new parent!

[woahamie]

hellooo everyone!

i'm going to be the proud parent of a beardie in the next few weeks, but I have a few questions.
i bought a 40gal tank (36"L x 18"W x 16"H), but my concern is the placement of the tank.
the place where i'm thinking of putting it is the exact length, but the width is 12"
would this be a problem as the dragon gets older/heavier as it might cause the tank to tip?

also, exactly what size light domes would i need for a tank that large? would 8.5" be enough to cover it all?
and what light would i need? a day/night light and a UVB strip?

 

[zillathakilla]

Your first question is a little confusing, could you rephrase it? But as far as the others go, you absolutely must get a reptisun 10.0 uvb bulb, most other brands other than arcadia are insufficient for what they need, and do NOT get a night time light,it will mess up there sleep cycle,they do need a basking light for the daytime though,i think 8.5" should be good enough but you should also invest in a timer for there lights b/c there very handy

 

[woahamie]

Haha, I'll try to make my first question a little less confusing.
The tank I bought for my little guy is 18" in width. The stand where I'm thinking of putting the tank
is only 12" in width, so that'll leave 6" of the tank without having support on the bottom.
Would that be a problem as he gets older and heavier? I just don't want him to get on the sides of the tank and have it tip
over and break. I'm not sure if you understand me now >.<

And as for lighting...
I would have to get the reptisun hood with the UVB lightblub? or can I just use two 8.5" light domes. One for the UVB and one for the daytime basking? Also, at night, I would just turn off all his lights? That's the part that's confusing me? Or is there a light that doesn't emit any color that can be used at night?


Sorry for bothering! D:

 

[zillathakilla]

Oh ok i see what you mean,no that shouldn't be a problem,they dont throw around too much weight but to be sure try and balance it like 3" on the back 3" on the front you know? and for lights you need to get the tube bulbs for uvb always,b/c they cover the entire cage,you dont have to get the reptisun hood there probably more expensive,i went to rona and picked one up for like 30$ i think,and yes you turn all the lights off at night there are no lights that emit heat without colour unfortunatley,if your house gets too cold at night i would look into a heating pad that you can place under the tank at night,hope this helps

 

[woahamie]

okay, thanks! that cleared up the part of the tank lol

as for the heating at night, i live in miami, sooooo it's pretty hot here. except for the random little cold front we have now, but for the majority of the day, i keep my house around 72. im assuming thats fine?

i have to research a bit more for the UVB hood, because it is a little pricey. unless i can rig something up and use that with the bulb...

 

[zillathakilla]

Yeah i know there a little expensive,for the whole uvb setup your looking at around 80$ and they should be replaced every 6 months(the light not the hood) as for the temps that should be fine lol

 

[Kratoskeeper]

Also, you could get a ceramic heater for night, doesn't put off any light just heat. I personally use a solar glo bulb. It's uva and uvb together, my beardie seems to love it.

 

[woahamie]

i was reading through the lighting forums and i came across one titled "Lighting Help for Newbies "
the way tank is shown, i see that they have the UVB inside the tank. i know you have to have it inside because
the screen won't let it pass all the way through (or something to that nature). id just like to know how they did that lol


i guess i shall read that discussion in detail!