Setting up new vivarium need help with lighting.

[Battery]

So after reading around on this site i have managed to pick up a few things, and am very happy to be able to talk to such knowledgeable people. I have an adult bearded dragon (18 inches so far but am not sure about the age as i got him from a friend who moved away and couldn't take him). He is awesome, very cuddly(as cuddly as a reptile could be i guess lol) and very energetic. Even with reading around so much I am very confused about lighting. I hear the repti-sun 10.0 is a good choice for a day bulb (not the compacted one but the tube) for UVB/calcium. So what should i use for a basking light? I know temps need to be 100-105 in basking and 85 is preferable for the cool side of the tank and nothing below mid 60's at night time with no light, any help would be appreciated. The vivarium i am building him is a 4x2x2 which i just started on today and should have completed this weekend as i have all weekend to work on it. But im just really confused about the lighting. Like what kind of fixtures are appropriate for the tube and basking bulb. Now i am so used to chameleons all these lights really confuse me so if you don't mind please keep it simple(if there is a simple way) :lol: i guess beggars cant be choosers though so any information is appreciated lol Thanks guys

Cheers
Ryan

 

[Jasper's Mom]

Hi Ryan,

You can use a normal household lightbulb for a basking light. Don't get suckered into buying some special "reptile" basking lamp at the pet store! Any old incandescent light bulb will do. You may have to play with the wattage a bit to find what's right. I have a 4x2x2 as well, and what I did was get a 100w bulb and a dimmer switch, so I can control the temperature a bit better. For the basking bulb, any old dome from Home Depot or Walmart will do. Just make sure it's rated for the right wattage. For the UV bulb, I think you have to buy a special hood from the pet store (but I could be wrong - wait until someone else chimes in before you buy anything!). You probably won't need any additional overnight heat, but if you find that temps are dropping too low overnight, you can get a ceramic heat emitter from the pet store. You need a special dome from the pet store for that one (I found them cheapest at PetSmart, even though I don't like to shop there, it was literally less than half the price of other pet stores). Or you can just turn up your thermostat! :lol:

 

[wizbee]

For the tube uvb you can buy a fixture at walmart, lowes or homedepot, etc and remove any cover to let the uvb out. It doesn't have to be a special fixture. I got a fish tank one that holds my tube and it works fine.

 

[Battery]

Thanks for the feedback, his 4x2x2 will be done this weekend with all the right heating and he will be extremely happy to get out of the 40 gal mesh chameleon enclosure he is in now.

 

[Jasper's Mom]

Make sure to post pics of the new enclosure!