Lighting Help for Newbies (:

[Onyxsgrandma]

We have a new baby that my daughter got for Christmas. She is about 5 inches long. We bought a set up kit that came with a UVB a basking light and a red bulb I'm not sure the purpose of. The basking light and the red bulb are connected in the same unit, the UVB is a separate unit, so it is on the cool side of the tank. It is a 20 gallon tank. Will this setup be okay until she is bigger? Also, we have been feeding dusted crickets every other day. I call them her frosted flakes, since she likes them better than the plain ones. She is a bit of a pig. She will eat 8 in less than 10 min, but her belly is so full I'm worried about feeding her more than that. She eats 3 times a day. She seems happy and healthy, but I don't want to cause future problems due to ignorance.

 

[CooperDragon]

Welcome to the forum! I hope you're enjoying your new buddy so far. I do have a few suggestions to help improve her environment. If your kit came with sand substrate I suggest replacing the sand with something solid like non adhesive shelf liner because it's much easier to clean and keep sanitary.

For lighting, I would discontinue the use of the red bulb. They aren't helpful for bearded dragons. You want to imitate sunlight as closely as possible so you want bright white light with heat and a UVB component. The white basking light should be adjusted based on temperatures. You want to get about 100-110 on the basking area side and 75-80 or so on the cool side with a gradient between. Using an infrared temp gun or digital thermometer with a probe will help you get accurate readings which are extremely important. You can change the temperature by raising/lowering the basking spot and light (adjustable lamp stands help with this) or by changing the wattage of the bulb.

For UVB I suggest using an 18'' T8 Repti Sun 10.0 bulb inside an 18'' Zilla Slimline fixture which should go right over the basking area. In a 20g tank you can put it right on top of the mesh and get the basking site up to within about 6'' of it for best results.

3 meals of dusted crickets per day at 10 minutes per feeding is good. Just continue to let her have what she wants for that period of time and remove any leftover crickets after meal time. It's great that her appetite is up and she's active. Please feel free to start your own thread in the introduction or beardie tales section so you can post updates on her progress. You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them using the XIMG button.

 

[Cassieo8]

In the picture is there a lid on the tank? Like a screen thing. Also do the lids filter out the uvb rays?

 

[mommacude]

In the picture is there a lid on the tank? Like a screen thing. Also do the lids filter out the uvb rays?

What a great thread! I need to read all of it. I'm switching from the compact bulb that came with our kit to a long one hopefully within the next week.

Also, will 18" be OK for a 40 gallon breeder tank or do I need a 24" one?

I'm curious about the screen filtering out the light as Cassieo8 mentioned. I heard that's why it should be put inside but I'm nervous about him possibly getting burned by the bulb. Thanks in advance!

 

[CooperDragon]

With a 40g breeder I'd put it inside the tank. I would use a reflective fixture like the Zilla Slimline which has two holes in the back that you can use to mount it on two small (1lb rated) command hooks. The uvb lights don't get very hot so burn risk is minimal. Optimal output is at about 6-8" above the highest basking area. If you want to build more climbig areas then you may want to suspend a T5 over the tank which has an optimal output at about 12-14".

 

[mommacude]

Thank you! I was wondering also the difference in the T5 so you explained that as well ?

 

[mommacude]

With a 40g breeder I'd put it inside the tank. I would use a reflective fixture like the Zilla Slimline which has two holes in the back that you can use to mount it on two small (1lb rated) command hooks. The uvb lights don't get very hot so burn risk is minimal. Optimal output is at about 6-8" above the highest basking area. If you want to build more climbig areas then you may want to suspend a T5 over the tank which has an optimal output at about 12-14".

Also do I use the 24" one? The longer it goes across the better, right?

Thanks.

