lighting a 30 gallon tank

[MelissaRoberts]

hi guys what kind of all three light bulbs are best for a 30 gallon tank? :? I know I said 40 gallon before but its actually a 30 gallon.

 

[CooperDragon]

A basking light (100 or 150w depending on the temps you read) can be a specific basking light or just a flood light as long as it brings the temps up enough in the basking area. The goal there is white light and heat. For UVB you'll want to get a Reptisun 10.0 or an Arcadia tube light. The UVB light is the most important. If your nighttime temps go below about 65 you may want to put a ceramic heat emitter in to bring up the temps. It's not needed if the tank stays above 65 though.

 

[MelissaRoberts]

Hi guys I told you before I had to light a 40 gallon tank I have done lots of reading about lights, but I'm still confused about the best way to light my 30 gallon tank.
can any of you help me? I need to separate my dragons that are in my 90 gallon tank. so they will not breed again. As I know this is not a healthy thing for the female to be in the tank with the male. thanks guys.

 

[MelissaRoberts]

thanks I'm also aware that I have the wrong sized lights In my 90 gallon tank. but my local pet store never has the right wattage light. also I had the right size lights when I first got the tank, but I had to move and the local pet stores suck around here. And I forgot what I had in there in the first place. Again the whole lighting thing confuses me. so I know what I need as far as UVB goes but what kind of heat and UVA sources do I need? Thanks again. :?

 

[jarich]

Sorry, is it for your 90 gallon or your 40 gallon? There isnt really a set wattage for heat bulb as it will depend on how far away your bulb is from your basking area. The best bulbs to use are just normal outdoor PAR 38 halogen flood lights. The basking lights you buy in the reptile store are the same thing just about three times as expensive. They sometimes will say that they are UVA lights too, and they do create some UVA. However, so does the halogen flood light from your hardware store, as well as any halogen light. Just a trick of marketing really. The outdoor version from your hardware store or online are a little more durable too, so will probably last longer.

If you are talking about your 90 gallon you do have the option of using other lights to increase the UVA. Neither the fluorescent lights nor the halogen lights create that much of it, so it is a good idea to add more light if you can. With a 90 gallon you have the option of adding in an MVB (mercury vapour bulb) or a metal halide lamp that will greatly increase the UVA and visible light dramatically, which are both good things. They do create a decent amount of heat though, so its something to consider if you have a solid top, since you dont want to overheat things.

 

[CooperDragon]

I agree the flood lights are fine. As long as you have proper UVB, the rest of it is finding a white light that puts out the right amount of heat. You may need to play around with wattages and distances from basking spot a bit to get it tuned in but the actual light itself isn't as important for the most part.

 

[CooperDragon]

I would get a T8 sized UVB fixture and put a ReptiSun 10.0 in it facing down toward the basking spot. On the same side of the tank I'd put a 100-150w basking bulb to heat a basking area to 100-110. The cool side of the tank should be 75-85 or so. I'd adjust the height/wattage of the basking bulb according to the temperatures you are recording in the basking spot. If the tank gets below 65 at night I'd put another fixture on the cool side with a ceramic heat emitter that goes on for a few hours at night.