Lighting

[nicolenreakus]

I am getting ready to move my baby Bearded Dragon to a new tank. I bought him about 5 weeks ago and he is almost two months old. My Bearded Dragon tank is 48 inches long by 18 inches. I bought a dual fluorescent fixture (Exo Terra Light Cycle Unit) and a Reptisun 2.0 and a Reptisun 10.0 to go in it. They are 36 inches in length. For the basking spot I have Solar Glo which is 125 watts. Is this a good set-up for the tank?
Thanks so much... I just want to make sure I am doing things right. I do check the temperatures daily with a laser temperature gun to make sure they are not too hot or cold. I just to make sure I'm not giving him too much UVB.

 

[Claudiusx]

Idk about the reptisun 2.0.
As long as your basking bulb is getting the temps you need, your setup is fine.
I have no experience with solar glo though, its just a heat lamp right? Doesn't emit uv rays?

-Brandon

 

[nicolenreakus]

The Solar Glo has UVB, UVA, and heat. Thanks for the reply.
Nicole

 

[BKRsBeardie]

First off there is a thread here viewtopic.php?f=34&t=127476 re to Solar Glo Bulbs. The rest has been recapped in the last post, no need to read all day LOL

 

[nicolenreakus]

Thanks for your reply. I only got the repti sun 2.0 because I did not want to put two repti sun 10.0 in my fixture because it can only work with double tubes. Too bad I already bought the Solar Glo for his basking sot. Next time I won't get something so expensive.... I was just worried that I was going to give him too much UVB. I heard many good reviews about the repti sun opposed to the repti glo. So in my lighting fixture i will have two 36inch fluorescent bulbs (one repti sun 10.0 and the other repti sun 2.0 in my 48 inch tank plus the 125 watt solar glo. That should be good right?
Thanks
Nicole

 

[BadCon]

The repti-sun 2.0 is nothing more then a standard fluorescent tube. Its coloration is in the 5000k range, making it a daylight simulation bulb...but it has no UVB output. Nothing wrong with using one for increased ambient lighting, but there is no need to pay the higher price associated for what is essentially a $4 daylight fluorescent from home depot.
The Reptisun 10.0 on the other hand is a very good UVB bulb...kudos for using it. However, you appear to also be using a Solar Glo...which is completely unnecessary as you are already providing UVB with the Reptisun 10.0. In fact, I'd go so far as to say you are taking a risk with the Solar Glo, as MVB's just don't appear to be a safe and reliable source of UVB at this time...especially if the minimum distances aren't given special attention. And by minimum distance, I mean 14-16" from the bulb to the lizard in the 100w (this includes your 125 solar glo) category, and roughly 20-24 inches for bulbs in the 160w category. They say 12" on the box...much too close.

Anyways, sounds like you have lighting plenty covered. I'd replace the Solar Glo with a standard basking bulb. You don't need to pay pet store prices either...just get a halogen flood light from Home Depot for $6...wattage depends on your setup, but a 50w halogen flood puts out lots of heat for setups in the 10"-16" range. You can also use an incandescent flood light...cheaper, but will accomplish the same task. 65w is probably a good place to start. Make sure to use either an IR temp gun or digital probe thermometer to read temps (aiming for 105-110 degrees F). Read the temps directly at the basking spot...looking for surface temps, not air temps.


Good luck! Also, pictures help a great deal. We can give specific recommendations if you post a picture of your setup.

 

[nicolenreakus]

Thanks so much!! As soon as I get the tank set up next week I will make sure I post some pictures.
Thanks again!!
Nicole