Light Set-Up For 55 Gallon Tank?

[reereejugs]

I just acquired a 55 gallon aquarium for Lester, who is probably about 6 months old. He's currently in a 20 gal under a reptisun 10 24in UVB light and a Zilla 100 watt reptile bulb, I forget which one exactly. Please don't get on me about him being in a 20 gal, I know it's not big enough (hence getting the 55 gal lol) but I rescued him from a neglectful neighbor and it's what I had. Poor guy was crammed into a 10 gal under a Halloween black light and nothing else when I got him 2 months ago. Dude had been feeding him some sort of dry pellet food with almost no live food ever and Lester wasn't in the best shape. Now he's doing much better, appears happy, and is very active so I know I must be doing something right. His temps are fine in his curent tank. He's my first beardie, though, so I'm far from an expert.

What light set-up would be good for the 55 gallon tank? The mercury vapor bulbs aren't an option so what length reptisun should I get? Do I need to move up to a 150 watt basking bulb? How many lights should I have in a tank this size to maintain temps? I also keep my apartment COLD in the winter months (like 62 degrees cold) so I probably need a ceramic heat emitter before long. Do I just need one and what wattage?

Thanks for any info and suggestions you guys can give me.

 

[JessPets]

Hey, no one's going to bash you for rescuing a dragon In fact, KUDOS to you!! It takes a lot to help save an innocent beardie, and that's really amazing of you!!

As far as lighting goes, I would get a ReptiSun t5 22". For heat, a regular halogen + simple dimmer should work, nothing fancy needed. You should only need one ceramic heater, and you won't need to use it all the time, as they can be in temps around 65f at night

 

[reereejugs]

Thanks for the info ?. Is it ok to mount the UVB on top of the screen or should I figure out a way to mount it inside? The one I have now is on top but since this is going to be his permanent house I want to make sure I do it right. What's the dimmer for?

Is my current reptisun light ok for awhile or do I need to buy a new one right away? The one I have is only about a month and a half old.