I'm currently upgrading my beardies' enclosures and in doing so I'm getting better lighting. They are in 40g breeder tanks. I was using 18" Reptisun 10.0 T8's for the UVB but I'm switching to 22" Reptisun 10.0 T5 tubes. My current question is, do I need a specific type of fixture to get the most out of these, or will any fixture that fits the tubes work?
Another question that occured to me: Since the new tubes are T5 and the fixture has a reflector, do I still need to mount it inside the cage, or would on top suffice (sitting on a mesh cage cover)? I just want to make sure I'm doing right by these lovelies I have!
The t5 is strong enough to sit on top I'd a screen. If it's on top you just want to make sure you're basking area can get close enough to it. Also depends on how fine your screen is. The finer the screen, the more uvb gets filtered.
^ yep. It depends on the screen. With a good reflector/fixture they can usually sit around 10'' above the main basking area while sitting on a screen. Without a screen it's more like 12-14'' (but these are general estimates).