Help my setup please

[acdcman75]

Here is Molly she is bigger now and brighter Orange you can't really see it here

Here is her tank I wanted more help I want her habitat to be perfect I giver her dubias crickets silk phoenix butter worms and super and horn for treats. Mainly I wanted to share her uvb doesn't reach her right so I stuck them on the sides... the
left one is dim and let's off 50 mW and the right is a 10.0 reptisun... I was thinking of screwing the repti next to the light but unsure if it will reach her... her substrate is half tile I sealed and will put in more but half some sand cause she likes to dig

 

[acdcman75]

Oh and the top light is a uvb mercury and the bottom is a basking its a 55-60 gallon

 

[Gail]

I think you are way over doing the UVB. With a good MVB, you won't need the tubular uvb tubes. What brand/wattage is your MVB?

 

[acdcman75]

130 exo terra

 

[acdcman75]

Should I get rid of the right tube?

 

[Gail]

I'm not familiar with exot terra, is that the solar glo bulb? Personally if it was me, I would use the repti sun 10.0 and a regular heat bulb in the dome.

 

[diamc]

[Moved here from General Discussion forum.]

I agree with Gail that you don't need all those UVB bulbs, that's too much. You actually only need the MVB OR the Repti-Sun 10.0 tube along with a basking bulb. Is the bulb a Solar Glo? If so, those only come in 125 and 160 watts. You actually shouldn't need 2 heat bulbs either? What is the distance of the Solar Glo?

I noticed a round gauge thermometer in the lower corner of the tank, are you using any other types of thermometers to check the temps?

Does she bask much? I ask that question because I think her tank may be too hot for her.

 

[acdcman75]

She basks but moves around a lot... should I toss the uvb and use two heaters? I get the left side at 105 the middle is 85

 

[acdcman75]

I'll take out the reptisun the solar is 125 I think it gets really hot the cage is 20 inches tall if that helps its the one above the net

 

[diamc]

When using a 125 watt MVB, the distance should be at least 12" from the hammock, a distance of 16" would be safer. Would be a good idea to measure the distance of the bottom of the bulb to your beardie's back while she is laying on the hammock. The reason the distance is so important is because MVB's put out a lot of UV rays besides the heat. If the MVB bulbs are too close, it can actually cause all sorts of health issues and will cause them to avoid laying under it. If you can't get the MVB at least 12" or so away from the basking area, then it would be safer to use a regular white basking bulb and the fluorescent Repti-Sun UVB.

If you're getting a reading of 105 in the bottom lower corner and with the thermometer stuck to the glass, I can actually guarantee you that the basking areas are MUCH hotter. What you need to know is the basking SURFACE temp and the temp way over on the bottom of the cool side. The only 2 ways to get those readings accurately are with either a temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end. If you have a WalMart near you, they have the AcuRite brand digital probe thermometer which will give you both readings at the same time as well as the humidity level for only about $12.00. Lowe's and Home Depot carry the AcuRite brands also.

Too high of temps can be very dangerous and can actually cause rapid dehydration and heat stroke so I highly recommend that you get a better way to read the temps asap. Your beardie looks like she is at about 1 1/2 to 2 yrs old so a basking temp of even 105 may be too hot for her. My 16 month old female will only bask if the temp is 102 to 103.

Please make sure you give her frequent baths until you're able to get a better thermometer so she doesn't get dehydrated. Do you think you can get another thermometer tomorrow? Also please ck the distance of the MVB bulb. What is the wattage of the bulb alongside the MVB?

Also, you don't need either of the fluorescent tubes if you're able to continue using the MVB.

 

[acdcman75]

So she is shedding and running around then she goes and perches under her light so I guess she is basking now that I fixed it

 

[diamc]

That's good. What did you do to "fix it"?

 

[acdcman75]

I looked more in the forums and found a pic for the proper sized tank... think my mvb is weak

 

[acdcman75]

Also you said it might be to hot so I switched them and moved her log closer to the heat lamp and put the mvb in the middle so it won't hurt her... this is temp as I will be figuring out how to heat up more on the left and removing the mvb as they are too inconsistent it seems

 

[diamc]

It's good that you're trying to change things around to make her more comfortable. I have to stress though that it's VERY important to find out what the correct temps are in the tank so I highly recommend that you invest in a digital probe thermometer. The round gauge and digital strips can actually be off by 20 degrees or more which makes a huge difference in their overall health.

It's also important to have a hot and cool side so with the MVB in the middle, she doesn't really have a cool side at about 80 degrees. The basking area should only be on one side with a lower wattage bulb way over on the cool side.

One of my tanks was a 55 gallon and I only needed a 75 watt household bulb as the basking bulb and a 40 watt on the cool side.

If she's spending most of her time now under the heat lamp on her log then she isn't getting the benefit of any UVB. What is the wattage of the heat lamp near her log? The reason I'm asking about the heat lamp is because I'm thinking that you may not need the MVB at all, just the heat bulb and you may be able to just use a low wattage household on the cool side and then the Repti-Sun tube suspended in her tank which we can help you with.

We all just want what is best for your beardie and we know you do too. :wink: