I Need Lighting Help

[JetLyfeChris]

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.

Hey i have 2 more questions before i am done with this section. I have bought the repti sun 10.0 off of amazon as well as the fixture. I wanted to talk about the day and night time bulbs. My tank is 24 inches in height and made of wood only with the front wall being glass, meaning it is a good insulator. I wanted to see if you could recommend me a good day time bulb that would keep the basking area at the right temperature. The Repti Basking Spot Lamp isn't very good it burns out quickly every 4 weeks is what i read in the reviews. Also if you could recommend me a night time bulb. The temperature in my room at night goes down to around 65.

 

[gabev1]

Hi I myself just built a melamine terrarium that measures 48" long X 18"high X 24 inches Depth. I have a ceramic light fixture with a 75W basking bulb installed. The cool side gets from 75 - 80 degrees which I'm not worried about since I read that is still good for them. The basking area gets 90 - 92 degrees on the floor. Is that ok as long as I put something for my beardie to climb on to get closer to the 100 degree mark? I just want to make I have the heating correctly. I am going to move my beardie to it's new home today.

 

[Taterbug]

@jet - did you figure out your bulb? For daytime a outdoor halogen flood light works well - I use a 60w (I think) in my 4x2x2. It is dimmed a little. Look for a wide beam one, par36 or greater.

For nighttime you can use a ceramic heat emitter - you can put it on a thermostat so it's only on when it gets too cool.


@gabe - what are you using for UVB? You can adjust the temp by getting closer to the heat but you still need to balance your UVB distance as appropriate for the bulb. What is your basking platform made from? Dark stone may give you a few added degrees over wood for example.

 

[CooperDragon]

Hey i have 2 more questions before i am done with this section. I have bought the repti sun 10.0 off of amazon as well as the fixture. I wanted to talk about the day and night time bulbs. My tank is 24 inches in height and made of wood only with the front wall being glass, meaning it is a good insulator. I wanted to see if you could recommend me a good day time bulb that would keep the basking area at the right temperature. The Repti Basking Spot Lamp isn't very good it burns out quickly every 4 weeks is what i read in the reviews. Also if you could recommend me a night time bulb. The temperature in my room at night goes down to around 65.

I found that the Repti Basking Spot Lamp provided a good amount of heat, but burnt out frequently as well. I keep spares on hand because of that. A lot of folks have good luck with regular flood lights like this one http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Saf-T...8-Flood-Light-Bulb-150PAR-FL-STGPQ6/100493803 You may need to play around with it to find the right wattage, but it should work well. For nighttime, if you need heat the best bet is a ceramic heat emitter. You can put it on a timer to go on for a few hours every night to give the tank some heat. In your case though, I don't think it's necessary. 65 at night shouldn't cause any problems as long as the daytime temps are nice and warm.

 

[gabev1]

@Taterbug. I haven't moved my beardie into the new enclosure since I want to make sure the set up is correct. I have currently have to branches that will lead up to the basking and UVB light. I went to the local reptile store during lunch today and picked up a ceramic platform. I have the Repti Sun 10.0 UVB. It is located next to the basking light about 6 inches away. I was wondering if I should bring the height down on my enclosure to 14 inches instead of 16.