We just brought home a baby beardie, and with it we bought the Zoo Med ReptiHabitat Bearded Dragon 40 Gallon Terrarium Kit. I've read that the bulb lights that come with it are not ideal for a beardie, or has that changed recently? Anyway, I was so freaked out after reading possible issues with the bulb, that I went ahead and ordered the ReptiSun 10.0 High Output UVB Fluorescent Bulb 17 Watts, 24" to replace the bulb.
1st Question -- Is a 24" bulb a good fit for a 40 gallon tank with the ff. dimensions are 36"Lx18"Wx18"H?
If the 24" works for my tank, do I keep the basking bulb that came with the kit, or does that need to be replace also?
2nd Question -- If we are able to keep the temperature in the tank warm enough for him at night, do we need a CHE at all? If I add a CHE, does this mean I'll have that, the 24" UVB fluorescent bulb, and another basking bulb = 3 total?
I think it's a shame that the tank came with the wrong lights after being labeled a "Bearded Dragon Kit." Anyway, any advice would be much appreciated. We just want our beardie to be happy and thrive. Thanks!
Unfortunately a lot of things are labeled for bearded dragons and can be useless or downright harmful to them. If you are getting appropriate surface temps with the current basking light, you can keep it. It's important to measure surface temps though. Use an IR temp gun or a couple of digital thermometers with probes to monitor the basking surface and cool side surface. Create a heat gradient across the tank. Shoot for around 100-110 on the basking surface with areas around that in the 90s and cool side surfaces between about 75-85 or so. If the tank stays above 65 overnight you don't need to use a CHE.
Thank you for all this info.
My IR temp gun arrives in the mail today, and I cannot wait to use it.
Do you think 22" is the appropriate length for a tank that's 36" long, or will an 18" bulb work? I just saw a deal for the Reptisun T5 HOs for half the price, so I think I'll stick with those and just mount them inside of the tank. Also, different wattage from shopping around and I'm not sure what's ideal as far as that goes. I clicked on your link but I could not find wattage info on that particular one to copy off of.
22'' is sufficient since it will provide a beam over the basking area that is as long as your dragon to allow for even basking. You can use the 36'' version too but in that case you'll want to set it either forward or toward the back of the tank in order to create a gradient along the depth of the tank. You want areas of high UVB and areas with little to no UVB, just as you do with the heat.
If you want the best you can’t beat the t5s
I’m in the process of waiting for mine to arrive
My viv is 48” long and I’m going for a 24” ( well in t5 they are actually slightly shorter at around 21.5”) this will allow for plenty of varied areas so he can choose what he needs
I was told with t8 it needs to be the whole length or very close to it
The t5 needs to be 1/2 to 3/4s of the viv length as it’s a more powerful bulb so they need to be provide areas where they can get no uvb.
I’m excited for mine to get here
Ordered a T5 from a pet store (unfortunately) but it’s too good of a deal that I cannot pass up ...
Thank you for the explanation! The 24” it is for me then. I bought a fixture on Amazon and I’m also going to check out a cheaper version from Walmart to see which will work out best.
What does “viv” stand for? I have seen it used plenty of times and I can gather that it references the enclosure, but is it an acronym or is it an abbreviation? Just curious ... haha!
Sounds like you are on the right track , and setting up a nice rearing viv that will keep little spikey happy and healthy for his first year.
I suggest investing in a set of glass topped kitchen scales , if it can handle up to 1 kg and reads in 1g or even better 0.1g increments , and a 1 litre tuppaware or similar plastic clickclak style tub ( weigh little spikey in).
I suggest weighing weekly and keeping a graph of spikey's growth.
I somehow ordered the wrong length bulb for the fixture. AH! I can hardly wait to just get his setup how I want it. Hubby thinks he can make the basking bulb stay more stationary while mounting the fixture inside, so yay! Oh, and I get being a slave to a beardie now. Haha!
Wish I could see your viv, Marlowandme and kingofnobbys
Wish I could see your viv, Marlowandme and kingofnobbys[/quote]
Here’s mine ( although I need to update the pic as I changed out a few things yesterday )
I’m just waiting on a Arcadia tube uvb T5 12% to arrive to replace his t8 uvb tube with