Lighting Help for Newbies (:

[Nicole14]

I have a 29 gallon tank, I am new to this site and fell in love only problem is there is so much info I keep getting confused a bit lol I am suffering from pregnancy brain and overdue at that so going to the store a million times to exchange bulbs is becoming rather hard. I have tried 2 diff spot lights one 65 GE halogen energy saver Lizzy didn't seem to like it much, she kept bobbing her head gaping didn't seem to eat to face it or lay under it she would jump or fAll of her basking log witch is approximately 7 in away from the light, the other was a regular clear 65 wt spot light and the basking temp read 130 so I took it out I put in a regular clear round house bulb 60 wt she had been perched for a while in the basking area and only gaped her mouth twice in the past hour for a sec at most. The temps read 100 for a bit and a hour later read about 87-90. I am using a acurite thermometer it's a I'm and out kind but does not have a probe it's wireless 2 units one for in and one for out I have them on sep ends of the tank. confused as to wether I should by a basking bulb from pets mart or is the house hold bulb okay? What's the best UVB to get her she came with one of the coil bulbs for UVB I am no longer using it. Would a hood light from a fish tank work okay with the tube lights for UVB? I am hoping to have her new tank by the weekends end a 55 gallon as the 29 came with her and is not large enough. She's a rescue so I don't know much about her past besides she is around possibly 7 yrs old. Also when I turn the lights off she doesn't seem to turn around and go down her driftwood from the basking spot she just jumps/falls off witch is about 8 in drop will this hurt her in anyway? Sorry this was so long just want to get things right for her I feel terrible and can't seem to stop worrying about her I didn't know anything about bd I took her cause the person who had her couldn't keep her and was going to set her outside he had got her from a older woman who had passed away and that woman I believe took care of her she's so loving, I just want the rest of her life to be as good as I assume it was once before.. Thank you guys so much for any help and sorry for the babbling I'm just lost

 

[Taterbug]

Hi there, have you read the guides on this page? It will help you with the basics of food, supplements etc. it's very good of you to take her in, once you are setup properly it will be much less confusing

For your lights, a household bulb should work fine, but it may be worth getting a different thermometer. I like the IR temp guns, they are quick and easy way to measure surface temp. Your accurite will be good for ambient temps. Unless your house temps are fluctuating that much I'm guessing the thermometer or its location is the culprit. Sometimes they need to equalize to read properly, or the housing can influence the reading.

For UVB I recomend the T5 HO linear florescent, reptisun 10.0 and arcadia 12% are both great bulbs, I get my reptisuns on Amazon. The T5 has more versitility (it can be mounted outside the tank) and power (it can be outside the screen top) A 22" is suitable for most smaller tanks. The fixtures are sold for aquariums or plant growing.

A 55 gallon is a narrow tank, I wouldn't go smaller that a 40 breeder (36x18x18). A 40g breeder has a better foot print for a dragon (it's wider) but it's still small IMO.

As for the falling, a healthy dragon should be ok... But I wonder if the behavior is for some health reason... Maybe she can't climb or jump as well as in her younger days. I would make sure the areas she lands are soft if possible, or that she has a down ramp that she doesn't need to turn around to use. My first dragon would do this (he was a rescue too, at 6) and eventually hurt his back when he fell wrong. He probably had other problems too but the hard floor certainly didn't help

 

[Nicole14]

The tank I was looking at they said measured 36l 18w 22t she said it was a 55 gal but I've started looking for a 40 gal breader. I purchased a diff thermometer acurite with a probe end has in and out with himidity I do plan on getting one of the gun ones. Her basking spot was between 95 and 101 the bottom of the tank was 85-88 with the cool side being mid to low 70's she seemed to enjoy that. She hasn't fallen again so I'm not sure what that was about. We have been turning her lights off and just taking her down off her basking spot and laying her in the warm side at night she seems fine with that she will move where she's comfy if she don't like that spot but I don't have to worry about her falling off if she falls asleep up there.. As I seem to worry a lot about her as I've grown really attached.. My husband really wanted her and I'm a sucker for rescuing any animal in need of love, never really been a reptile person as in owned one but now that we have her and I see her personality and spend time with and on her I love love love her!!!we got her out and let her run the bed after her bath she seemed to love it she ran over and kinda hammicked herself if you would in my arms and passed out.. I was also wondering about lay boxes and blankets for when she sleeps? Are they needed or do they really like them how do you use them? What should the humitady be in her tank?

