Lighting Help for Newbies (:

[AtomicJok3r]

Thank you for your post, it has helped me tremendously. I do have one quick question about the lighting. I have a 40 gallon breeder thank, 100W basking bulb, and a Reptisun 10.0 bulb in a dual deep dome fixture. I feel like the UV bulb isn't reaching as far onto the cool side. So my question is, is it better to just get one fixture for a basking bulb and then like mentioned an under the counter fixture with a longer bulb to put into the enclosure, or is the dual deep dome with the bulbs side by side okay?

 

[Taterbug]

Thank you for your post, it has helped me tremendously. I do have one quick question about the lighting. I have a 40 gallon breeder thank, 100W basking bulb, and a Reptisun 10.0 bulb in a dual deep dome fixture. I feel like the UV bulb isn't reaching as far onto the cool side. So my question is, is it better to just get one fixture for a basking bulb and then like mentioned an under the counter fixture with a longer bulb to put into the enclosure, or is the dual deep dome with the bulbs side by side okay?

You will want a long reptisun bulb rather than the one that will fit in the deep dome for UVB. The reason is exactly the problem you are having - the bulbs have pretty poor spread and light quality.

It possible to use one fixture but you'd need to use a mercury vapor bulb (UVB and heat) - but any of the compact fluorescent aren't a good choice.

Rather than an under cabinet fixture if you can afford it get a good fixture. Some of the cheaper ones may not utilize the expensive UVB bulbs fully and have poor output. T5 lighting is a great way to go - it's nice and bright and a bit more flexible as far as mounting distances and conditions.

 

[AtomicJok3r]

Ahh, I figured as much since it's so dark, what I'd expect anyways, on the cool side. Now when you say a good one, what exactly? Like a good for the top that has to go through the screen still? Or like going to hardware store and finding a decent fixture to use the bulb in?

 

[meghs]

Hi there. I recently became a beardie owner myself and I just wanted to let everyone know about my experience with the Reptisun 5.0 compact flourescent bulb.
This bulb came in a terrarium kit I bought at a petstore and has caused some problems with my baby beardie.
At first I noticed he wasn't very active and then I started to notice that I never caught him out basking under the light. I had been reading up and learning new things about bearded dragons since I was a new owner and knew that the UVB bulb could be causing problems.

I live in Manitoba, Canada and it is extremely hard to find the right products. I knew that he was spending some time basking as some of his skin shed would be on the basking rock and hammock but like I said, I mostly seen him hiding in one of his caves for the most part.

So approximately three days ago while I had Alduin out and was playing with him I noticed that he was closing his eye a lot more than usual. This is when I really got scared and figured I would turn off the light and order a proper one offline. So my order of my new Reptisun 10.0 flourescent tube and fixture was sent out this morning.

I have had the compact flourescent turned off for approximately two or three days now and the change is remarkable. Ive caught Alduin basking multiple times now, he is more energetic and best of all I haven't noticed him closing his eyes in a weird uncomfortable way anymore.

I'm pretty sure my boyfriend thought I was crazy and over analyzing his behavior but I'm pretty sure now that I caught something really bad before it turned worse. I just wanted to put up my experience with this bulb and urge anyone that receives one of these bulbs in their kit to spend the money and purchase a proper bulb as soon as you are able to.

 

[fesdds]

Setting up a new tank for my son before the bear die gets here. There seems to be a lot of conflicting info out there about placing the UVB light above the mesh top of tank or mount inside.
We have a 36x18x18 inch tank. I was thinking about going with the Reptisun T5 10.0 bulb in a fixture that would sit on top of mesh. Would this work well in an 18 inch high tank? Or is it too strong and I should stick with the T8 Reptisun?
Thanks

 

[Taterbug]

Setting up a new tank for my son before the bear die gets here. There seems to be a lot of conflicting info out there about placing the UVB light above the mesh top of tank or mount inside.
We have a 36x18x18 inch tank. I was thinking about going with the Reptisun T5 10.0 bulb in a fixture that would sit on top of mesh. Would this work well in an 18 inch high tank? Or is it too strong and I should stick with the T8 Reptisun?
Thanks

With a screen you want to make sure the fixture has a reflector. A basking surface 9-12" from the bulb would work out well, even with the screen if you get a T5 bulb. You'll want to use a shorter bulb, like a 22", and keep it to the basking side so that the cool side also has a UVB drop off. Providing one or two hides is also more important with the stronger bulbs.

 

[Surferjo]

I signed up for this Forum looking for answers to about 5 questions I had. Found this sticky and it answered them all. Great post. Thanks

 

[Juce23]

Very helpful post.. Thank you.. I know this was about lighting but I was just wondering what substrate you used?

