HO T5 mounted inside 40 gallon tank?

[Jellica]

I know there are already a lot of discussions regarding light setup, but I need some help. I am recently revamping my beardie’s 40 gallon enclosure and just bought a brand new Repti-Zoo HO T5 UVB for him, as I read that is the best bulb to have. The tank is top-opening, so I liked the idea of mounting it inside, so I don’t have to move it (along with the heat lamp) every time I open the lid. However, after mounting it, I am reading that there needs to be a bare-minimum distance of 12” from the basking spot from the UVB light. The tank is only 18” tall, so this won’t really work unless he basks on the floor of the enclosure.

I am wondering how accurate that is? Would be be ok 6-8” away from the bulb, or would that cause health concerns? Would it be advisable to move it so it’s not directly over his basking spot, or maybe remove the reflector? If I need to dismount it and place it on top of the screen, I will. But I wanted to check if there’s any way to keep it inside or if anyone has any tips or tricks. I appreciate any advice.

Side note: I recently realized that I haven’t been the best owner to my guy over the past few years (being too busy/not interacting with him a lot, keeping track of cage temps, dusting his food consistently etc), and have honestly been contemplating rehoming him. I know 40 gallons isn’t the ideal size for an adult male bearded dragon either, but believe me when I say I literally don’t have space for a larger tank. I bounce back and forth between giving him a better life with someone else, or giving it another shot because I’m afraid he won’t find a better home elsewhere. He’s a sweet and calm guy, but I always wonder if he’s happy.

I’ve included a picture for reference (sans the heat lamp, and his tank usually has more decor but I’m in the process of revamping it today).

 

[KarrieRee]

I know there are already a lot of discussions regarding light setup, but I need some help. I am recently revamping my beardie’s 40 gallon enclosure and just bought a brand new Repti-Zoo HO T5 UVB for him, as I read that is the best bulb to have. The tank is top-opening, so I liked the idea of mounting it inside, so I don’t have to move it (along with the heat lamp) every time I open the lid. However, after mounting it, I am reading that there needs to be a bare-minimum distance of 12” from the basking spot from the UVB light. The tank is only 18” tall, so this won’t really work unless he basks on the floor of the enclosure.

I am wondering how accurate that is? Would be be ok 6-8” away from the bulb, or would that cause health concerns? Would it be advisable to move it so it’s not directly over his basking spot, or maybe remove the reflector? If I need to dismount it and place it on top of the screen, I will. But I wanted to check if there’s any way to keep it inside or if anyone has any tips or tricks. I appreciate any advice.

Side note: I recently realized that I haven’t been the best owner to my guy over the past few years (being too busy/not interacting with him a lot, keeping track of cage temps, dusting his food consistently etc), and have honestly been contemplating rehoming him. I know 40 gallons isn’t the ideal size for an adult male bearded dragon either, but believe me when I say I literally don’t have space for a larger tank. I bounce back and forth between giving him a better life with someone else, or giving it another shot because I’m afraid he won’t find a better home elsewhere. He’s a sweet and calm guy, but I always wonder if he’s happy.

I’ve included a picture for reference (sans the heat lamp, and his tank usually has more decor but I’m in the process of revamping it today).

I would recommend changing the bulb out for a reptisun 10.0 bulb- to they are a better bulb or to get Arcadia 12% bulb - next getting him into a bigger tank like a 75-120 would be ideal - you can look on FB market place or craigslist- try and find one w/ front doors- your uvb distance for a 18" tank should be fine- I would also get some other decor for him - he needs a hide and how are you getting basking temps? I would recommend getting 2 digital probe thermometers one for you cool side of the tank and one for the basking side- hammocks need the probe for accurate surface temps-- the probe needs to be placed where he sits for basking- 95-100

 

[Jellica]

I would recommend changing the bulb out for a reptisun 10.0 bulb- to they are a better bulb or to get Arcadia 12% bulb - next getting him into a bigger tank like a 75-120 would be ideal - you can look on FB market place or craigslist- try and find one w/ front doors- your uvb distance for a 18" tank should be fine- I would also get some other decor for him - he needs a hide and how are you getting basking temps? I would recommend getting 2 digital probe thermometers one for you cool side of the tank and one for the basking side- hammocks need the probe for accurate surface temps-- the probe needs to be placed where he sits for basking- 95-100

Ok so the distance the UVB is at is ok? He does have a hide and some other decor. I just got him an infrared thermometer from Amazon (Etekcity) as well. I’d love to get him a bigger tank but I don’t have the space - had to move him up to my bedroom and our house is extremely small (think tiny home small).