 

[LMilton]

Hi Jess,

I've just bought a new vivarium for my beardie as he's now ten months and has outgrown his older, smaller viv.

The UV bulb I have is an Arcadia UV-A and UV-B bulb and it says on it, 'DESERT 10%+ UVB LAMP', the size says it's 24" and the strength is 18 Watts. I have now put this bulb in the new vivarium but because it's a bigger viv it obviously doesn't light it up as much and I'm wondering if I need to buy a new bigger and stronger bulb to fill it out more?

The new vivarium is 115cm width, 61cm depth and 50cm height.

Kind regards,
Luke

 

[ZeroManArmy]

Hey Guys, so we bought this tank (National Geographic™ Sanctuary Reptile Terrarium 36x18x18), we haven't moved him yet, but I wanted to know if it was okay to set this bulb (Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun Terrarium Hood 30") on top of the screen.

I've been reading about how it's not good do that since the screen top can filter the UVB light. I really don't want to mount the fixture in the cage for personal reasons.

Any help? I'll post some pictures when I get a rough layout of the setup.


Side Note: I keep seeing that a 36x18x18 is a 40 gallon tank, but when you do the math, it's a 50.5 gallon tank. What gives?

 

[Taterbug]

You can use that light + fixture outside a screen. T5 bulbs are very strong and screen filters about 30%. If you use the 5.0 bulb that comes with it you'll need to mount it a bit closer to the dragon (8-10" thru screen I think) or if you replace it with the 10.0 10-12 is good.

I'd actually suggest a 22" fixture for that tank - it will give you a photogradient. The UVB isn't emited past the end of the bulb so a shorter fixture automatically gives an area of zero uvb. With a fixture as long as the tank it's important to offer shade (not just hides) in the cool side.

 

[ZeroManArmy]

You can use that light + fixture outside a screen. T5 bulbs are very strong and screen filters about 30%. If you use the 5.0 bulb that comes with it you'll need to mount it a bit closer to the dragon (8-10" thru screen I think) or if you replace it with the 10.0 10-12 is good.

I'd actually suggest a 22" fixture for that tank - it will give you a photogradient. The UVB isn't emited past the end of the bulb so a shorter fixture automatically gives an area of zero uvb. With a fixture as long as the tank it's important to offer shade (not just hides) in the cool side.

Not going to lie. Your whole post is very confusing to me.

 

[Taterbug]

Sorry about that. I hope this is makes more sense.

Yes, you can use that fixture outside the screen. The screen filters about 30% of the light which is a problem for the T8 bulbs but T5 bulbs are strong enough that it is ok. How far away the lamp should be depends on the bulb you use, Reptisun makes a 5.0 or a 10.0 strength.

The reptisun fixture was shipping with a free Reptisun 5.0 bulb, I'm not sure if it still is or not. The 5.0 has lower UVB output than the 10.0 does, so it should be positioned a little closer to the dragon to get the same results.

When positioned at the distances I suggested you will get a decent amount of exposure (UVI of 3-5). With these bulbs it is recomended to have a photo-gradient (much like a thermal gradient) to allow your dragon to select it's exposure levels. It's like a wild dragon moving in and out of the shade. With a 36" bulb your whole enclosure will have a higher amount of UVB and you will want to make shaded areas or move the lamp further away. With a shorter lamp on the warm side you will have a good high uvb area at the basking site, and low/zero uvb on the cool side.

 

[Jkjr3000]

Hello. So we've had our adult beardie for about 7 or so months now. His current tank is a 50 gal glass tank. Not the long narrow one. I am in the middle of building him a new 4x2x2 cage. It's fully enclosed with vents on the side. I plan on making perches also to put in it so he can get up higher to bask and whatnot. Wondering what would be the best option as far as lighting. Thinking about putting basking and UVB in same spot as I've read on here. Should the UVB reach the other end of cage or would regular light work? Don't really want to cut a hole in the top for lamps. Although it is an option. Don't really want a deep dome hanging from the top either. Also cant afford anything real expensive. In the 50 gal I'm currently using a 150w CHE and a Exo terra 26w coil UVB bulb in a dome. They sit on top of a metal screen and are at opposite ends. I have not had had any issues with him. He's active and he eats with no problems. Also sheds with no issues. Any input would be appreciated. Like someone else said, it would take days to read through all the posts here. Lol.

