temp question

[john6six]

My enclosure has a multi level basking structure. My beardie likes sitting on the highest level, but this is away from the basking light and is only around 95 degrees. There are multiple levels and obviously different temps. Should I leave things alone an go with she will go where she needs to be or is she going to where she likes and I should adjust the lighting to get the temps up where she like to sit?

 

[kamelotte]

How old is she? Older dragons prefer mid 90 temps instead of 100+ like babies. If she is actively choosing to bask there instead of the hotter areas then it's probably fine, as long as she can still get to the hotter areas if need be.

 

[john6six]

she is about 4 weeks. That's why I am concerned that she is staying in the cooler spot. I readjusted the light and the level she always sits on is 102. She now is sitting on a different level and that temp is at around 95. I am basing my temps on an accurite probe thermometer and a temp gun. My cool side is 82.

 

[diamc]

[Moved here from General Discussion forum since it is about heating an enclosure]

What distance are you holding the temp gun when you check the basking temp? And how long do you wait when using the probe thermometer?

It seems like there is a reason she is avoiding laying too close to the lights. Are you using a bright white basking bulb? What brand & type of UVB do you have and what is the distance of it?

 

[john6six]

Thanks for moving this to the correct topic. I am holding the temp gun about 6-8" from the spot. The bulb is a 100w ZooMed basking lamp on a dimmer. Its is maybe a little more than a foot above the point she basks. The UVB is a reptisun 10.0 HO T5 fluorescent tube. This is about 18-20" above the basking (ZooMed's recommended distance for the bulb is 24-36"). If it matters, I have her in a 15 gal tank inside of a 4x2x3 enclosure that will be her eventual home. There is no cover on top of the tank.

 

[diamc]

Thanks for answering the questions. Would be a good idea to get the readings again with the temp gun 2" from the area you're checking as I suspect that reading will be the most accurate and higher than what you originally thought.

 

[jenneelk]

Can I jump in real quick.. on your UVB it's 18 to 20 inches away from him/her? Is that ok Diamc?
I am still learning myself on the lighting since they differ from other reptiles I have. I have the same UVB and just got it a few days ago for our larger 100 gallon tank. I had it up higher on top and was about 12 in from his basking but was told to get it around 6-8 inches from basking area. That any further and the waves won't reach him.
Can you explain which is best Diamc?

 

[icelore]

The UVB is a reptisun 10.0 HO T5 fluorescent tube. This is about 18-20" above the basking (ZooMed's recommended distance for the bulb is 24-36").

Jenneelk is correct in wondering about your UV placement. The bulb you are using to provide heat my have a different recommended distance to provide the proper temps, but for a Reptisun 10.0 tube light, they need to be fairly close to get the benefit from it, approx 6 in. away from their basking spot. Also, I'm confused about the "recommended distance" info you posted for you basking bulb. I don't know of any bulb that recommends that it be placed 2-3 feet away from your dragon. o.0 That seems really excessive, seeing as even a 100 MVB bulb only recommends 12in. away.

As per the general lighting guide:

How should I position my UVB light?
The UVB light should be preferably with in 6-10" of the basking spot, so your beardie can absorb the optimum amount of UVB. The UVB light should also be positioned along side the basking light, for two reasons: So your bearded dragon can absorb UVB while they are basking, and because having a bright white light next to the UVB light helps to protect their eyes from any damage the UVB rays might cause.

 

[Sauzo]

Zoo Med does give a chart listing distances. I believe that is rather an effective distance chart. A T5 HO should be kept further away than a T8 since they produce more UVB. I would say 6-8 inches for a T8 and probably around 12-14 inches for a T5 HO. But really without using a solar meter, it's all guess work more or less. Now for MVBs, a 100 watt should be 12 inches away and a 160 watt should be 18 inches away. Regardless though, UVB tubes really wont put out enough UVB to adversely hurt your dragon unless you get it really close and that is because of the chance of UVC which is dangerous but has a very short range. Now an MVB can do damage since they put out about 4 times the UVB of a tube thus having a longer range for the UVC.

Also can I ask why you got her in a 15 gallon tank inside of a 4x2x3 cage? I mean other than the chance of finding food being harder(if you feed crickets and just as easy if you feed dubias or phoenix worms), I don't see any advantage to the smaller cage. I started Harley off by partitioning off half of her 4ft cage for like 5 days just so I could make sure she was eating when I used crickets and she was 6 weeks old but after I switched to roaches, I opened her cage up fully and she loved it. She would sprint full blast from one end to the other and then jump up on her bricks to bask and do it again. Trying to get a temp/uvb gradient in a 15 gallon tank is close to impossible because remember, your dragon needs somewhere that they can get out of the UVB if they choose to, kind of like using shade on a sunny day outside.

 

[icelore]

I didn't even see the HO. XD

Past that, I don't think we're talking about things being too close, but being too far away. Even without a solar meter, the entire point of giving distances is so that the UV available is usable by the lizard.