Thatoneday24":j6pstox2 said:
He has a good 10. 15w 12" t5 Zilla
uvb light and his 100w basking light. Sand is completely gone. He has his three main temps fixed and I've invested in a digital thermometer. I'm still giving him steady calcium with squash babyfood and a squished up cricket two times a day with the calcium and a third time without the calcium. He is bloated and hasn't pooped for a while
Late to this thread, I am glad Squirt is doing better and you removed the calcisand and upgraded to a T5HO UVB.
Unfortunately Zilla are not a manufacturer .
They are a reboxer whose UVB tubes and globes are cheap Chinese knockoffs (very poor quality quartz glass and poor quality phosphors ==> they leak UVC and have poor / dangerous UV spectra).
I recommend returning the Zilla t5ho 10% tube and exchanging it for a good quality Zoo Med T5Ho 10%UVB tube or Exo Terra T8 10% tube or Arcadia t5HO 10-12% uvb tube + a suitable reflector hood
.
ie for t5ho
https://zoomed.com/t5-ho-reptisun-10-0-uvb/
and
http://www.arcadia-reptile.com/fluorescent-lamps/t5-d3plus-desert/
if you opt for a t8 , this is fine so long as it's positioned closer to her basking spot to compensate for the lower power and lower reach of the UVA & UVB and the tube is installed in good quality reflector hood with no mesh between the tube and the basking lizard.
good t8 tubes are
Arcadia t8 12%UVB see
http://www.arcadia-reptile.com/fluorescent-lamps/t8-d3plus-desert/
Repti Glo t8 10.0 see
http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/linear_fluorescent_bulbs.php
and
https://zoomed.com/t8-reptisun-10-0-uvb/
regarding the length and positioning of the UVB tube;
>>> under the mesh lid is best
>>> in a reflector hood will literally double the UVA & UVB seen by the lizard
>>> about 2/3 - 3/4 the length of the viv is best
>>> one end adjacent to the basking globe (so beardie gets UVA & UVB while basking
>>> need an area (basking spot) with highest UVA & UVB and area of low UVA & UVB (a UV gradient).
>>> aim for 140-190 microW UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot.