help a newbie setting up my tank

[nicks]

Hi, I'm new to bearded dragons but will have one soon.

I'm having difficulties figuring out what to do for lighting in my tank. This is the tank I have
http://exo-terra.com/en/products/natural_terrarium_small.php

I know its too small for an adult, but I will get a new one when he out grows it.

I'm thinking of using a dual dome fixture with a mvb and a night time heat bulb, but I'm not sure if the mvb will be good enough. Will the mvb be good to keep my bearded dragon healthy and happy? This tank is only going to be good for 6 months so I'm trying to not invest too much into it, but will if need be

Thanks for the help in advance

 

[nicks]

Ok, after they moved this to enclosures I seen all the bad talk about the mvb... so now the question is, what lighting and fixtures should I get for a tank this size? I was hoping to keep it around $60, but I also want a healthy pet.

 

[callum84]

Prob not what your wanting to hear but you may struggle to get a decent temperature gradient in that terrarium. I'd seriously consider getting something bigger.

 

[nicks]

Ok, but what about the lighting?

 

[BotanicalStig]

That tank is not good for 6 months. Return it if you can, it is not suitable, even for a baby bearded dragon. It pays to do research before you buy something, especially when that something has a life that depends on your knowledge. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, and I'm glad you came here for help instead of the pet store that told you that tank was acceptable. You'd think the people who have the job of educating people about animals would... be able to educate people about animals. Unfortunately, more times than not, they can't.

Here's my advice, buy a 40 gallon breeder sized tank. 36X18X16 inches (~$100). This will last until your bearded dragon is an adult. They *can* fit in this their whole lives, but I recommend getting a tank that's 48X24X24 inches when it's fully grown. Bearded dragons need floor space, so don't buy a tank on gallon size alone. They also need a heat gradient, a hot and cool side. You should test your temperatures with an IR heat gun, you should be able to find them at any hardware store (I know harbor freight sells them for pretty cheap). Do not use a combined fixture, they tend have the bulbs facing the wrong direction. Also, no night lights, they will keep your dragon up at night. Unless your house gets below 60, you don't need any supplementary heating. If you do need some heating, buy what's called a ceramic heat emitter. A CHE will heat the space, but they don't give off any light. For UVB, people are starting to say MVBs are ok again, but personally, I wouldn't risk it. You might need to order your UVB bulb online, look for a reptisun 10.0 UVB, the long tube, no compact bulbs. You can get a fixture for it just about anywhere, if you can make it to a walmart, they sell an under cabinet fluorescent fixture for like $25. You will want to mount this to the glass, under the screen top of your tank. There's a tutorial around here somewhere if you need help visualizing how to do it. For the basking spot, go for one of the dimmable light fixtures, I think zoomed makes some. You want your basking spot temperature to be between 98 and 107 degrees fahrenheit.

 

[nicks]

I have a temp gun already, and once he starts to out grow this tank I plan on building or buying a bigger terrarium for him. I had read online that you don't want a big tank for them when they are babies because it makes it harder for them to catch their food. I do know they need to have a hot side and a cool side, I figured I would have the basking lamp in the rear, and the cool side up front by the vents, heat rises and in turn would suck cool air in through the vent. I have been doing research for the past week, and its not like I am going to put him in the cage with out having it all set up and making sure everything is right. If that was the case I would just put a regular heat lamp over him and call it good. I'm 27 years old, I'm not a kid getting his first pet. I have over $100 into a tank for a beta fish, just to make sure all was right for him, and he was happy. I know how to take care of a pet, and do research. The lighting system for these is complicated and there are many options to choose from. I have been looking at lighting alone for 3 days now, and thought it would be best to ask the veteran owners about lighting

 

[callum84]

Lighting is the simple part IMO.
You need a 10% or 12% UVB tube. I can't recommend any brands as I'm in uk but I use Arcadia if you can get them. Fitting a reflector will almost double the output of UVB.
It's recommended that tube runs full length of vivarium unless your using higher output tubes in which case it's 2/3rds.
UV tube should be fitted where dragon can get 8 inches or so from it. You can increase this if you add a reflector,
Mount tube on roof of viv and not hanging halfway down as UV from side can damage dragons eyes.

For basking lamp you need a spotlight which will create a basking spot of 110-115f. Ambient temperature of cool end should be around 80F and warm end 90F. Obviously these temps will vary depending on ambient temp outside viv but it's really important to have a cool end your dragon can retreat to.

But seriously mate, get a bigger vivarium. You will really struggle with temps with what you have.

 

[nicks]

Ok thanks, I guess I will get a 18" uvb tube and a basking lamp, and let it run for a few days and see how temps look. My house stays 70-74 year round so no night time heater needed. I'll be getting my lights next week, so ill update on what temp readings I'm getting then.

There is a reason I got this terrarium instead of a 20 gallon to start with. I knew either way I would be building or buying a bigger one not to long from now, I wanted to be able to reach in from the side and not the top to get him, and I don't have a use for a 20 gallon tank after he out grows it. At least this one I can put in the kids room with something that could be happy in it, maybe a red eyed tree frog or something smaller

 

[nicks]

I already have the terrarium and a tree for him to climb and bask on, and have made up a list of the rest of the stuff I will need minus food and the pet.

18" repti-sun 10.0
Sun-glo tight beam basking lamp 75w
5.5" clamp lamp with dimmer
Adjustable light bracket
Cave
Water dish
Moss mat
2 digital exo-Terra digital thermometers


I also already have a temp gun to spot check around the terrarium. And the fluorescent fixture I'm hoping I can use an old 18" black light fixture I have stored away.
Anything else that I should have before I get my pet?



And don't worry, I am going to set it all up and let it run day/night cycles and monitor the temps and make sure they are in the right ranges and consistent.

Edit: I had chose the tight beam basking lamp and the 5.5" lamp with dimmer to help make a tighter beam on his branch in the back corner to focus the heat a little better. If those aren't good choices, please let me know.

 

[callum84]

Was going to say thermometers but see you've already mentioned them. 75w may be a bit high for that size of terrarium, you may need to drop down the wattage or use a dimmer stat.

 

[nicks]

The exo-terra digital thermometers have remote sensors on them. I figured I would put one in the the middle of the back side to get the hot side temp, and one in the opposite front corner behind his cave to get cool side temp

 

[nicks]

Was going to say thermometers but see you've already mentioned them. 75w may be a bit high for that size of terrarium, you may need to drop down the wattage or use a dimmer stat.

The clamp lamp has a built in dimmer and was rated 75w. I figured I could see where I set it to get my temps, and maybe step down to a 50w if I think it will be hot enough