Lighting Help for Newbies (:

[stevenng]

Thanks Cooper!

 

[Daleen]

Hii i am new here and would like to know if i could use a normal household bulb as a basking spot along side the repti glo 10.0 25w ??

 

[Red]

I was told on here to return the t8 10.0 and get the t5 5.0 If I side the tank (40 gallom) so bought black light fixture someone on here recommeded and the bulb is huge and you guessed it, wrong size as 24" is fixture size So it needs a 22" bulb. So i ordered a 22" teptisun t5 5.0 and now i can not find any fixture for it its a 22" bulb. I looked at walmart and the cheapest is 1i.99 and led. I've bought 4 fixtures total none work ca. Someone post a link for these 9.00 Wal-Mart fixtures you post are available.. because 4 Wal-Mart's and online none worked out.
Thank you in advance

 

[berasmommy]

Someone posted this link on another post and I just needed some clarification

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/fluorescenttubemeshtests.htm

So based on this graph our beardie is getting 35 uW/cm2 of UVB output. What amount should he be getting? Your answer will help us determine if we need to move him closer to the light or mount the light under the screen. We are currently using a Reptisun 10.0 T-5-ho bulb in an Exo Terra terrarium 36” x 18” x 18”.

 

[Mscarazo85]

Hi, I have a problem with my basking bulb blowing out last one I had lasted one day and the one before that lasted one month. 150w zoo med, ceramic clamp lamp. It’s on a day and night zoo med timer that’s connected to a power strip. I’m not sure what’s going on, if it’s the clamp lamp or the the power strip. Please help. My beardies name is Neo (matrix) he is 21inched long/ 40 gallon tank.

 

[CooperDragon]

Someone posted this link on another post and I just needed some clarification

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/fluorescenttubemeshtests.htm

So based on this graph our beardie is getting 35 uW/cm2 of UVB output. What amount should he be getting? Your answer will help us determine if we need to move him closer to the light or mount the light under the screen. We are currently using a Reptisun 10.0 T-5-ho bulb in an Exo Terra terrarium 36” x 18” x 18”.

This bulb with a reflector should sit about 12'' above the basking area with no screen in between. If you have it shining through a screen top it should be more like 10'' up depending on how fine the mesh is. In the basking area you want between about 100-190(ish) uW/cm2 of UVB output generally speaking.

 

[CooperDragon]

Hi, I have a problem with my basking bulb blowing out last one I had lasted one day and the one before that lasted one month. 150w zoo med, ceramic clamp lamp. It’s on a day and night zoo med timer that’s connected to a power strip. I’m not sure what’s going on, if it’s the clamp lamp or the the power strip. Please help. My beardies name is Neo (matrix) he is 21inched long/ 40 gallon tank.

Some folks have run into trouble with the longevity of the ZooMed Repti Basking bulbs. You might be able to replace it under warranty. Is your fixture using the clamp or is it suspended from something? If you can suspend it from something sturdy then you could switch to a PAR38 halogen flood light for basking. They are more durable. They are much heavier though - too heavy for a clamp to hold. They work well with adjustable lamp stands.

 

[JDub34]

Hello all, trying to set up a new tank for my daughter for Christmas. I’m racking my brain about sizing of the lighting. Thankfully I found this forum before I purchased a “kit”. I’m all about doing it correctly now, as opposed to learning from a mistake. Tank purchased is the Exo Terra 36x18x18

#1) I will get the low profile T5 Reptisun hood. Do I get a 30” length with a 22” bulb mounted in tank or the 36” length with 34” bulb mounted on top since it probably is too long to go inside or... 30” on top since it’s a T5. Seen so many conversations of this topic but nothing that discusses length as proportioned with tank size/length.

#2) Dome sizes?? I thinking of purchasing 3 total. One for basking (not sure if I need a 6” deep mini or 8.5” deep) for this?) also not sure on what wattage to start with? Second (I’m guessing the smaller 6”deep) for a low watt bulb for extra lighting on cool side. Third, wire style for a CHE bulb (60 watt?) thinking of installing it on a monitored probe thermometer set at 65 degrees that I seen made by Zoo Med.

Excited for the day after Christmas when I get to take her to pick out her new beardie after she opens this! She’s been begging to get a dragon for months. A setup tank will be a huge surprise. Any insight would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[berasmommy]

We have a 100 watt CHE that we keep set at 80 all day and night. We have one PAR38 70 watt flood light for basking and we use a Reptisun 10.0 T5-Ho Uvb 24W Fluorescent Lamp, 22" mounted in a hood with reflector but UNDER the lid. We also have a heating pad that we leave on all the time on the warm side, no temp gauge on it. Our beardie likes to lay on that side after eating to help with belly heat and digestion. This is our second go around and I like you had scoured the web for info on the best setup and this is what we came up with. So far our beardie seems super healthy and he's extremely active and eats a TON of dubia roaches (way better than crickets IMO)!