 

[TheBellyBionic]

Hi everyone!

I apologize if this question has been answered before, I just brought home a new juvenile (9 months old) a few days ago, and I've just realized that the lighting I have isn't working for her, and it would probably take me days to read through 40 pages of posts. Her UV is coming from a 24" ReptiSun 10.0, so that's working fine. I had a Zoo Med Repti 260W basking spot lamp for her (clear glass, not frosted, in a deep dome fixture), and even with the bulb 18" above her basking spot, it was getting up to 130F. Obviously, that's too hot, so I switched her over to a Exo Terra Solar Glo 160W. She's had that for two days, and now her basking spot is barely making it to 93F. I can't find a bulb that's between 160 and 260 watts. Does the brand make a lot of difference? If I get the 150W version of the Zoo Med Repti, will that be hotter than the 160W Solar Glo? Is it the frosted vs. unfrosted glass making such a huge difference? Are heat-only bulbs hotter than heat/UV bulbs? The 260W bulb is brand new, the 160W Solar Glo is older, we were using it for our old girl who we lost to cancer last month. Is the problem with the 160W maybe just that it's old? I know the UV stops working when the bulbs get old, but do they lose heat, too?

She's in a 40 gal glass viv with a screen top, able to get within a couple of inches of her UV bulb with her hammock, so I'm really only concerned about heat at this point.

 

[Taterbug]

The solar glo is a MVB, right? I think they tend to run cool, not sure if they get weaker with time or not.

Halogen bulbs tend to burn hotter per watt than tungsten.

Skip the pet store and just go to a home improvement store or hardware store. How cold is the room? A 100-150W bulb should be plenty. You want to avoid coatings like reveal and such, or particularly "warm white" but I dont think just frosted vs clear is a big deal.

 

[diamc]

I've heard that Solar Glo's don't throw out as much heat as other MVB's. How old is the Solar Glo? If she's "able to get within a couple of inches of the UV bulb" that's too close for a MVB unless you're using a Solar Meter to check the UV output.

What type of thermometer are you using?

 

[Devyn]

This helps me a bunch, but at the same time I still need help. I'm a bit of a worry wart, so I want to make sure its absolutely perfect.
I recently got my beardie Elliot. I've never had one before, so I'm a bit new at this. Here's what he's got in his 40 gallon tank:
- A UVA basking lamp with both day and night/infrared heating bulbs at 150W each (they're Zoo Med) for the warm side that get switched out every 12ish hours
- An 18 inch UVB light centered on top
- An under-the-tank heating pad made for a 50-60 gallon tank under the "warm side".
The problem is, I can't get the tank to heat up. I laid a blanket over 3/4ths of the top to allow the tank to retain some heat and obviously allow him to breathe, but the thermometer won't go above 85 degrees. He seems to be ok, considering he doesn't spend all of his time on the warm end, but I'm just concerned that he won't be warm enough. I took the thermometer off the tank to see if it works, and it seems to... It decreased in 5ish minutes to meet room temp.
I'm from Minnesota and it's essentially winter where I am, and there seems to be heat radiating from the tank, but I just don't understand why it won't heat up!
Please help me and thank you so much in advance!

 

[timisimaginary]

what kind and brand of UVB light are you using?
what kind of thermometer are you using, and where is it positioned?
what are your ambient room temps?

a 150W lamp should be plenty to heat up the warm side of a 40gal, unless your room temps are really, really cold. my guess is the thermometer could be off, ideally you want to use a temp gun for taking basking spot temps, or a digital thermometer with a probe laying on the basking spot. thermometers can be accurate in some temp ranges and inaccurate at others, so just because it reads correctly at room temp doesn't mean it will read correctly at higher temps.

 

[Devyn]

I'm not sure the actual type of the UVB light, but I know it's Zilla brand designed for desert (as opposed to tropical) from Petco. The thermometer is half way up the side of the tank, and it's Petco brand. My house sits between 68 degrees during the day and 62 degrees at night, but my room tends to be a little warmer. I figured I would get a new thermometer and return the old one. Can you get a temp gun at pet stores, or will I have to order it online?
Thanks for the help too.

 

[timisimaginary]

petco sells this one: http://www.petco.com/product/115362/Zoo-Med-Repti-Temp-Digital-Infrared-Thermometer.aspx?Ntt=temp%20gun&OneResultRedirect=1
i prefer this one which you can order online: http://tempgun.com/shop/pe2/

i also use accurite digital thermometers on both warm and cool side for air temp measurement. those are available at walmart or home depot, and also include a humidity measurement.