Need advice for UVB lighting

[ayoitzrimz]

Hello,

I know this must have been asked before, but I didn't see much posted.

Currently my beardie lives in a 40 gallon breeder with a 150watt sun glo on the left side, and the compact fluorescent lamp in the middle (I know its garbage, she usually gets some time in the sun daily but for the winter I figured it was better than nothing) and a screen mash top.
The temps in both sides are:
basking side, midway between the lamp and ground = 100 - 105 F
Cool side, midway between lamp and ground = 75 - 85 F

Now, I finally have the money and time to upgrade.

I want to go with either
1. a combo of linear fluorescent lamp (Repti-Glo 10.0 from http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/linear_fluorescent_bulbs.php) + 150w intense basking spot lamp from http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/intense_basking_spot.php
OR
2. A Mercury Vapor Bulb like this one http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=74

But just like all other choices we make in life, the internet has made things... complicated (and this is coming from a software developer )
I read mixed review on the MVB bulbs - things like short lifespan (since they are so expensive this IS important) and even some animals getting sick.
On the other hand, having one bulb that covers both heat and light - well there are definitely upsides to that!

So, I was wondering if I could get some recommendations, personal experience, and pictures of your setup - specifically I'd love to hear of a simple way to mount the linear tube fluorescent bulb along with a basking lamp, or even cheap ways of buying MVB bulbs, etc etc.

Thank you so much! I really want to put some money to make my beardie just that much happier

 

[dnardini]

Hi, i have been talking with many people here, I am new to owning a dragon, I took on a sick beardie and continued to do what I was told to do to care for him and almost killed him! I now use Reptisun 10.0 UVB light (tube) no bulbs or coils. I guess those can hurt the little guys. I use a 100 watt incondescent bulb for heat it is in the tank about 9" from the basking area, I have a screen on top so i keep it open enogh to lay the UVB light across so the UV ray go directly in the tank. ( I was told the rays are blocked by 50% if on top of the screen. I would love to post pics but I cant figure out how to post them. oh and by the way my beardie is so much better now that i have the proper set up.
I hope this helps.

 

[Chirple]

My friends use and like the MVB, but I don't know much about it as I've never used one.

I have a 24" Reptisun 10.0 and a 75w Halogen. Unless your room is very, very cold, you don't need a 150w basking light. Those special expensive basking lamps are a scam, anyway. All you need is a household bulb that puts out the right temperature. Halogens are a bit more expensive, but put out more heat per wattage - saving you money and generally lasting longer.

Getting a dimmable fixture will save you frustration with having to change bulbs to keep the temperature correct. Make sure to check temperatures daily with a new bulb - I found that the bulb "burned in" and became significantly hotter at the same wattage during the first month, so I had to dim it down.

What do you use to measure temps now ?

Old pictures of my tank :

The fixture for the Reptisun was $9 from WAL*MART and is attached using heavy-duty velcro as shown.

Since that picture was taken, I added another book so he could get closer to the UVB and dimmed the light as necessary. He's still having issues with pinworms, so his tank is still butt-ugly.

 

[Evergreen]

Hehe, not to be completely off topic but that picture reminded me of how I feel about college textbooks. Buy them for $200 and sell them back 5 months later for $30. Maybe a couple doses of pin worms between those pages before sell back time will teach them to give us our money back! Muahaha :twisted:

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

I wouldn't recommend going with either of the options you are looking at currently.

There really are only two safe and effective uvb bulbs on the market for bearded dragons, which would be the arcadia 12% tube, and the reptisun 10.0 tube.

Either of those two would be a good choice.

-Brandon

 

[SleepingBeardie]

Okay I'm brand new as of yesterday owning a beardie. I used to own 2 leapord geckos and didn't have much trouble at all getting comfortable with the lighting issue. I know there supposed to have a 10-12 hour basking period with the uvb depending on season. What I'm confused about is the heater pad which I have on the side and the uva light. I leave the uvb on for approximately 10 hours and then use the heater and uva light to keep temperature up if needed when my house is cool. Someone please explain step bye step how long each light should be used each day and if I need to use the heater and uva light. Thanks guys I hope I hear from you soon

 

[Chirple]

^ The UVB and UVA are both on for the same time. The heating pad is not necessary, if you have trouble keeping temperatures up at night, use a Ceramic Heat Emitter.

Since the artificial UVB is nowhere near what they would receive outdoors (it takes only ~30 minutes outdoors in the sun to meet their needs), I leave it on the entire time regardless of season.

 

[SleepingBeardie]

So I should really have uva/uvb on for 10-12 hours? Just seems like a lot of heat. Usually I leave the small heater on at night. And I know I've only had him for about a day so its hard to tell how he's acting since he's probably stressed from the move

 

[Chirple]

What UVB are you using ? If it's a tube-type bulb, it won't put out a lot of heat, so it's not going to make a difference in that regard. If you're using an MVB, you shouldn't have need for an additional heat source, unless perhaps on the "cool end" of the tank if it is very cold in your house.

The UVB of a fluorescent type light doesn't put out as much UVB as being outside would. 12/12 gives them a balanced day and night. If 12 is a lot of heat - 12 is a lot of cold, too.

If your house does not drop below 65F, you probably don't need the extra heat. I wouldn't use the heat pad - even if it's not on the floor of the tank, they can get themselves into some odd positions to sleep and bask (lots of pictures of them sleeping "standing" against the glass or making a bridge between objects) ! Exposure to it can cause burns, and while I see low risk if it's in a spot that they don't seem to be able to reach, I like to play it safe.

 

[SleepingBeardie]

Okay I see what your saying now,originally I was leaving the uva bulb on for 11 hrs roughly and half of the I was leaving the uvb and I have the 5.0 reptisun bulb which I believe is tubular bulb. And my house during night is typically around 70-75 degrees so I wouldn't need the heater pad unless its below 65. Okay and should I be concerned if my beardie doesn't liked to be picked up or could that be from the stress of a new habitat?