proper heating for a 55 gallon tank

[victorino]

Hello all, I have 2 beardies about 1.5 months old. I've been searching on the net for proper heating for my enclosure, but they seem to be all over the place! I have (2) 160 watt solar glo's one on each side and (2) 75 watt heat sources both in the middle. My temps via exoterra tank thermometers, placed on back about half way up, are about 95 on the sides and 85 in the middle. Some posts are reporting just (2) light set up (1) 100 watt basking and a (1) 100 watt heat source!! How is this possible? Is the ambient tank temp important or just basking temps? My dragons seem to be happy and climb to the top about 8 inches from solar glo's, so is my setup over kill/detrimental to my dragons?

Thank you for any help!!

 

[Grogshla]

too much mate

put a100w (approx) basking light at one side. Get the basking spot to 110 and don't worry about the rest.
As long as the other side (cool side) does not drop below 65 then you are fine.

Get a 2 foot reptisun10 or arcadia 12 tube and place it so he can get within 7-10 inches from it. This is for uvb and will add a slight bit of warmth

 

[diamc]

Moved here from Website Comments since it is about setting up an enclosure.

Welcome to the forum. For a 55 gallon tank, it seems like using 2 - 160 watt Solar Glo's AND 2 - 75 watt bulbs is an awful lot of heat and seems like too much heat in that sized tank.

The 160 watt Solar Glo's need to be a minimum of 18" from the basking spot but 20 to 22" inches would be safer. At a distance of only 8" is VERY dangerous and can cause all sorts of problems from eye issues to lethargy and skin burning so I recommend you move them further away asap.

The stick-on thermometers you're using are highly inaccurate and can be off 20 degrees if not more. The only 2 ways to get accurate readings are with either an infrared temperature gun or a digital thermometer with a long wire & probe end. The most important temps to know are the actual basking temp and the cool side temp. They need a cool side in order to be able to thermoregulate properly which is very important. Since you're beardies are so young, you should aim for a basking temp of about 102 to 110 (but no higher) and a cool side temp of 78 to 82 with 80 being ideal. BUT, you need to get an accurate way to read the temps first. With all the heat you're using now, I would say they are more than likely over heating which can cause rapid dehydration especially for babies so young. So, giving them a warm bath right away would be a good idea. Be sure to watch them closely as they can drown in a small amt of water.

Would it be possible to post a picture of your setup?

 

[victorino]

i would love to post a pic, but being new to site i do not know how at this time! i made some modification to my 55 gallon tank since my first post. I added a 10.0 18" UVB light to the middle of tank and turned the (2) red 75 watt light off and use them for my night phase only! i will pick up a infrared thermometer ASAP! My one dragon is starting to act a little funny now! He/she was my good eater and always basked, now he is at the bottom of tank for majority of day not moving much or pacing back and forth trying to climb the glass, could it be stress from the changes i'm making? All advice will be appreciated!!

victor
i dont know if this link will work, but it is a image of tank
http://mail.aol.com/33124-111/aol-1/en-us/mail/get-attachment.aspx?uid=1.32746391&folder=NewMail&partId=2

 

[Grogshla]

you really should not use red, blue, black or any bulb at night. the dragons CAN see the light and it messes their sleep patterns up therefore their health.

Just use one basking lamp on one side and a reptisun10 or arcadia 12 uvb tube all other tubes are no good for dragons. Keep this tube 7-10 inches from him

This is all you need

 

[victorino]

http://mail.aol.com/33124-111/aol-1/en-us/mail/get-attachment.aspx?uid=1.32747783&folder=NewMail&partId=2

A new link to photo! I think think ! So to much heat, no red, one basking. The tank is in the basement which is a lot cooler than the rest of house! I'll get a infrared thermometer before any more changes! Just to make sure !
But please keep the advice coming
Thanks to all
Victor

 

[victorino]

Update! I tested the temp with a digital thermometer and found the temps to be to low without the 2 75 watt heat lamps my basking temps were around 80 degrees and the lowest temp in the tank ( at the bottom were 60 degrees during the day! I turned the (2) 75 watt lights back on and basking temps are 105-110 and lowest temp is 78 degrees! Now the lizards are very active again and eating well!! The exoterra sticky thermometers were actually pretty close to being accurate!! I kept the 10.0 UVB light in the middle for a additional UVB source!!
Thanks for trying to help!
Victor

 

[diamc]

Since the tank is in the basement, that more than likely does affect the heat that the bulbs are putting out.

Good that you bought a digital thermometer, does it have a long wire & probe on the end? Are you testing the basking area right underneath the main basking bulb? How long are you waiting before you get the final readings?

So, in that tank right now, you're using 2 - 160 watt Solar Glo's, 2 - 75 watt bulbs and an 18" UVB light? I'm confused because you mentioned before that you were only get a basking temp of 95 with the stick-on thermometer but now you're getting a reading of 110 with a digital but that the 2 thermometers were showing similar readings.