 

[ZeroManArmy]

Sorry about that. I hope this is makes more sense.

Yes, you can use that fixture outside the screen. The screen filters about 30% of the light which is a problem for the T8 bulbs but T5 bulbs are strong enough that it is ok. How far away the lamp should be depends on the bulb you use, Reptisun makes a 5.0 or a 10.0 strength.

The reptisun fixture was shipping with a free Reptisun 5.0 bulb, I'm not sure if it still is or not. The 5.0 has lower UVB output than the 10.0 does, so it should be positioned a little closer to the dragon to get the same results.

When positioned at the distances I suggested you will get a decent amount of exposure (UVI of 3-5). With these bulbs it is recomended to have a photo-gradient (much like a thermal gradient) to allow your dragon to select it's exposure levels. It's like a wild dragon moving in and out of the shade. With a 36" bulb your whole enclosure will have a higher amount of UVB and you will want to make shaded areas or move the lamp further away. With a shorter lamp on the warm side you will have a good high uvb area at the basking site, and low/zero uvb on the cool side.

This makes life much easier. Thank you!

How does this look? Top Left, has a 150watt basking bulb in the front which we are still fine tuning to get that 105-110 degree basking spot. He's still a Juvie, about 7-8 months old. The light is about 10ish inches from his basking spot.

There is a 24" UVB T5 on the back left end. The lights are on from about 9 to 9:30 every day. We'll get a T10 HO bulb in a couple of days.

 

[Brandondragon1]

I have a 24 inch reptisun fixture and reptisun 10.0 HO 22 inch 24 watt t5 reptisun bulb dose it have to be inside the tank or can I put it on the top of the screen mesh?

 

[Taterbug]

Hello. So we've had our adult beardie for about 7 or so months now. His current tank is a 50 gal glass tank. Not the long narrow one. I am in the middle of building him a new 4x2x2 cage. It's fully enclosed with vents on the side. I plan on making perches also to put in it so he can get up higher to bask and whatnot. Wondering what would be the best option as far as lighting. Thinking about putting basking and UVB in same spot as I've read on here. Should the UVB reach the other end of cage or would regular light work? Don't really want to cut a hole in the top for lamps. Although it is an option. Don't really want a deep dome hanging from the top either. Also cant afford anything real expensive. In the 50 gal I'm currently using a 150w CHE and a Exo terra 26w coil UVB bulb in a dome. They sit on top of a metal screen and are at opposite ends. I have not had had any issues with him. He's active and he eats with no problems. Also sheds with no issues. Any input would be appreciated. Like someone else said, it would take days to read through all the posts here. Lol.

For my 4x2x2 I also didn't want to cut holes in the top. You want uvb and heat from the same general "source" - remember we are trying to imitate the sun and in nature they are a package deal. I found it worked best to have a 22" T5 UVB - this allowed me to mount the bulb on the ceiling and keep safe distances from the heat bulb. Fixtures are about $40. The bulbs last a year, so you can make up the money for the fixture by not needing to change the bulb as soon.

 

[Taterbug]

I have a 24 inch reptisun fixture and reptisun 10.0 HO 22 inch 24 watt t5 reptisun bulb dose it have to be inside the tank or can I put it on the top of the screen mesh?

It can go outside the screen, at about 12" from the basking site.

 

[Brandondragon1]

I have a 24 inch reptisun fixture and reptisun 10.0 HO 22 inch 24 watt t5 reptisun bulb dose it have to be inside the tank or can I put it on the top of the screen mesh?

It can go outside the screen, at about 12" from the basking site.

Dose it gotta be that far cause I only have a 20 gallon and will be getting a 40 gallon in a mouth are two he only 6 weeks old so think he will be fine?

 

[DrogansMom]

Can this bulb be used for basking or cool side of my 40 gallon...I'm trying to figure out the bulbs that can be used..