Proper lighting?

[pkuzda12]

I just got a juvenile bearded dragon hes probably about 4 months now give or take a couple weeks, im confused about lighting honestly i have a variety of bulbs a 50w basking bulb a 75w basking bulb a 100w mvb bulb and a 10.0 uvb coil bulb i think by zoo med, he is in a 20 gallon tank, obviously i dont use all the bulbs at once, is all i really need the 75w basking plus the uvb, i believe the 100w mvb may be too strong for this smaller tank, the 75 w basking usually has the basking spot around 100 sometimes more never below 98 not sure how accurate my thermometer actually is

 

[KarrieRee]

I just got a juvenile bearded dragon hes probably about 4 months now give or take a couple weeks, im confused about lighting honestly i have a variety of bulbs a 50w basking bulb a 75w basking bulb a 100w mvb bulb and a 10.0 uvb coil bulb i think by zoo med, he is in a 20 gallon tank, obviously i dont use all the bulbs at once, is all i really need the 75w basking plus the uvb, i believe the 100w mvb may be too strong for this smaller tank, the 75 w basking usually has the basking spot around 100 sometimes more never below 98 not sure how accurate my thermometer actually is

To determine the correct basking temp please get a digital probe thermometers 2 of them - you want surface temps place the probe on the spot where he sits for basking wait 10 min then get the temp 105-110
please replace the coil uvb they are inadequate+ please get a 24" Zoo Med this will come w/ a 5.0 bulb use this on the 20 gallon for now and do this ASAP-- when you get it it needs to be unobstructed and placed directly above the basking decor 6-8 inches-- you will need to upgrade to the 22" reptisun 10.0 T 5 when you get a larger tank-

 

[pkuzda12]

To determine the correct basking temp please get a digital probe thermometers 2 of them - you want surface temps place the probe on the spot where he sits for basking wait 10 min then get the temp 105-110
please replace the coil uvb they are inadequate+ please get a 24" Zoo Med this will come w/ a 5.0 bulb use this on the 20 gallon for now and do this ASAP-- when you get it it needs to be unobstructed and placed directly above the basking decor 6-8 inches-- you will need to upgrade to the 22" reptisun 10.0 T 5 when you get a larger tank-

 

[pkuzda12]

This one?

 

[pkuzda12]

And what type of fixture can i insert this new bulb into if you have any suggestions

 

[KarrieRee]

And what type of fixture can i insert this new bulb into if you have any suggestions

I

 

[KarrieRee]

I am sorry please get this fixture Zoo Med Reptisun T5 HO High Output Terrarium Hood

this comes w/ the 5.0 bulb -- please let me know when you get it ---

 

[Rubble1212]

I

First of all let’s ask what type of thermometer you are using before assuming your not using a probe already and if you’re using a probe thermometer or a temperature gun then your basking temperature is pretty good give or take a few degrees. And depending on what brand of MVB and uvb output it could be possible to use in a 20 gallon if you could raise it up enough to have it it 12/14 inches from basking area but most likely would be better to use when you get a larger cage. If you have a Zoomed Powersun you could make it work because it’s uvb output is not as strong as a Megaray or Arcadia MVB which would be to strong in a 20 gallon. And some other options you can use are Reptisun t5 10.0 bulb or Arcadia t512% which are a better quality uvb but reptisun is perfectly fine. and I would recommend you get a sunblaster t5 fixture don’t waste your money on a reptisun t5 fixture they are way over priced and the bulb it comes with is garbage it’s a 5.0 bulb and won’t do you any good. Basking bulbs you have will work just use the one that gets close to 100 give or take a few degrees and leaves your cool side in the low 80’s high 70’s. I would say you should be mid 70’s on the cool side but in a 20 gallon it’s hard to create a good gradient but it can be done.

 

[KarrieRee]

this comes w/ the 5.0 bulb -- please let me know when you get it ---

Please read this

Lighting Guide

Do Bearded Dragons Really Need Specialized Lights? While setting up proper lighting for your beardie’s habitat may seem like a daunting task, in reality, bearded dragons only need two types of bulbs—a UVB bulb for mimicking the UVA/UVB radiation they get from the sun and a basking bulb for...

www.beardeddragon.org

 

[pkuzda12]

First of all let’s ask what type of thermometer you are using before assuming your not using a probe already and if you’re using a probe thermometer or a temperature gun then your basking temperature is pretty good give or take a few degrees. And depending on what brand of MVB and uvb output it could be possible to use in a 20 gallon if you could raise it up enough to have it it 12/14 inches from basking area but most likely would be better to use when you get a larger cage. If you have a Zoomed Powersun you could make it work because it’s uvb output is not as strong as a Megaray or Arcadia MVB which would be to strong in a 20 gallon. And some other options you can use are Reptisun t5 10.0 bulb or Arcadia t512% which are a better quality uvb but reptisun is perfectly fine. and I would recommend you get a sunblaster t5 fixture don’t waste your money on a reptisun t5 fixture they are way over priced and the bulb it comes with is garbage it’s a 5.0 bulb and won’t do you any good. Basking bulbs you have will work just use the one that gets close to 100 give or take a few degrees and leaves your cool side in the low 80’s high 70’s. I would say you should be mid 70’s on the cool side but in a 20 gallon it’s hard to create a good gradient but it can be done.

