I Need Lighting Help

[JetLyfeChris]

Hello to all, I am currently building a 6x2x2 wooden enclosure for my bearded dragon with double sliding glass panels in the front. I bought 3 vents that are 6x16 and cut holes in the back wall to install them. I have thermometers also installed on both sides. I am almost done with my enclosure but i don't know what will be the proper lighting for this enclosure. I will soon be getting 2 juvenile bearded dragons from a friend. For the lighting i will be cutting out holes on the top to install them. My house temperature ranges from 72 - 78 Degrees F. Thank you for the responses down below.

 

[sue09]

I can't help on the lights but your not putting the 2 in together are you?

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

 

[CooperDragon]

For lighting you'll want a tube style UVB light(ReptiSun 10.0 or Arcadia 12% are recommended) that runs about 1/2 the length of the tank, mounted inside the top facing downward. A fixture that holds a 36'' or a 48'' bulb should do the trick. It should be 6-8'' above the basking area. For the basking light, you can use a basking specific light or a halogen flood light and put it in a ceramic socket dome fixture on top of or above the tank. The key with the basking light is to produce 100-110 degrees at the basking site while keeping the far side of the tank in the 75-85 degree range so there is a good gradient to allow your dragon to self regulate temperature. You'll need to play around with the wattages and distance (basking light height and basking spot height) until you have the correct temperatures. A good digital probe thermometer or temperature gun will help with that quite a bit.

 

[JetLyfeChris]

I can't help on the lights but your not putting the 2 in together are you?

I was actually planning of putting both of them together i might be getting 2 females is there a problem with putting both of them together? And this is a 180 Gallon Tank.

 

[JetLyfeChris]

For lighting you'll want a tube style UVB light(ReptiSun 10.0 or Arcadia 12% are recommended) that runs about 1/2 the length of the tank, mounted inside the top facing downward. A fixture that holds a 36'' or a 48'' bulb should do the trick. It should be 6-8'' above the basking area. For the basking light, you can use a basking specific light or a halogen flood light and put it in a ceramic socket dome fixture on top of or above the tank. The key with the basking light is to produce 100-110 degrees at the basking site while keeping the far side of the tank in the 75-85 degree range so there is a good gradient to allow your dragon to self regulate temperature. You'll need to play around with the wattages and distance (basking light height and basking spot height) until you have the correct temperatures. A good digital probe thermometer or temperature gun will help with that quite a bit.

Thanks for the information and help but i wasn't quite clear with the UVB should it be a 36 inch bulb or a 48 inch bulb? I was thinking about the 48 inch as well and i can afford it.

 

[sue09]

Yes there is a problem Bearded dragons are solitary animals,they dont want or need another dragon with them. Nasty bites,starvation of one and stress to both is the only real outcome of keeping 2 together no matter what sex. I'm sorry if I sound harsh but if you could see the damage 1 dragon can do to another you would not dream of putting 2 together. Good luck .

 

[jarich]

Thanks for the information and help but i wasn't quite clear with the UVB should it be a 36 inch bulb or a 48 inch bulb? I was thinking about the 48 inch as well and i can afford it.

Thats a great size for an enclosure. I too would recommend sticking with just one, but of course its up to you.

As for the lighting, for an enclosure that long I would get the 48" version of the High Output T5 light. Either Zoomed or Arcadia make them. They are a little bit more expensive for the fixtures, but the bulbs last twice as long as normal T8 bulbs so you save in the long run. They also produce much more UVB and light in general. With an enclosure that long you will want to have a number of lower wattage halogens though to increase ambient lighting too. I would suggest one higher wattage on one end for the basking spot, say a 75-100 watt, and then one or two 40 watt bulbs further down to increase overall lumens.

 

[CooperDragon]

Thanks for the information and help but i wasn't quite clear with the UVB should it be a 36 inch bulb or a 48 inch bulb? I was thinking about the 48 inch as well and i can afford it.

I'd go with the 48 inch if you can. I was recommending at least a 36 inch bulb for that size enclosure but the bigger the better. I second the info that Jarich provided as well.

 

[JetLyfeChris]

Thanks for the information and help but i wasn't quite clear with the UVB should it be a 36 inch bulb or a 48 inch bulb? I was thinking about the 48 inch as well and i can afford it.

I'd go with the 48 inch if you can. I was recommending at least a 36 inch bulb for that size enclosure but the bigger the better. I second the info that Jarich provided as well.

I didn't know that after all my research. Even with a tank this size they will be fighting?

 

[CooperDragon]

Probably. They don't tend to like eachother very much, especially when they get older. Best bet is to have one or divide the tank/get two tanks with duplicate setups so they have their own space.

 

[JetLyfeChris]

Probably. They don't tend to like eachother very much, especially when they get older. Best bet is to have one or divide the tank/get two tanks with duplicate setups so they have their own space.

Thanks for the information and i just researched that juvenile beardies tend to get lost in such a big enclosure? Is it true, and the enclosure is 72 inches (6ft) long will he/she have a problem finding her sleeping spot, food, water, or his/her basking area? Also where should the food and water be located? Thank you for all your information and for helping me out.

 

[CooperDragon]

I'd put the food and water on the cooler side so it doesn't dry out as quickly. You can divide the tank if you want, but I don't think it will be a big deal as long as the dragon can access the basking spot and see the food from the basking spot and has easy access to a hide. It's a debated topic, but since the dragons are all a bit different I'd say try it out as is and if it appears to be a problem close off a portion of the tank for a while.

 

[JetLyfeChris]

I'd put the food and water on the cooler side so it doesn't dry out as quickly. You can divide the tank if you want, but I don't think it will be a big deal as long as the dragon can access the basking spot and see the food from the basking spot and has easy access to a hide. It's a debated topic, but since the dragons are all a bit different I'd say try it out as is and if it appears to be a problem close off a portion of the tank for a while.

Thanks for the help and would you recommend a dual 48 inch. fixture with repti glow 8.0 or a single one? Wood is a good insulator and only the front panel is made of glass. Does the repti glow 8.0 do much heating? And i am not very experienced with the lights all i know is the repti glow 8.0 got 5 more reviews than the repti sun 10.0 and im sorry for asking so many questions i just want to be well equipped with information so my beardie has the best environment to live in.

 

[CooperDragon]

Please do ask as many questions as you'd like. We're here to help and I want your beardie to have the best environment possible too =). I suggest the ReptiSun 10.0 rather than the ReptiGlo 8.0 because it has a stronger UVB output and is more tried and true among folks on this board. (You could get a solar meter to double check though). The UVB light doesn't add much heat at all, so you'll need to rely on the basking light(s) for that. You can add a ceramic heat emitter too if you have enough light but not enough heat. The single fixture should be plenty. Especially if you go with the high output fixture and light.