Lighting for a deep 90 gallon tank.

[ScootScoot]

Yes they are both basking bulbs, 150 watt each!!! Was hard to heat that huge tank, with one basking bulb the tank was sitting at around 70!! Well his basking side is about 100-105degrees and his cool side is around 85. The top strip lighting is a 40watt UVB repti-glow(sun?) 10.0 UVB, I heard they were the best but im still unsure. When do you think would be a good time to move him from tile to sand?

 

[diamc]

Wow, two 150 watt bulbs. You probably could actually use a flood light which would throw out more heat in the basking area and then use a lower wattage household bulb on the cool side. Or, you might want to consider a mercury vapor bulb, one of those should work out perfectly for that size tank. Is the UVB on the right or left side on the top? It's hard to tell from the picture. The Repti-Sun 10.0 is the best fluorescent, do you know for sure that's what it is? Or is it the Repti-Glo that you bought?

Any type of loose substrate is an impaction risk for babies because they lick a lot and are clumsy eaters. When mine were babies, I used non-adhesive shelf liner but have slate tiles in their tanks now.

 

[ScootScoot]

The stip UVB light is on BOTH sides, its a 48 inch bulb Im pretty sure it s repti-sun but I will look later tonight when I get home. Yea I know sand is a no-no for babies but I was hoping to have sand one day, maybe a few months from now.... right now he is about 6-8 inches in length (Nose to tail). Also this wood I have in the tank, is it ok for a basking area? If not I will go out and buy some rock tomorrow

 

[diamc]

Oh, ok a 48 inch UVB, that's good. Well, the reason I asked which UVB it is was because if it's the Repti-Sun 10.0 then he should be able to get within 6 to 8" of it but if it's the Repti-Glo 10.0 then it should be 10" away from him because there have been some issues with that bulb causing eye and other health problems. If the bulb is further away than recommended and depending on the bulb you have, you should probably get some bricks or a higher basking log so that he can get closer to it while in his basking area on the right side. He is a cute little guy, have you come up with a name yet?

 

[ScootScoot]

Ok well the bulb is a Repti-Glow, he is about 12 inches away to 18' away when he is in his basking spot or on his cool spot (On the logs) On the box for the bulb it said it was affective up 22 inches so he should be fine? At least I hope..... Tonight he let me hold him for a little bit, im guessing hes not fond of me yet due to it being the first day hes been with me As for a name.....right now im calling him/her Sasha Fierce, my girlfriend decided on it after her/him not taking a liking to her at the pet store.

Def a cool looking beardie

 

[dragons1222]

congrats

i agree on the sand

i would wait until he is an adult even then i dont like loos substrates

too much risk in my opinion mainly with bacteria if you miss food or poop

 

[ScootScoot]

Man guys he/she is really becoming active and well adjusted to the new tank....im surprised it happened so fast. He was eating out of my hand today but im still worried hes not getting enough water....i have been hand feeding him water off of my finger. How much water are they suppose to be drinking??? Also bathing....how often?

 

[dragons1222]

they dont really drink alot of water

bathing 2-3 x a week is plenty for water and hidration
they are from a very dry climate and get the majority of their needed moisture from the insects and veggies they eat

 

[ScootScoot]

ah ok, I have just been feeding him/her crickets and mealworms (1 feed with calcium supplement) I want to get a veggie bowl going now. What types of vegetables would your recommend?

 

[diamc]

Ok well the bulb is a Repti-Glow, he is about 12 inches away to 18' away when he is in his basking spot or on his cool spot (On the logs) On the box for the bulb it said it was affective up 22 inches so he should be fine? At least I hope..... Tonight he let me hold him for a little bit, im guessing hes not fond of me yet due to it being the first day hes been with me As for a name.....right now im calling him/her Sasha Fierce, my girlfriend decided on it after her/him not taking a liking to her at the pet store.

Since there have been some health concerns with that UVB bulb, you might want to consider getting the Repti-Sun 10.0 in 5 to 6 months when it will need replacing anyway as they decline at that time. The fluorescents aren't effective when that far away as the UVB testing has proved, so I suggest you try to figure out a way to get him about 10" from it or it really won't do him any good. His bones are developing now so he needs to get more ultra violet rays.
That's great that he enjoyed being held, I'm sure you enjoyed it too. :love5: The name Sasha Fierce is cute and very original.

 

[diamc]

Man guys he/she is really becoming active and well adjusted to the new tank....im surprised it happened so fast. He was eating out of my hand today but im still worried hes not getting enough water....i have been hand feeding him water off of my finger. How much water are they suppose to be drinking??? Also bathing....how often?

That's great that he/she is so active & is adjusting well. Amazing that he even ate out of your hand today. Since babies can get dehydrated very quickly, it's important to keep him/her very well hydrated. You could either mist him outside of the tank to let him drink the drops off his nose or offer drinks with a plastic medicine dropper by putting drops on his nose for him to lick off. Might take a few minutes for him to get the idea, but it does work very well & he will stop when he's had enough. I always suggest bathing a baby at least 3 to 4 times a wk in warm water (tested by the inside of your wrist, should feel warm but not hot) making sure that the vent area (where he poos) is right down in the water for about 15 to 20 min. The first few times you could hold him in the palm of your hand at an angle to help hydrate his vent. Make sure you put a washcloth down in the bottom when he is sitting right in the water to help to keep him from sliding around.

ah ok, I have just been feeding him/her crickets and mealworms (1 feed with calcium supplement) I want to get a veggie bowl going now. What types of vegetables would your recommend?

Mealworms are an impaction risk due to their chitin shell and since babies have a kink in their digestion system, it makes it even harder for them to digest & pass safely. Make sure the crickets are no larger than the space between his eyes. You should be dusting his crickets with calcium with D3 but phosphorus-free 5 days a wk, 1 feeding a day and with vitamins the other 2 days of the wk, but only 1 feeding a day. Here's a site that shows the best greens to feed: http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html Please keep us update on him/her, I know you will. :wink:

 

[ScootScoot]

Hmm an impaction risk....makes me kind of worried now :-((( I have been dusting his food for 1 feeding a day so far and vitamins for the others. Also how often are they suppose to poop? Ill be looking for that now that I know he is running a risk of impaction.

 

[dragons1222]

dust with calcium 5x a week(like mon-fri) and dust with a multi vit 2x(sat and sun)

one feeding a day

babies poop more than adults
usually once a day at least but not always sometimes every other day

make sure you give him warm soaks and that will help with any impaction he may have

 

[ScootScoot]

Well he pooped today so im guessing hes ok on the impaction thing (was brown with a white tip) Also I have setup a live webcam so I can check on him while im out and about ( http://www.justin.tv/fuscootscoot ) Ill keep you guys updated!!! Oh also! Im going to be picking up a repti-SUN bulb soon as possible.

 

[dragons1222]

i looked at your webcam thing but couldnt see him ig guess he was not moving lol

where are you located?

it is like 11 pm here and i noticed your lights are still on

i just wasnt sure if you are on a different time or what

anyway just wanted to let you know that you do need to turn those off at night just in case you did not know lol

some people dont lol

any i am glad he pooped
and keep us updated on him
he is very pretty