Please help with lighting

[bkimura]

Greetings everyone,
We presently have a 4-month old dragon in the following environment:
* 10 gallon tank
* 75W Exo Terra Sun Glo (positioned at one end, on 13 hours)
* 15W Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 (positioned in the middle, on 13 hours)
* Under tank heat pad (on only at night when other lights are off)

We live in NH so it gets pretty cold. The dragon is in my daughter's room
which can get as low as 62-64 degrees. The breeder had recommended the
under tank heat pad due to the cooler temperatures and that the dragon is still
very young.

This afternoon, my wife and daughter made a trip to this very reputable reptile
distributor. (Not the one we purchased the setup above from) They have made
the following recommendations:

* Move the dragon into a 40 gallon tank NOW
* Use a combination UVB/HEAT bulb at one end
* Switch to Reptilite substrate (presently using reptile carpet)
-- Now this is the part that I'm questioning and seeking some expert advice on
* Continue to use an under tank pad (24x7) at UVB/HEAT bulb end
* Use an infrared heat lamp (24x7) at the opposite end of the UVB/HEAT bulb

Questions:
1.) First of all, based on the environment, do you think any night-time supplemental
heating is needed?
2.) If so, do I really need both the under tank pad AND infrared heat bulb?
3.) In regards to the infrared bulb, do the dragons notice this light? I've read
numerous conflicting opinions on this. (it disrupts their sleep, they don't notice
it, etc., etc.) What's the real deal?
4.) Assuming infrared is a bad idea, what is the best alternative?

We plan to revisit the distributor this Thursday to make a purchase so I'd like
to get my facts straight ahead of time. Obviously I don't want to be making
unnecessary purchases. Again, this is a highly reputable distributor that has
been around for a long time, and breeds many many reptiles. Please advise.

Thanks in advance,
- Bill

 

[Sadona]

I would say, based on the temps you listed, your best bet would be a small UTH (under tank heater). Fortunately, those aren't too expensive! You would probably need to buy a plug-in lamp dimmer (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053) to keep the temps juuust right.Dragons are used to low temps at this time. I would say a comfy night temp would be 65-72 F.
Dragons don't need any kind of lighting at night. They sleep at night, and lights can wake them up, causing a grumpy beardie. An infared, in my opinion, is not needed at all. I would't waste my money on it!
I hope I helped out!

 

[kcsearle]

correct me if I am wrong

But dont use the under tank heater. Beardies cant feel heat from under. So if you really need a heat soucre at night go with a Ceramic Heat Emitter, they will give you the heat you need with no light, so they will get a good night sleep. No light is needed as night.

 

[bkimura]

That's kind of what I was thinking. (Ceramic Heat Emitter) This at the
very most if needed. I don't like the idea of night-time lighting. I'm
also questioning the reptilite substrate. I don't think I'm comfortable
with that. I'll most likely stick with the carpet as I think the sand is
just too risky, at least for my comfort level. Oh BTW, I've been noticing
that the dragon has been opening his mouth, (gaping?) and I've only
noticed this behavior when the under tank heat has been on. Thanks
to everyone who has replied thus far. Please keep the suggestions
coming. Thanks!

 

[kcsearle]

use tile, nice, easy to keep clean. This is what all my beardies is on, When hatchlings i use paper towels. When your beardie is gasping it is his way of cooling off. (kind like a dog lol). Also get rid of the repi-glo and go with the repi-sun 10.0... the repi glo is known to cause eyes issues.
this is the light you want
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html
What are your temps like??

 

[bkimura]

Tile sounds interesting. Lots of people seem to be using it.
The repti-glo will be replaced with some sort of combination
UVB/HEAT bulb when we upgrade the tank. (probably this week)
Where did you get your tile? Did you have to custom cut it to fit
the tank? With the 75W basking bulb on, I've seen the temp at the
basking spot on his log hit 108 degrees. (That's with a sticky type
gauge setting on the log) The same gauge on the back side of the
tank at the height of the basking spot reaches about 95 on average.
The opposite side in the bottom corner I'd say averages around 70 degrees.
Maybe 72-73 during the day, mid 60's at night. Thanks for your reply.

 

[kcsearle]

Tile sounds interesting. Lots of people seem to be using it.
The repti-glo will be replaced with some sort of combination
UVB/HEAT bulb when we upgrade the tank. (probably this week)
Where did you get your tile? Did you have to custom cut it to fit
the tank? With the 75W basking bulb on, I've seen the temp at the
basking spot on his log hit 108 degrees. (That's with a sticky type
gauge setting on the log) The same gauge on the back side of the
tank at the height of the basking spot reaches about 95 on average.
The opposite side in the bottom corner I'd say averages around 70 degrees.
Maybe 72-73 during the day, mid 60's at night. Thanks for your reply.

i got my tile from homedepot. I have a tile cutter myself so we did. But you probaly could get it custom to your cage. Ok if your using those stick on things like this, http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/12001502/Images/4/5893317.jpg they can be aleast 20 DEGRESS off.
Go with something like these
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-thermometers/509769/coralife-digital-thermometer.html

 

[kcsearle]

Here is a picture of 2 of my cages, and two of my beardies. To give you an idea

 

[bkimura]

Wow! Those cages look awesome. Great job. Those are some
spoiled beardies.

- Bill

 

[kcsearle]

Wow! Those cages look awesome. Great job. Those are some
spoiled beardies.

- Bill

thanks