Hello,
i have a nocturnal (red) heat lamp and bulb and also a UVB bulb that was recommended for my size tank....temps in the basking area seem to vary from 87f to the high 90's depending on the room temperature also. my question is how close i can put a basking area to the bulb/lamp on top of the terrarium? seems like its 5-7 inches depending on how high he climbs and if he is laying flat....is this ok? i mean hes smart enough to move when to hot right? and he can't touch the bulb. i have a cool area also that is around 75f
Who recommended those lights? Sounds like a salesman at the petstore???
The 'nocturnal' light is just a red light. Beardies see it just as well as you and me (for the most part). Most her will not recommend them for night use as they can disrupt the sleep cycle...
What is the UVB source that was recommended? This is a very important aspect of raising a healthy beardie. Get this bulb right, and get the right distance from it...
As for how close to the heat lamp... that just depends on how hot it is making the basking spot. It could be 2 feet or 5 inches... Just be sure your beardie can't touch it and get burned... Your basking spot for a young beardie should be 105-110 or so. Yours sounds way too low.
You should ensure you have a cool side, a warm side, and a hot basking spot. The caresheets should tell you what those temps need to be. To reach those temps, there may be some tricks, like adding a second normal house bulb, heat lamp, or CHE.
What sized tank do you have? How are you measuring the temps?
You need to know what UVb you have and what the recomended distance is from that. Because you should have the heat light next to it.
Otherwise, no one can tell you what distance the heat lamp should be from the basking area because each wattage lamp in each eclosure produces different temperatures. You need to get a good thermometer to test the basking temps and determine the distance by that.