New owner

[Brodie]

I'm a new bearded dragon owner, and wanted to see if my enclosure is up to standards currently in a 20 gallon but planning on getting a 3x2x2 as soon as he starts growing rapidly, I'm using 75w basking bulb for his lighting and also a zoomed 5.0 reptisun for uvb. And he's currently on tile with climbing spots both on cool and warm side.

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

Overall it looks pretty good. You have some nice places for him to climb and hide and lots of options for him to go where he wants to get the heat and light that he needs.

Is your UV the compact/coil type or is it a tube? I can't tell by the picture. If it is a coil, please switch to a tube as soon as possible. If it is the tube, the 5.0 will be fine for the small enclosure 6-8 inches directly above the basking spot and unobstructed (no screen). When you get the bigger enclosure (which will happen sooner than you think so be ready), you will want to switch to a 10.0 or the Arcadia 12% bulb. That distance will be different depending on several factors on the new enclosure, so feel free to come back and ask for help with placement when you upgrade.

The basking temps should be 100-110 while he is a baby measured with a digital probe thermometer placed on the spot he basks. You want to go by the temps and not wattage for it, so it will be a little trial and error finding the right bulb for your setup. When he gets to about a year or so and has stopped growing so quickly, basking temps can be lowered about 5-10 degrees.

 

[Brodie]

Overall it looks pretty good. You have some nice places for him to climb and hide and lots of options for him to go where he wants to get the heat and light that he needs.

Is your UV the compact/coil type or is it a tube? I can't tell by the picture. If it is a coil, please switch to a tube as soon as possible. If it is the tube, the 5.0 will be fine for the small enclosure 6-8 inches directly above the basking spot and unobstructed (no screen). When you get the bigger enclosure (which will happen sooner than you think so be ready), you will want to switch to a 10.0 or the Arcadia 12% bulb. That distance will be different depending on several factors on the new enclosure, so feel free to come back and ask for help with placement when you upgrade.

The basking temps should be 100-110 while he is a baby measured with a digital probe thermometer placed on the spot he basks. You want to go by the temps and not wattage for it, so it will be a little trial and error finding the right bulb for your setup. When he gets to about a year or so and has stopped growing so quickly, basking temps can be lowered about 5-10 degrees.

Thanks for the help, I do have a tube light and it's within 6in of the basking spot but is ontop of the screen(should I change it to a different one) and I have a infrared gun to read basking spot and it stays within 110 degrees. And again thanks for the quick reply and help

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

Thanks for the help, I do have a tube light and it's within 6in of the basking spot but is ontop of the screen(should I change it to a different one) and I have a infrared gun to read basking spot and it stays within 110 degrees. And again thanks for the quick reply and help

The screen filters out up to 30% of the UV if it is a wide hole type of screen, and almost all if it is a fine mesh like a screen door. If you want to keep it on top of the screen and it has wide holes, you can switch to the 10.0 or Arcadia 12%. The distance for those is 8-10 inches above basking decor when going through a wide hole screen. Without a screen the distance would be 12-15 inches. You could also mount the fixture inside the tank if it fits or slide a corner of the screen off and lay the fixture across the empty space.

 

[Brodie]

The screen filters out up to 30% of the UV if it is a wide hole type of screen, and almost all if it is a fine mesh like a screen door. If you want to keep it on top of the screen and it has wide holes, you can switch to the 10.0 or Arcadia 12%. The distance for those is 8-10 inches above basking decor when going through a wide hole screen. Without a screen the distance would be 12-15 inches. You could also mount the fixture inside the tank if it fits or slide a corner of the screen off and lay the fixture across the empty space.

Is my screen considered wide hole or fine mesh

 

[hdochow]

personally, i would call that fine mesh.

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

Is my screen considered wide hole or fine mesh

That looks pretty fine to me, so I would consider using it without the screen if possible. Worst case if you can't mount it inside or remove the top, you can cut a hole in the screen where the fixture will go. Also, I assumed you are using a T5 fixture and not T8. If it is a T8, it should only be used without a screen. The T5 is more powerful and can be placed on top of wide holes, but the T8 needs to be unobstructed.

 

[Brodie]

That looks pretty fine to me, so I would consider using it without the screen if possible. Worst case if you can't mount it inside or remove the top, you can cut a hole in the screen where the fixture will go. Also, I assumed you are using a T5 fixture and not T8. If it is a T8, it should only be used without a screen. The T5 is more powerful and can be placed on top of wide holes, but the T8 needs to be unobstructed.

Thanks for the input just to be safe I'll make a big enough opening for my light fixture so the screen won't obstruct it

 

[smaugthebeardie3756]

Thanks for the input just to be safe I'll make a big enough opening for my light fixture so the screen won't obstruct it

Glad to be of help, and by the way welcome! Should have said that to start off. It looks like you're off to a good start. This place has been a great resource for me, and hopefully it will be for you too.

 

[SPandS]

If it's a t8 a 5.0 is too weak whether it's unobstructed or not and really needs to be upgraded. I personally would invest in a t5 fixture now since you'll need it when you get a bigger tank anyway.