Lighting Help for Newbies (:

marran154

New member
CooperDragon":2sph64ne said:
walter2018":2sph64ne said:
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.

I have a question to go off of this. I bought a 40gal tank and the lights are suggested to sit on top of the wire mesh top(as per set up kit directions). Should I hang the light inside the tank like you suggested above?
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
marran154":zvw1he12 said:
I have a question to go off of this. I bought a 40gal tank and the lights are suggested to sit on top of the wire mesh top(as per set up kit directions). Should I hang the light inside the tank like you suggested above?

It depends on the lights. Usually kit lights are under powered anyway and should be replaced. I don't recommend anything weaker than a T5 UVB tube or high powered mercury vapor bulb to be on top of the mesh. A T8 tube should sit about 6-8'' above the basking area while a T5 should be about 12'' up.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Yeah pretty much. It's a general range though and the important thing is that you provide adequate basking surface temps while still giving a gradient with some cooler areas available for them to move to. It's more about the gradient than the cool side temps.
 

Taterbug

BD.org Addict
Daddyzlilm0nstr":ip4al997 said:
Hello i only have one more question
Do I have to keep the cool side light on when I turn on his red night light?
No lights at all at night and no colored lights ever :)
If you need heat at night look into getting a CHE they don’t give off any visible light at all whereas red lights are just as visible to dragons as they are to us.
 
Taterbug":3vdizw1m said:
Daddyzlilm0nstr":3vdizw1m said:
Hello i only have one more question
Do I have to keep the cool side light on when I turn on his red night light?
No lights at all at night and no colored lights ever :)
If you need heat at night look into getting a CHE they don’t give off any visible light at all whereas red lights are just as visible to dragons as they are to us.


Oh okay I'm kimda confused what do you mean no colored lights. I was told the red light was for night and the white hot one was for day. Why are the red lights bad and what wattage do I get a Che at for a 5 month old?
 

Taterbug

BD.org Addict
Daddyzlilm0nstr":391f68m4 said:
Taterbug":391f68m4 said:
Daddyzlilm0nstr":391f68m4 said:
Hello i only have one more question
Do I have to keep the cool side light on when I turn on his red night light?
No lights at all at night and no colored lights ever :)
If you need heat at night look into getting a CHE they don’t give off any visible light at all whereas red lights are just as visible to dragons as they are to us.


Oh okay I'm kimda confused what do you mean no colored lights. I was told the red light was for night and the white hot one was for day. Why are the red lights bad and what wattage do I get a Che at for a 5 month old?

Pet shops sell all sorts of colored night lights, moon lights and “IR” lights that are not good to use, really. During the day use a nice white light. At night temps down to about 65F are fine, if it is at least that warm you don’t need heat. Not sure the wastage of CHE but you can put them on a dimmer or thermostat to help keep them at the right temps.
 
Taterbug":ikpjdus2 said:
Daddyzlilm0nstr":ikpjdus2 said:
Taterbug":ikpjdus2 said:
Daddyzlilm0nstr":ikpjdus2 said:
Hello i only have one more question
Do I have to keep the cool side light on when I turn on his red night light?
No lights at all at night and no colored lights ever :)
If you need heat at night look into getting a CHE they don’t give off any visible light at all whereas red lights are just as visible to dragons as they are to us.


Oh okay I'm kimda confused what do you mean no colored lights. I was told the red light was for night and the white hot one was for day. Why are the red lights bad and what wattage do I get a Che at for a 5 month old?

Pet shops sell all sorts of colored night lights, moon lights and “IR” lights that are not good to use, really. During the day use a nice white light. At night temps down to about 65F are fine, if it is at least that warm you don’t need heat. Not sure the wastage of CHE but you can put them on a dimmer or thermostat to help keep them at the right temps.

You still never answered my question this forum seems to be full of that. Whenever I ask a question it's redirected to it may be bad or it's not good. No one give the reasons behind it...

I don't want to not use a light or heating source because the vet said if he gets too cold he will die and I don't want that. Y'all need to be more descriptive or don't bother answering me. Cuz at this point I need to obviously call a herpetologist cuz y'all haven't been much help on any of the forums I've asked questions on alot of vauge nonsense.

That's just what I need is a dead lizard..... <<sarcasm please don't take that seriously
 

Taterbug

BD.org Addict
Daddyzlilm0nstr":26norg93 said:
Taterbug":26norg93 said:
Daddyzlilm0nstr":26norg93 said:
Taterbug":26norg93 said:
Daddyzlilm0nstr":26norg93 said:
Hello i only have one more question
Do I have to keep the cool side light on when I turn on his red night light?
No lights at all at night and no colored lights ever :)
If you need heat at night look into getting a CHE they don’t give off any visible light at all whereas red lights are just as visible to dragons as they are to us.


Oh okay I'm kimda confused what do you mean no colored lights. I was told the red light was for night and the white hot one was for day. Why are the red lights bad and what wattage do I get a Che at for a 5 month old?