I am not an expert by any means, but we learned though trial and error and lost our first beardie to sickness. We made a few changes afterwards and our new beardies seems to love it. So my number one suggestion to you is DO NOT buy your beardie from a box pet store, find a small mom and pop that knows the breeders it's getting it dragons from.

Best wishes and I'm sure you'll get loads of advice from this site, just take it all with a grain of salt (even mine) and do your research.

 

[walter2018]

Hi..
I just brought my beardie home yesterday and am a nervous wreck I don't have this thing set up correctly. I have been reading a lot that the UVB light needs to be IN the tank Under the mesh because the mesh filters out the UVB. If this is true, how the heck do I mount it??

I mistakenly bought a20 gallon Zoomed Glass setup with the screen mesh top. So to access the dragon, I have to remove all lamps to open the top.

I think when I buy the bigger tank if not sooner I will get one that opens in the front.
But for now, do I need to figure out how to get the UVB under the screen?

 

[Danadoo]

Hi all
I am a new bearded dragon owner
I have an 8 week old female called Mia
I have had her just over a week and everything seems fine
She eats, poo is normal she is active
But I am so paranoid about temp inside her Viv
So far temps are bang on but what I am most worried about is the temperature dropping at night, my temp thing said 62f
So today I purchased an Exo Terra night bulb 15 w just to keep it warm enough for her
How warm is to warm at night and what is the ideal temp at night for her

 

[CooperDragon]

Hi..
I just brought my beardie home yesterday and am a nervous wreck I don't have this thing set up correctly. I have been reading a lot that the UVB light needs to be IN the tank Under the mesh because the mesh filters out the UVB. If this is true, how the heck do I mount it??

I mistakenly bought a20 gallon Zoomed Glass setup with the screen mesh top. So to access the dragon, I have to remove all lamps to open the top.

I think when I buy the bigger tank if not sooner I will get one that opens in the front.
But for now, do I need to figure out how to get the UVB under the screen?

The front opening tanks are definitely nice to have. For now, try using some picture wire or similar to run through the mesh top and wrap around the light fixture. That should hold it in place under the light. This won't work if you have the compact/coil type of bulb though. You'll want a linear tube bulb.

 

[CooperDragon]

Hi all
I am a new bearded dragon owner
I have an 8 week old female called Mia
I have had her just over a week and everything seems fine
She eats, poo is normal she is active
But I am so paranoid about temp inside her Viv
So far temps are bang on but what I am most worried about is the temperature dropping at night, my temp thing said 62f
So today I purchased an Exo Terra night bulb 15 w just to keep it warm enough for her
How warm is to warm at night and what is the ideal temp at night for her

I suggest using a ceramic heat emitter or MegaRay heat projector instead of the night bulbs that emit visible light. The visible light can disrupt their sleep. You can set them on a thermostat so they kick in as needed. I suggest keeping the temps in the low 70s overnight if you can. I have my thermostat set to between 70-73.

 

[lizardmom25]

Could someone look at this setup and let me know if it is ok?

(I have since removed the boxes. I was trying to limit room for prey to roam, but it was getting too hot on the cool side)
40 gallon Breeder tank
I have 24” a reptisun 10.0 T8 bulb in the walmart black light fixture zip tied to the screen lid, a 75 w intense basking spot light, and a 75 watt CHE in the dual dine. With all 3 on temps run 87-90 hot side , 75 cool side and 105-110 on the basking spot measured with probe thermometers and a temp gun. The very top of the basking log is 5” from the UVB bulb, but my new baby rarely sits there. He tends to be further down the log. I am concerned about the UVB after reading here about the T5 bulbs being so much better, and realizing that the fixture doesn’t have a reflector. Is what I am doing adequate to keep my baby healthy, or do I need to get the T5? I was hoping to wait until the bulb need to be replaced to switch. If I do end up getting a t5 fixture, do I need to do the 36” or 24”?

 

[Danadoo]

No expert by any means as still new to this my self
But I have pretty much same set up as you
Repti sun single uv strip light 10% and 75w basking light my temps inside are bang on what it should be ,
My baby seems to be thriving really well,
She also does not sit directly under the basking light chooses to sit slightly to the side and further down,
But temperatures even lower down are still hot enough
I to was limiting space when feeding feeding her crickets but a month on sh now kno s when it is feeding time and waits on top of her log and will take every cricket from tongs, and if I drop any she waits till I have gone and then goes and catches them
But your set up looks great
I was so paronoid that everything was right but after lots of reading and looking around on internet about lighting and supplements I think everything I am doing seems to be right,
Also have a couple of friends with them so ask them lots of questions,
Everyone on here has diffrent opinions on what to use or not to use lol
But Mia seems super happy
Good luck