 

[CooperDragon]

Not necessarily. You want it to run maybe half the tank. I'd think an 18'' will be enough. You just want it wide enough to cast a nice even beam across the basking area. It's good to have areas on the cool side with little to no UVB exposure to allow for self regulation. If you can get a good reflective fixture for the 24 it should be fine too though, just mount it all the way to the basking side.

 

[mommacude]

Not necessarily. You want it to run maybe half the tank. I'd think an 18'' will be enough. You just want it wide enough to cast a nice even beam across the basking area. It's good to have areas on the cool side with little to no UVB exposure to allow for self regulation. If you can get a good reflective fixture for the 24 it should be fine too though, just mount it all the way to the basking side.

Uh oh lol I just ordered the 24" HO 10 uvb with a cheap fixture. I thought maybe I could just set it on top. Maybe I should send it back. It's so hard to decide on lighting. I've heard so much. I just want it "perfect"

 

[CooperDragon]

The 24 should be OK but I'd definitely mount it inside the tank. If you can get a reflector for the fixture it will help. It should still be mounted about 6-8'' above the basking spot for best results.

 

[Nihilist]

I also have a 40 gallon tank and I am looking to replace Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 UVB Mini Compact Fluorescent bulbs that came with my starter kit. I have read that they are very bad on bearded dragon's eyes.
I am looking at 18 inch and 24 inch bulbs but confused on what to get t5 or t8, amazon.com has them both at great prices. But I can't seem to find the difference between the two.
I have a fake tree in the tank that is 5 inches from the screen on the top of tank, of course my beardie loves to get closer. I see that most people recommend to mount the light inside the tank but if I do that, my beardie will be able to touch if he wants. Would it work if I just moved the tree to the front of the tank, so hes as far away as possible from the light?
So it comes down to should I get a T5, Zoo Med ReptiSun T5 HO, or T8, Zoo Med Repti Sun 10.0 UVB, and should I mount it on the inside or outside? It seems the T5 cost a lot more unless I can find a generic hood to fit it in. Also should I mount it inside or outside?
Thanks in advance.

 

[CooperDragon]

T8 is lower output than a T5. If you want to mount it inside, I'd use a T8. They give optimal output at 6-8'' from the bulb. A T5 is more powerful so I'd mount that outside the tank. They have optimal output at about 12-14''. If you have a tall climbing area, it's OK, I'd just put that to the other side of the tank and create a basking area that is 6'' below a T8 inside the tank.

 

[mommacude]

T8 is lower output than a T5. If you want to mount it inside, I'd use a T8. They give optimal output at 6-8'' from the bulb. A T5 is more powerful so I'd mount that outside the tank. They have optimal output at about 12-14''. If you have a tall climbing area, it's OK, I'd just put that to the other side of the tank and create a basking area that is 6'' below a T8 inside the tank.

Hello there. I ended up getting a T5 HO and the advice above was to mount it inside, but I didn't mention that it's T5. So, is putting it outside OK?

 

[mommacude]

P.S. I ordered this fixture just a basic one

http://amzn.com/B000O15IL6

 

[CooperDragon]

A T5 would need to be mounted outside of a 40g breeder because it's too intense to mount closer than about 12'' from the basking area. The fixture you linked is a T8 fixture I believe and won't work with a T5 bulb. These are good options if you wish to go with a T5

This fixture http://www.amazon.com/Sunblaster-904296-NanoTech-Fixture-Reflector/dp/B00AKKUBDQ
With this bulb http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun-10-0-Lamp/dp/B00AQU8HAO/

Or this combo set http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22-t-5-ho-fixture-high-output-with-arcadia-d3-12-ho-bulb/


If you wish to go with a T8, I suggest this fixture because it's easy to mount using the holes in the back and has a reflector. http://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/zilla-slimline-desert-50-uvb-t8-fluorescent-fixture Be sure to remove the plastic cover that is in front of the bulb as that will intercept all UVB output. An 18'' T8 ReptiSun 10.0 bulb will fit into this fixture. It should be mounted 6-8'' above the basking spot for best results.