Pet shops sell all sorts of colored night lights, moon lights and “IR” lights that are not good to use, really. During the day use a nice white light. At night temps down to about 65F are fine, if it is at least that warm you don’t need heat. Not sure the wastage of CHE but you can put them on a dimmer or thermostat to help keep them at the right temps.

You still never answered my question this forum seems to be full of that. Whenever I ask a question it's redirected to it may be bad or it's not good. No one give the reasons behind it...

I don't want to not use a light or heating source because the vet said if he gets too cold he will die and I don't want that. Y'all need to be more descriptive or don't bother answering me. Cuz at this point I need to obviously call a herpetologist cuz y'all haven't been much help on any of the forums I've asked questions on alot of vauge nonsense.

That's just what I need is a dead lizard..... <<sarcasm please don't take that seriously

To answer your original question explicitly. No do not leave the “cool side light” on, whatever that is since you don’t specify if it is UV or heat. Both go off at night.

To answer your second question, it would be meaningless and irresponsible of me to recommend a exact wattage of lamp for your setup. I don’t know what temperature you keep your house at, how big your setup is or any other details. I don’t know what your budget is and what you are willing to buy for equipment. Where I may need a 150W CHE because I don’t heat my house at night, it may be overkill for your situation and cause overheating or even burns. If you want a paint by numbers answer then get a 150W CHE and a thermostat to control it to 65-70 degrees at night. This maybe completely unnessiary but there you go. A direct answer.

Light at night is not natural. Reptiles can see the red lights and it can disrupt the sleep patterns, circadian/melatonin cycles leading to chronic stress issues. Contrary to popular belief they will not damage the eyes, but captivity is stressful enough, small things to mitigate that are worth doing.
 
Taterbug":3nvroqr8 said:
To answer your original question explicitly. No do not leave the “cool side light” on, whatever that is since you don’t specify if it is UV or heat. Both go off at night.

To answer your second question, it would be meaningless and irresponsible of me to recommend a exact wattage of lamp for your setup. I don’t know what temperature you keep your house at, how big your setup is or any other details. I don’t know what your budget is and what you are willing to buy for equipment. Where I may need a 150W CHE because I don’t heat my house at night, it may be overkill for your situation and cause overheating or even burns. If you want a paint by numbers answer then get a 150W CHE and a thermostat to control it to 65-70 degrees at night. This maybe completely unnessiary but there you go. A direct answer.

Light at night is not natural. Reptiles can see the red lights and it can disrupt the sleep patterns, circadian/melatonin cycles leading to chronic stress issues. Contrary to popular belief they will not damage the eyes, but captivity is stressful enough, small things to mitigate that are worth doing.

Thank you a detailed answer was all I wanted. I was more referring to my question of why the lights were bad. Just saying really was not enough for me to continue to not use the red light but I picked up the Che yesterday to test it anyways and see how it worked, I figured it couldn't hurt to test it. I went with the 100 because I don't heat my house at night. He definitly loved the Che because he went to sleep inside his tree and slept all night until breakfast which was not like him when i had the red light so thank you for suggesting it, he seems much happier today as his colors are darker and he wasn't so cranky this morning when I went to pick him up.
I got this guy for my kids birthday and I'm trying to "tame" him rather just get used to being handled and letting him grow some before letting my kids hold him. I just want to do all this right and make sure he's healthy and happy.

I figured I didn't need to explain the cool side light since it's pretty standard uvb is used for the cool lamp side.
 

Taterbug

BD.org Addict
Glad to hear he is cheering up for you and enjoyed the CHE :) sometimes it’s hard to know how much information to answer with. Some people get pretty put off by detailed explanations for some reason.

It’s actually better to have the UVB on the same side of the enclosure as the basking lamp. It makes more sense for the lizard (emulates sunlight better and they can see UVA) and it makes the UV more effective. The skin needs to be warm in order to convert the chemicals it creates from sunlight into the next step of the D3 cycle. If you find the enclosure is too dim you can add more lights, daylight florecents make a good option that don’t heat things up.
 
Taterbug":1f7s0xss said:
Glad to hear he is cheering up for you and enjoyed the CHE :) sometimes it’s hard to know how much information to answer with. Some people get pretty put off by detailed explanations for some reason.

It’s actually better to have the UVB on the same side of the enclosure as the basking lamp. It makes more sense for the lizard (emulates sunlight better and they can see UVA) and it makes the UV more effective. The skin needs to be warm in order to convert the chemicals it creates from sunlight into the next step of the D3 cycle. If you find the enclosure is too dim you can add more lights, daylight florecents make a good option that don’t heat things up.

I'm not sure how to share photos but we have a duel lamp so they are right next to each other and his tree actually has branches on both hot and cold wth them connecting in the middle. He seems to like sitting right between the lamps during the day
 

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