Mounting reptisun in tank

[Fosterryan]

Hi I just mounted my reptisun 10.0 inside my tank using a all living things hood and I had to mount the hood backwards because the switch is on the back of it so the front of the panel is against the glass with Velcro and the back is facing towards the front of his tank my question is will that affect how much uv is getting to my dragon ? If I would of mounted the back against the glass I wouldn't have been able to turn it on and off

 

[CooperDragon]

Is this a T8 fixture or a T5 fixture? I don't think the orientation matters as long as it's overhead, but the distance from the basking site will depend greatly on which type of bulb is being used. If you can post some photos it would be helpful. You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button.

 

[Fosterryan]

It is a t8 fixture. Reptisun 10.0 t8. I was using a mega ray mvb before but it wasn't hot enough and he always asked under the spot lamp I paired with it to get correct temps . So i decided to go tube light paired with spot lamp with a dimmer.

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah that should be fine. Keep in mind the effective range for a T8 is 6-8'' so you'll want the basking platform to be within that range. The fixture can be set backwards like that no problem because the light is still being focused downward.

 

[Fosterryan]

Oh okay mine is about 10 inches so I'll have to lower it a bit. Thanks for your help! One last question does it matter that it's slightly behind the basking spot ? Idk if you can tell in the picture that's from the side of the tank but it's not directly above

 

[CooperDragon]

That will cut down slightly on the output but shouldn't be a big deal. Think of the output as an inverted cone. It will send UVB to the sides but the most intense UVB will be right under the bulb. Here is one of my test results for a T8 to show the output as you move out from the light as you're describing:

You can see the output drops as you move outward and straight down from the bulb. Ideally you'd want a UVI of between about 3-6 in the basking area with a gradient down to 0 as you move away from the basking area.

 

[Fosterryan]

Thank you that really helps a lot with my understanding. I'm definitely going to bring the light down a couple inches to get better uv. Your info is extremely helpful! I just want everything to be perfect because I see so many dragons getting mbd and I don't want that to happen

 

[CooperDragon]

Sounds good. I wouldn't let it be closer than about 6'' because it can get visually intense at close range. You might add a branch or something similar to allow access to closer distances as an option but I would keep the main basking site between about 6-8''.

 

[Fosterryan]

Ill make sure I put it at 7 inches and I actually do have a branch I can add.

 

[jayce82]

what I'm confused about it how do you expect the uvb light to be directly under basking light? that makes no sense. it has to be off to the side

 

[CooperDragon]

what I'm confused about it how do you expect the uvb light to be directly under basking light? that makes no sense. it has to be off to the side

The UVB light should be next to the basking light. The basking platform should be under the lights.

 

[jayce82]

I know that. but what I'm saying is there is no way to put basking spot 100% under each light. it has to offset from one of them

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

I know that. but what I'm saying is there is no way to put basking spot 100% under each light. it has to offset from one of them

I think you may be over-complicating this
The basking light and UVB aren't competing for the same spot, they're side by side, basking being above the basking spot, UVB being tucked next to it

 

[Fosterryan]

I get what he's saying I didn't really think about that but yes it definitely has to be slightly to the side or it would be under the basking light kind of a dumb question on my part haha