 

[KarrieRee]

Ok so the distance the UVB is at is ok? He does have a hide and some other decor. I just got him an infrared thermometer from Amazon (Etekcity) as well. I’d love to get him a bigger tank but I don’t have the space - had to move him up to my bedroom and our house is extremely small (think tiny home small).

Ok the IR gun is ok but it's not going to give you accurate basking temps they can't read off of hammocks- please get him out of the tank and set him on your floor in the LR so he can run - make sure there are places he can get under blocked where you can't get him out - you can also set him on the back of the couch or chair in front of the LR they love to look outside- your distance of 12" is good-

 

[Claudiusx]

Ok so the distance the UVB is at is ok?

No it's not.

The reason 12 inches is suggested for a t5 unobstructed is because at 12 inches, the dragon is exposed to the proper levels of UVI. The closer the dragon is to the bulb, the stronger the UVI, thus, the more dangerous it is for the dragon to be basking under it.

If you like the distance the bulb is at now, you need to adjust the strength of the UVI coming from the UVB bulb. You can do this by either removing the reflector, as this effectively cuts the UVI level in half, or you can switch to a bulb that has a recommended distance of 6-8 inches, such as a T8 10.0 bulb with reflector.

-Brandon

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

No it's not.

The reason 12 inches is suggested for a t5 unobstructed is because at 12 inches, the dragon is exposed to the proper levels of UVI. The closer the dragon is to the bulb, the stronger the UVI, thus, the more dangerous it is for the dragon to be basking under it.

If you like the distance the bulb is at now, you need to adjust the strength of the UVI coming from the UVB bulb. You can do this by either removing the reflector, as this effectively cuts the UVI level in half, or you can switch to a bulb that has a recommended distance of 6-8 inches, such as a T8 10.0 bulb with reflector.

-Brandon

Or use the 5.0 that comes with the T5 with the reflector, the distance is the same 6-8 inches.

 

[Jellica]

Ok the IR gun is ok but it's not going to give you accurate basking temps they can't read off of hammocks- please get him out of the tank and set him on your floor in the LR so he can run - make sure there are places he can get under blocked where you can't get him out - you can also set him on the back of the couch or chair in front of the LR they love to look outside- your distance of 12" is good-

Thank you. Can you let me know what LR means? Sorry I’m a bit of a noob to this.
Also the distance is not 12”, more like 6”.

 

[Jellica]

No it's not.

The reason 12 inches is suggested for a t5 unobstructed is because at 12 inches, the dragon is exposed to the proper levels of UVI. The closer the dragon is to the bulb, the stronger the UVI, thus, the more dangerous it is for the dragon to be basking under it.

If you like the distance the bulb is at now, you need to adjust the strength of the UVI coming from the UVB bulb. You can do this by either removing the reflector, as this effectively cuts the UVI level in half, or you can switch to a bulb that has a recommended distance of 6-8 inches, such as a T8 10.0 bulb with reflector.

-Brandon

Thank you for the info! So if I just remove the reflector, it should be ok? I looked into getting a T8 bulb for it but - and correct me if I’m wrong - I don’t think they fit into the fixture I have for the T5, and the only T8s I can find are super large and bulky/wouldn’t fit properly inside the tank. I also just spent like $60 on this T5 and I really like how thin it is. If I need to get something else I will, but trying to avoid that if possible.

Really appreciate it!

 

[Jellica]

Or use the 5.0 that comes with the T5 with the reflector, the distance is the same 6-8 inches.

I think I’m a bit confused - I am using the 5.0 bulb that came with the T5. Are you saying it’s ok at 6-8inches with the reflector (as I have it now)?

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

I think I’m a bit confused - I am using the 5.0 bulb that came with the T5. Are you saying it’s ok at 6-8inches with the reflector (as I have it now)?

Yes. Normally for a bigger enclosure you would want to switch to a 10.0 bulb (at least 10% UVB), and if you had done that you would want to take the reflector off to decrease the output. Since you are already using a bulb that is half the power with the 5.0 (5%), you can leave the reflector and use it at a distance of 6-8 inches.