I am second guessing all of my lighting

[picklet]

Not sure what it translates to in gallons, but Ferdinand's viv is 115cm x 49cm x 43cm. When we bought him, they told us that they recommended using a MVB for both basking and UBA output, rather than using separate bulbs for each, so we bought a Komodo Solar D3 UV basking bulb and stuck that at the end of the viv. However, because the bulb is mounted inside the viv, we've got a wire mesh lamp guard over. The mesh is much larger than a typical mesh aquarium lid, but I was worried that it was still blocking too much of the UVB and mounted two T8 lights inside the aquarium - one towards the back, which is a Reptisun 10.0 UVB light, and one towards the front, which is just for light. They cover about half of the viv, and overlap the basking light which is between them.

Ferdinand will occasionally meander over to his basking rock, but his absolutely favorite place is his hammock, which is why the UVB light is so far to the back of the viv, rather than being more central. I was pretty happy with the placement of everything, until I was getting the cardboard loaded up for recycling and found the box for the MVB. It states very clearly that the light should not be closer than 20cm to the animal. Ferdinand's is about 10cm. So now I'm trying to figure out how to fix this. I can raise the bulb easily, but it's no longer going to be warm enough for his basking spot... so should I replace with a higher wattage? Is it still going to put out enough UVB for him being that far AND behind a lamp guard? He can get within 6 inches or so of the other UVB light from his hammock, so... is that sufficient enough without the MVB? I want him to get enough light, but I also don't want to blast him with it, and after reading the back of the box, I'm wondering if the reason he tends to stay in his hammock is because the basking light is too intense.

I don't really have a lot of options, as reptiles have only just become legal to keep as pets in my country, so there's a limited selection of lights.

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

MVB'S have to be one of my least favorite for a heating source and uvb source, they do good for uvb to an extent but have a way too narrow beam so if he's going off to the side of it it's most likely because he doesn't like the narrow beam of intense uvb.

Personally I'd just get rid of the MVB and go for a regular bright heat lamp along side a reptisun t5 ho 10.0 bulb. Most of my beardies except one will tolerate MVB's, and that one avoids the MVB like its the plague. If it even goes over her she freaks out and darts to the other side of her viv, some beardies have different uvb preferences than others, she just prefers a wider beam that a tube light can provide rather than a narrow beam.

Different animal but I currently use two MVB's with my 4-5 month old tegu and she's okay with them as she has a wide variety of spots to choose from, she can get as far from it as she wants to or as close as she wants to. However once I get her a 8x3x2 foot enclosure we're putting a reptisun t5 ho 10.0 tube light in there or one of arcadias 12% 46" bulbs. Since she needs a hotter spot than a beardie does, around 115-120 in most cases which is quite hard to do with a MVB bulb for her.


Also your enclosure size is around 59-60 gallons.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Not sure what it translates to in gallons, but Ferdinand's viv is 115cm x 49cm x 43cm. When we bought him, they told us that they recommended using a MVB for both basking and UBA output, rather than using separate bulbs for each, so we bought a Komodo Solar D3 UV basking bulb and stuck that at the end of the viv. However, because the bulb is mounted inside the viv, we've got a wire mesh lamp guard over. The mesh is much larger than a typical mesh aquarium lid, but I was worried that it was still blocking too much of the UVB and mounted two T8 lights inside the aquarium - one towards the back, which is a Reptisun 10.0 UVB light, and one towards the front, which is just for light. They cover about half of the viv, and overlap the basking light which is between them.

I'm suspicious that the Komodo Solar D3 MVB is not going to be very good quality and may be emitting a very poor quality UV spectrum.
I'd replace it with an Arcadia equivalent MVB (similar wattage).

As far as how much UV is being blocked , it's pretty easy to work how much as a percentage of the UV is blocked be the mesh cage , here is the method : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235210&p=1809330#p1809330

Ferdinand will occasionally meander over to his basking rock, but his absolutely favorite place is his hammock, which is why the UVB light is so far to the back of the viv, rather than being more central. I was pretty happy with the placement of everything, until I was getting the cardboard loaded up for recycling and found the box for the MVB. It states very clearly that the light should not be closer than 20cm to the animal. Ferdinand's is about 10cm. So now I'm trying to figure out how to fix this. I can raise the bulb easily, but it's no longer going to be warm enough for his basking spot... so should I replace with a higher wattage? Is it still going to put out enough UVB for him being that far AND behind a lamp guard? He can get within 6 inches or so of the other UVB light from his hammock, so... is that sufficient enough without the MVB? I want him to get enough light, but I also don't want to blast him with it, and after reading the back of the box, I'm wondering if the reason he tends to stay in his hammock is because the basking light is too intense.

I don't really have a lot of options, as reptiles have only just become legal to keep as pets in my country, so there's a limited selection of lights.

 

[CooperDragon]

Which wattage is your Komodo bulb? How far is it above the basking area? It can be difficult to get proper temperatures while still having the bulb within a safe/effective distance for UVB output so the combination bulbs can be tricky. As for the T8, if it is in a fixture with a reflector, it's optimal at 15-20cm. I wouldn't have it much closer because it can be visually intense and if it's further then it becomes much less effective.

 

[picklet]

I FOUND AN ARCADIA 12% T5 BULB! The bulb and fixture have been ordered so as soon as they arrive, I'm going to swap the lighting around. I have a couple of questions, though - it's a dual bulb fixture, so should I put anything in the second part? Right now, I've got a UVB light in one and a regular light in the other because I happened to have the bulb. I know it will work with only one bulb, but is there a benefit to adding either another UVB light or a regular light to the empty part?

Also, I'm swapping out the MVB light for a regular basking light so I don't have to worry about frying his little brain with the MVB while he basks. I know I can pop a different light into the existing fixture, but I am not super happy with it. I had to saw a circular hole in the top of his cage and mount a light guard over it. I would like to replace it with something mounted inside the cage, but light guard is so big that there would only be a small gap between the bottom the guard and the bottom of his cage if I didn't have it halfway out through the top. What sort of fixture and bulbs is everyone using for their basking areas? Do you have a guard over it to prevent burns or can they be trusted not to attempt to climb an exposed bulb?

 

[CooperDragon]

That's great, the Arcadia is an excellent bulb. Set that up about 12'' above the basking area and you should be in good shape. You can take the MVB out and use it as a portable basking light for outside of the tank time and for travel. For basking light I use a PAR 38 halogen flood light and it works well. They get hot though so it's best to keep them well out of reach. I usually recommend having the basking lights at least 12'' away from the basking area both for safety and so they create a nice wide beam of light over the basking site.