So I've recently purchased the tank size I need, along with a few other things and my dragons basking light. However, I'm still aware I'm missing my UVB bulb going along the length of the tank, but I still have some questions.
If my room doesn't get below 70 degrees, do I need a nighttime heat source?
Do I need another bulb on the other side of their tank to provide heat during the day, or will the basking light provide that?
Where do I put the UVB,on the top of the enclosure or inside?
Do I turn the UVB off at night?
Does the UVB give off any heat so I wouldn't have to buy a heat lamp for the cooler side?
So I've recently purchased the tank size I need, along with a few other things and my dragons basking light. However, I'm still aware I'm missing my UVB bulb going along the length of the tank, but I still have some questions.
If my room doesn't get below 70 degrees, do I need a nighttime heat source? No, only if it drops bellow 65°
Do I need another bulb on the other side of their tank to provide heat during the day, or will the basking light provide that? No, The basking light IS your heat source
Where do I put the UVB,on the top of the enclosure or inside? Depends on height, type of uvb and, the ability to adjust distance. Example: if your viv is 18" tall and, you have a Reptisun 10.0 T5 HO, you can put it on top because it is stronger than a T8. The basking spot at one end should be about 10" tall, leaving an 8" space between the screen and basking spot.
Do I turn the UVB off at night? Yes, uva (basking light) and, uvb should be on and off at the same time (on 14 to 15 hours a day)
Does the UVB give off any heat so I wouldn't have to buy a heat lamp for the cooler side? Unless your viv is eight feet long NO! I heat a 2x2x4 with a 75watt basking light. Heat one end so you get good temperature gradients across the viv. This is how they regulate their body temperature.
VERY IMPORTANT : Choose a guality brand
Not all UVB compacts and tubes are created equal or as well , many shops sell their own brand (Zilla, All Living Things, Reptile-One, Nat Geo , Natural Selections (in green boxes)) which are cheap Chinese clones made very cheaply using very poor quality quartz glass and cheap phosphors ==> very poor UV spectrum produced incl UVC band and bad parts of the UVB band.
>>> make sure it IS NOT covered (in a domestic fluorescent light fitting ) == BAD
>>> also it is NOT sitting ontop a mesh top == BAD
>>> it is NOT too far from basking spot == too far and the UVA and UVB WILL BE TOO DILUTE.
UVA FLUX TOO LOW where dragon is ==> a very lethargic dragon w/ a very poor apetite just in the short term , and neurological problems if this persists , not to mention MVB if UVB flux too low long enough with inadequate metabolisation of dietary calcium or inadequate intake out calcium
Good guide for beardied dragon lighting :
and
Distances for T5 tubes (usually the best choice), similar data is available for compact UVB globes, T8 tubes and MVBs