Zombiepanda":2vszwbrf said:
You didn't hijack at all ? I LOVE your setup and fell in love with the "live" aspect the first time I saw it. I think with a little maneuvering I can pull off the 4' cube, however I'm thinking maybe pull the width into 3' and keep the length and height 4' just to save a bit of space.
I do want opinions on these ideas though!! When I build I will be upgrading to a uvb tube. With 4' what's the ideal and minimum length? Also that means I will have two basking domes available for heat. I'm assuming, from what you said, maybe put them side by side? I want my top to be a mesh/screen/chicken wire type material and I'm thinking mount my current reflective domes inside by hanging them from it at perhaps varying lengths? Plus the screen at top will also double as ventilation. Also do I need to center mount my uvb like yours or can I mount it against the back wall with a reflector?
Here is another beardie with a big bioactive enclosure from some more ideas.
http://trevthebeardie.tumblr.com/ I think his is a 5x3x3.
Some good resources:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bioactivegroup/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/454242811428496/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/384134861721116/
Size wise, I think 4'x3' floor space is pretty good, I couldn't fit much more in my house reasonably myself. Even the 4'x2' enclosures that I have take up more than I thought they would.
For the lights, it will depend on how far away things are and where you dragon likes to hang out. In my cage a 22" UVB is 'basking' strong @ 14" and still decently strong well down to the bottom of the cage. A 36" is doable, just be attentive to where you place furnishings that heat AND UVB follow a gradient. T5HO lighting is the way to go for UVB and ambient lights. These lights should ALWAYS be mounted overhead. Wall mounting isn't great since it can shien into the lizards eyes. My one light it tucked into the corner, this is fine, you want the light always shining down. (Even with basking lamps) If you can afford one, a UVB Meter (solarmeter 6.5) is really handy to make sure you aren't under/over exposing areas of the cage.
I would put the lamps side by side, so you set up a hot zone, rather than just a spot. My three lights work to have one hottest spot on the tile platform (115-120), and a larger area of heat (110-100) on the cork. many ways to do it.
again, in my house i need all the lights to keep the whole cage nice and warm.
For the lid, I find I have plenty of ventilation with a 6" gap at the top, I can use the blinds to open/close it off more. My house (especially in winter) is on the cold side, so this helps me with heat. You may have a different situation, and you can always adjust how much is open on top.