The mvb is a zoomed powersun bulb 100w than i have a 50w and 75w basking bulb obviously not all at once i just wanted to have options if the temp wasnt right, i think id have to raise the mvb a little seems like he doesnt want to be directly under it where it was but the mvb had the temperature the most consistent,, not sure of the thermometer its definitely not the most state of the art thermometer, but at night its always basically the same as my homes thermostat maybe a degree or two higher,which has always been very accurate
so hopefully its doing its job, but im wondering if i should just go with the mvb by itself or two basking bulbs in the dual dome thing maybe two 50w bulbs potentially

 

[KarrieRee]

The mvb is a zoomed powersun bulb 100w than i have a 50w and 75w basking bulb obviously not all at once i just wanted to have options if the temp wasnt right, i think id have to raise the mvb a little seems like he doesnt want to be directly under it where it was but the mvb had the temperature the most consistent,, not sure of the thermometer its definitely not the most state of the art thermometer, but at night its always basically the same as my homes thermostat maybe a degree or two higher,which has always been very accurate
so hopefully its doing its job, but im wondering if i should just go with the mvb by itself or two basking bulbs in the dual dome thing maybe two 50w bulbs potentially

A 100 watt powersun is pretty powerful for a 20 gallon tank- when I had blazes 20 gallon set up I used a 75 watt- Exo Terra intense bulb and the Zoo Med 5.0 bulb unobstructed 6-8 inches directly above the basking decor- I can post pics of the tank tomorrow- you need the probe thermometer to get accurate basking temps-- you don't want to burn him up

 

[Rubble1212]

The mvb is a zoomed powersun bulb 100w than i have a 50w and 75w basking bulb obviously not all at once i just wanted to have options if the temp wasnt right, i think id have to raise the mvb a little seems like he doesnt want to be directly under it where it was but the mvb had the temperature the most consistent,, not sure of the thermometer its definitely not the most state of the art thermometer, but at night its always basically the same as my homes thermostat maybe a degree or two higher,which has always been very accurate
so hopefully its doing its job, but im wondering if i should just go with the mvb by itself or two basking bulbs in the dual dome thing maybe two 50w bulbs potentially

I would think the powersun in your tank would be plenty for heat wise you wouldn’t need another heat bulb. What is your distance from the face of the bulb to the basking surface? If you can get it 12-14 inches up you should be fine. Put the thermometer on the far end of the tank away from the Powersun to find the coolest spot in the tank and just make sure it not over low to mid 80’s. As far as uvb goes he’ll have room to get away from the most intense which is directly underneath the bulb he won’t always be directly under the light he should be moving in and out from directly underneath it. Try and get the light as far to one side as possible leaving the other end as the cool side. He’ll be fine until you decide to get a larger tank. Give him something to hide in and shade himself from the light if he wants to. That way if he’s always hiding you’ll know the light is to strong. If it’s a new bulb you can take it back and get the lower wattage MVB I think Powersun has an 80 watt but don’t quote me.

 

[Rubble1212]

Petsmart and Petco have the 80 watt if that’s where you purchased the 100 watt?

 

[CooperDragon]

In my testing of the 100w PowerSun, I found that the UVB output decreased quickly after burn-in and then stabilized at a relatively low (disappointing) output. Unless I received a dud (which is possible) I think the PowerSun would be OK in a smaller enclosure sitting at about 8-10'' above the main basking area. Depending on your surface temp readings when the MVB is at that distance, you may need to use one of your basking bulbs alongside it, but if you're still getting readings around 100, then that should be fine.

As mentioned, you can revisit this once you are ready to upgrade your enclosure size. I recommend doing this sooner rather than later because having more space will give you more leeway for building temperature and UV gradients as well as provide more enrichment through basking rocks and climbing vines etc. If an upgrade is not within budget, that's OK for now but he will outgrow 20g by around 6-8 months old or so depending on growth rate.

From there, I would move to a T5 using one of the bulbs and fixtures suggested in earlier posts. I like the Arcadia 12%, but the ReptiSun 10.0 is a good option as well. The Sunblaster fixture is good if you want to hang it from something - either the top of an enclosure or a stand since these are designed as grow lights and have clips on top. The ReptiSun hood is also a very good fixture, but is designed to sit flat on top of an enclosure and isn't as straightforward to suspend as a grow light fixture is. As mentioned, the ReptiSun hood comes with a 5.0 bulb which should be replaced with a stronger version in order to provide effective levels of UVB at a reasonable distance in a larger setup.