heat emitter would be the way to go! This is because beardies sense heat from above so could easily burn their undersides on an under tank heater, and are thought to be able to see red light so a red night light would disturb their night time rest.

Hope this helps!

 

[osmbr]

soo i cant keep two together i see people with colonies and they seem fine but idk haha

and one light is enough juss a powersun or a basking and flourescent??

 

[SarahUK]

In the wild beardies are solitary creatures, and can get very dominant. It has been known that two can live together for years then the owners come home from work to find only one beardie alive and a lot of mess in the viv (trying not to get too graphic here). Keeping them together successfully is the exception, not the rule im afraid.

As for the UVB it is up to you. If you're going for the basking light with a separate UVB bulb option please make sure the UVB is a flourescent tube kind, preferably the Repti-SUN (not glo) the sun is considered the best bulb in the US. I think the distance between basking spot and tube is recommended to be 6-9 inches.

The basking light can be a normal household bulb (just try different wattages until you find one that is suitable in terms of heat) but please be sure to measure the temps accurately. This can be done best with a digital probe thermometer (you can buy an Accurite one from Walmart for $12) simply place the probe part on the surface of the basking spot and the 'box' in the cool side and leave for 45 mins before taking a reading. For a baby the basking spot should be between 105 and 110F ideally. A temp gun can sinply be pointed and clicked for a reading. Unfortunately the temp thingies that are meant to be stuck to the glass of the viv can be up to 20degrees off and only realy read the temp of the surface of the glass. Not very useful at all.

As for an MVB, iv heard the Megaray is a good bulb. They have to be 'burned in' for about 4 days to burn off vaporous gases and stabilise their temps - as in switched on away from the viv for 4 days before going anywhere near a beardie.

Remember that a flourescent tube such as a Repti-sun lasts for about 6 months before you will have to purchase another one, even if it is still giving off light (the UVB dissapparates after this time and stops being so effective) and an MVB needs to be repurchased every year.

Now, this is where it gets a bit more technical. A beardie with an MVB such as the Megaray can actually produce its own vitamin D3 due to the potency of the UVB source, so the calcium you dust its food with 5 times a week should be calcium WITHOUT D3. A beardie under a Repti-sun cannot produce D3 so its food should be dusted with calcium WITH D3. But with either bulb, you should still be dusting feeders with vitamin twice a week.


I know its a lot of info to take in but lurk around these boards and ask a lot of questions, even if they seem daft or easy! If you dont know then you have a right to ask. We all want the best for your beardies! :mrgreen:

 

[SarahUK]

I forgot to add - petmountain.com is a very well regarded site with competative prices that a lot of members here use :wink:

 

[Loganator]

Stay away from the PowerSun for now. There have been some problems with recent batches. Something about the phosphorous layer. They had been making beardies sick. The MegaRay or the T-Rex ActiveUV are the best. I personally prefer the MVB. Both heat and UVB on one bulb! And my beardie showed marked improvement in appetite, activity, color and overall health when I switched to the T-Rex! I am not sure if you would need a 100w or 160w for a 75 gallon tank. Maybe someone else would know. I have a 100w, but I only have a 40 gallon breeder tank. It puts out a tremendous amount of heat. I have raised it a couple times to reduce the temp on his basking spot. Currently it is approx 14 inches from his basking spot and the temp measures 104 with a temp gun. Warm side is 94ish, cool side is 81ish. no other heat source is needed. The Megaray can be a little harder to get, they are often back-ordered. If you decide on the T-Rex, look around online to check out all prices. They can really vary from supplier to supplier. I got mine on sale for $39.99 from http://www.reptiledepot.com

Hope this info helps!

Edit: I just checked, the T-Rex is still $39.99 at reptiledepot.com (You are in the US, I hope?)

 

[osmbr]

thank you all this info helps tremendously and im going to go with the mvb cheaper how i see it in the long run

 

[Loganator]

Yep. It is has been cheaper for me in the long run. Saves on energy since you don't need another bulb for heat and you only have to replace it every 12-18 months. Even if it wasn't cheaper, I would still go this route as Izzy does so much better with the MVB.

 

[osmbr]

yeahh im looking for the trex right now to price is it safe to buy online since its like breakable and stuff and what would be sufficient for a 75 gallon tank like wattages 100 -160

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Actually, the MegaRay bulbs DO NOT need a burn in period. Look at the videos at reptileuv.com if you don't believe me. Many other Mercury Vapor Bulbs do, due to their imperfections, however the MegaRay (at least the SB) has been designed to not need a 4 day burn in. In my 75 gallon tank I'm using a 160w MegaRay (but you have to make sure to keep the basking spot directly beneath the beam at least 15-18 in away from the bulb due to high UV). I can get a good 108-110 degrees at about 16in...

The TRex and the MegaRay are the exact same bulb as well, so either will work. I'd recommend checking out reptileuv.com and looking through the videos on how they set up their light/heat. Bob (the man in the videos) is an amazing resource, and his bulbs aren't very expensive either really...

 

[osmbr]

thank you all of this info in one day is good im going with a t-rex uv bulb to start in my 75 now to find the dragon i want i either want a citrus leusistic or a bright red/orange with yeallow dragon mostly the last one well see what happens haha but i can easily picture a red/orange with some yellow basking on a branch/rock in my room would be awsome!!! i want one similar to this the first pic damian

http://www.showtimedragons.com/future-breeders.html

 

[osmbr]

thank you all of this info in one day is good im going with a t-rex uv bulb to start in my 75 now to find the dragon i want i either want a citrus leusistic or a bright red/orange with yeallow dragon mostly the last one well see what happens haha but i can easily picture a red/orange with some yellow basking on a branch/rock in my room would be awsome!!! i want one similar to this the first pic damian

http://www.showtimedragons.com/future-breeders.html