Some help please

[Drew]

So i've been doing my best to set up Moses's tank the way that it's been recommended by the masses on this forum.

Current Setup:

20g-long tank
Reptisun 10.0 tube UVB
60 Watt Basking Bulb
Probe Thermometer
Water Dish/Food Dish
Feed Crickets 2-3 times daily (one feeding is dusted with calcium + D3)
Daily supply of collard greens
Bath every night

The only thing that i'm having a little bit of trouble with is the temps. There is definitely a gradient from the right (basking side) to the left (cool side)...But the temps across the board could be increased about 5-7 degree F. Temps at night hold steady at 70 degrees F which i know is great.

His basking spot gets to about 101 F, the middle to about 78 F and the cool side (or rather COLD side gets to just over 75 F. The ambient temp in the tank is around 78 F.

I've tried multiple bulbs over the past 2 days and i can't get his temps to be proper across the board. For me to get his ambient temps to 85ish F i'm cooking him at his basking spot at around 120+ F.

Another reason why it's a little hard is because i'm trying to keep the wattage down a bit. Right now with the 60 basking bulb and 15 UVB it's 75 watts....I'm not looking to go much more over this.

Is it possible to get my temps a little higher by not going too much over 75watts? Does anyone have a setup close to mine that could tell/show me how they got proper temps. I'm trying to get cool side to 80 F, middle to 85 F, warm side to 90 F, and basking to 105-110 F.

This is probably picture perfect temps but i'm sure it's possible. The restriction of the wattage might make it almost impossible....

Any help would be apprecaited!!!

Cheers!!!

 

[LQDragons]

why are you trying to not go over 75 watts ? to get your temps up a little, you need to up the wattage of your basking bulb, try a 75 watt bulb . Another question, what type of bulb are you using for basking?

 

[DansDragons]

try an elevated basking spot. move the basking sport closer to the bulb until you get the temps correct and steady.

OR. if you can find GE's halogen floods, i recommend the 75 watt bulbs. i get mine at target for $8. i get a basking spot of 108*f with an ambient temp of 84.3 with the bulb 12-13 inches from the basking spot.

 

[beardie parents]

Hi, welcome! We would love to see pics of your beardies.

Anyway, We have the same size tank you do. We use a 60 watt bulb and have a Reptisun 10 18" tube. With that tube you need to get your beardie between 6 and 8 inches of the bulb, otherwise the uvb won't do as good for your dragon.

How close can your dragon get to the uvb? You use the correct thermometer and every thing else seems to be good. We get Zoom Zoom's basking area anywhere from 6 to 8 or 9 inches from the uvb. My husband is home all day as he's retired. He keeps a very close eye on the temps in both tanks we have. With Zoom Zoom's tank, especially in the summer, it starts out in the morning at the correct temp but quickly can get to 120, this is her basking area. What my husband does is prop up the heat bulb based on how hot her basking area gets. The tank is against the outside wall but is a little bit away from the window and at this time of year it doesn't get as warm as it should as early as it did 3 months ago when we first got Zoom.

Others have said that the 10 and 20 gallon tanks are hard to keep the temps even and I've come to agree with them. Of course, he's found you must keep track of the temps in Speedy's tank which is a 40 breeder tank.

 

[Drew]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I'll go ahead and adress each...

LQDragons...

I'm trying to keep the wattage down for energy purposes (only to keep parents happy). The type of basking bulb that i'm using is the Zoo Med - Daylight Reptile Bulb 60 watts.

beardie parents...

My dragon can get close enough to the UVB on the drift wood i have in his tank around 6-8 inches exactly and he usually spends most of his time there so far basking. I have a Reptisun 10.0 18" too! As well, my tank is a little hard, because i set up a basking area with the light right on top of the spot...he's uses it right after he eats, then run up the drift wood and hangs out...i guess he's just thermoregulating? he goes to where every the temps are that he wants? to bring this point to a close, i would say i have a couple different basking spots...is this bad?

DansDragons...

I think you might have given me a great idea about elevating his basking spot a bit to get it closer to the basking blub to increase the temps. That will definitely solve my basking temp problem! thanks!!! Also, i would use the 75 watt you mentioned...but my tank in only 12 inches high his basking spot would be 120+ F. i tried a 70 watt white light bulb and that gave me perfect cool side/ambient temps...but the basking area was 120 F and i couldn't make the distance any further.

Sooooo........I think i've solved my basking temp problem...now i juss need to raise the ambient temp which will raise the temp of the cool side to where i want it...i don't think i'll be able to get away from using a second bulb on the cool side...right now my cool side like i said is 77-78 F and ambient is around 80-81 F. I only need another 4-5 degrees!!!

 

[herpfreak]

Glad you have the basking spot figured out.

As for the cool/cold end, the main thing I can think of it get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter), which doesn't give off any light, and put it over the cool end. You could use a pretty low wattage.

Also, since bulbs can go crazy, it is a good idea to get a rheostat, which is a dimmer. Helps save electricity, too. In case your temps get a tad too high.