The mercury vapor bulbs are very strong so you don't need a fluorescent tube besides and really would only need one MVB. Were you able to move the Solar Glo at a safer distance of at least 18" so that the UV rays wouldn't be too strong for them? The 8" distance is really dangerous and a concern. Instead of using 2 Solar Glo's, you could actually replace one with a standard household lightbulb instead, so some different things to think about.

 

[victorino]

Digital wired thermometer was left in place for at least 10min in the different areas, when I let the thermometer hang in tank to get a ambient temp it was close to stick on thermometers I have 3 stick on thermometers one on each side one in middle. The basking temp was directly under 160 watt about 8" on a reptile swing! Unfortunately I did not move them away any further since the temp is right for basking. I left the 10 UVB light in the middle because I have a piece of drift wood there and the lizards like to hang there when the are not basking!
Thanks again
Victor

 

[diamc]

That''s good that it's the wired probe thermometer. But, what you need to do is wait at least 45 min for the temp to stop rising before getting the final reading, 10 min won't allow for a good reading as it's not enough time. Please make sure the probe is resting right on the basking spot and then get another reading after waiting it out just to make sure they aren't getting over heated. I really think you're going to find out that the temps are actually higher. Do you have a warm and cool side setup right now?

Regarding the distance for the 160 watt MVB's, please read this info posted by Frances Baines who does the testing of all the UVB bulbs at her site http://www.uvguide.co.uk/ and then please reconsider the distance you have them at now because at a close range of 8", the UV rays being put out, is very dangerous and could be detrimental to their health.

3. The current situation with ReptileUV and T-Rex lamps including all MVB's, and the distances that lamps should be placed from the dragons.

In this thread, there are a couple of points made about the other MVBs, that maybe I ought to clarify.

As far as I know, ReptileUV are still hand testing every MegaRay that comes into their wareheouse, whether it is direct from the Westron factory, or stock returned by a customer after the recall; these are being coated individually with a specific heat-sealed treatment which filters out any excessively short-wavelength UVB, so their output should fall within the correct range.

I do not know what T-Rex are doing to correct the "problem" lamps. The last I heard, they were not doing anything except holding back on new purchases of the Westron lamps (which they sell as "Active UV Heat Flood" lamps) until they heard that Westron had fixed the problem. I have not yet heard anything to suggest this has happened.
They are now also selling an "economy" MVB called a "T-Rex UV Heat" lamp. This is a Chinese product. I am currently testing two right now. I don't have any definite results yet except to say that one has a far greater output than the other :?

As regards distances ... If you think about it, the minimum distance MUST always refer to the distance from the surface of the lamp, to the top of the reptile's head (or nearest part of his body)... how can it mean anything else? If I had a hatchling beardie, true, this would be very similar to the distance from lamp to basking spot - ie. the shelf, or log, or whatever. But what if I have an adult Green Iguana? If he stands 14" tall, and a minimum distance of 14" meant "to the basking spot"... his head would touch the bulb itself!
:evil: :evil:
The ReptileUV MegaRay lamps have a label that indicates a minimum distance from lamp to reptile's head should be 12" for their 100W lamp and 15" for their 160W... but those labels are the same ones they've used since the lamps first came out, it must be 5 years ago now. Recently they announced that, given the higher UVB they are seeing - even after treating the affected lamps - they recommend a minimum distance of 14 - 15" for the 100W lamps now. I don't think I've seen a recommendation for the 160W but I'm going to suggest 18 - 20" might be sensible. I hope they update their labels soon...

T-Rex say the minimum distances for Active UV Heat lamps are 12" for 100W and 18" for 160W on their boxes. Because I don't know what they are selling right now I can't comment on that, except I would suggest caution.

Best wishes,
Frances

Diane

 

[victorino]

Thanks Diane, I did as you said, and waited at least 45 min and my temps are higher than expected, I'm playing with the light configuration now to get a ideal temp very difficult!! I also measured the distance from basking spot to solarglo it's 10-12 inches away on reptile swing! But I have a question, why do they still continue to climb higher? I have a vine above the swing and they climb to the top of vine and open their mouths to cool off since the swing was at a higher than ideal temp to start 120 degrees it has to be hotter on the top of vine!! I'm bringing the temp down, but still they climb higher! Why is that?
Thanks
Victor

 

[diamc]

Victor, I have to say that I'm not surprised that the temps are actually higher than you originally thought. MVB's are very strong and in a 55 gallon, you really only need one. And, as noted in my post above, the distance for the 160 watt is at least 18".

I think the reason they're climbing up higher is because they have been in the higher temps and have not adjusted yet. You know how you feel when you are in an area that is too hot, when you leave there, you feel cold. Beardies don't always know what is best for them but since yours are so young, YOU have to do what is best for their own good. The vines should not be up so high where the temp is actually 120 degrees or hotter because temps that high can actually cause heat stroke and rapid dehydration. Plus, being that close to the strong UV rays is also very dangerous. Another thought is that they could be trying to figure out a way to escape the tank so they are going closer to the top.

What bulbs are you using in the 55 gallon tank now and what are the basking & cool side temps?

If you haven't been bathing them, I recommend that you do that as soon as possible before they start to decline because babies can go downhill very quickly when over heated.