Lighting???

[CHRISTLIKECHEF]

I have a 20 gal for both babies, we have big reflector dome with 150watt day blue light, a small dome with a 50 watt night black light, and a big dome with fluorescent coil bulb..Desert series 50...20 watt vatios.

I hear a lot of talk about getting the hood light for the UVB, but then how do I fit the other 2 domes on the lid?? I have seen hood lights with multiple sockets that will take care of all these needs, but they are quite expensive. Is what I have good enough for a little while while I save for the hood??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from Introductions to Enclosures]

 

[FBradshaw]

I have a 20 gal for both babies, we have big reflector dome with 150watt day blue light, a small dome with a 50 watt night black light, and a big dome with fluorescent coil bulb..Desert series 50...20 watt vatios.

I hear a lot of talk about getting the hood light for the UVB, but then how do I fit the other 2 domes on the lid?? I have seen hood lights with multiple sockets that will take care of all these needs, but they are quite expensive. Is what I have good enough for a little while while I save for the hood??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

A 150 watt bulb in a 20 gal tank should have your temps way too high, I would suggest getting a lower wattage bulb, putting this one on a dimmer, or getting a larger tank(which will need to be done by the time they are 8 or 9 months old anyway). If you're using the black light as a night heat source it should be replaced by a ceramic heat emitter ,or CHE, and is only needed if your night time temps drop below 65 degrees fahrenheit. Any kind of light at night can disrupt your beardies sleeping behavior potentially causing other health issues. Most importantly, the "fluorescent coil bulb..Desert series 50...20 watt" is an extremely dangerous bulb to your dargons health. The coil style bulbs have been known to cause eye problems because of improper UVB and UVI levels, also the desert series 50 bulbs produce way too much UVB, a 10.0 bulb is what is recommended for most desert dwelling reptiles with the Repti-Sun 10.0 full tube being the most popular among the members of this forum. I personally use the Repti-Glo 10.0 full tubes and have no issues from them. You don't need a full aquarium hood to accommodate these bulbs, any fluorescent fixture that will fold the bulb will work fine. The "undercounter" style sold in hardware stores and Wal-Marts is a highly recommended one.

For mounting this fixture you can use some velcro strips, also sold in the same stores, and simply stick it to the side of the tank.

 

[CHRISTLIKECHEF]

FBradshaw,

thanks for the advice, the under the counter jobber sounds like a good deal and affordable. I want the best for them, but at the same time not break the bank.