Urgent question about T5 HO bulb and fixture

[Brittany26]

On valentines day I was gifted a baby bearded dragon, I had no time to research lighting so I trusted my local reptile store and she sold me a reptisun 10.0 bulb with a dual 75 watt basking bulb. I now see that i need a tube. I have been researching about the right light to use and im still not sure. I have my baby bearded dragon in a ten gallon so im going to get him a 40 gallon breeder soon. I originally was going to get the t8 10.0 reptisun and put it inside his tank but im hearing the t5 is way better and cheaper, however theres two problems. One, i have already invested in decorations that reach pretty high up (branches/latter ect) and i dont want to get rid of them. So should i just glue stuff under the t5 fixture to make it stand up higher, or can i just go with the t8. Another issue with the t5 is i cant find a good fixtufe for it online and im confused if the zoomed fixture works for HO t5. I found this one, but theres no reviews on it and im not sure if i could sit it on top of the mesh ( http://www.monstergardens.com/Sun-Blaster-T5-High-Output-Fluorescent-Strip-Light-2-ft?language=en&currency=USD&gclid=CjwKCAiAlfnUBRBQEiwAWpPA6TdcOn6PaTsyvmXsXgZPOjlM71wXTtdj0bdTkrgSSGv-gjk8Ok2RGxoCVtAQAvD_BwE ) theres the link to it. I really don't know what to do. My baby hasnt developed any signs of mbd yet but 5 days ago his appetite went away and ive been feeding him baby food, hes still fat. Im not sure if this is due to him shedding bc he is itching his head and some flakes come off but i havent seen him itch for 3 days. So can i mount the t8 inside and buy the walmart fixture or can someone show me a moderatley priced fixture for a t5 ho 10.0 bulb (22" im guessing that can sit on top of the wire mesh. Thanks guys, im really worried about my baby

 

[Taterbug]

My favorite fixtures are the sunblaster ones. They will not sit on the screen but are easy to hang. For a few bucks you can make a hanger out of PVC pipes, or use brackets on the wall to hang the lamp. That would also solve your distance problem. The zoomed T5HO fixture is fine, it’s just pricey imo.

T5HO are brighter and overall a better investment than T8.

 

[Brittany26]

My favorite fixtures are the sunblaster ones. They will not sit on the screen but are easy to hang. For a few bucks you can make a hanger out of PVC pipes, or use brackets on the wall to hang the lamp. That would also solve your distance problem. The zoomed T5HO fixture is fine, it’s just pricey imo.

T5HO are brighter and overall a better investment than T8.

Thank you. I decided to go with the t5. I am going to order it online in a couple minutes and I think i'll go with the zoomed, I would love to go with the sunblaster and hang it, but i'm not very handy and also my parents would probably get mad.. So with my idea of glueing or taping something to the bottom of the zoomed fixture, do you think that could work? I tried finding a post of someone trying something similar but I couldn't. If this doesn't work, maybe I could use my tall decoration on the part that wouldn't have the uvb light- is that okay? And I would just buy a hide that is shorter for the side with the UVB. Also I have heard a lot of things about the zoomed fixture being faulty.. has anyone had any recent success with it? I'm going to buy it now regardless but I'm curious. I am growing more worried about my beardy, he is small and hasn't really been interested in his bugs for almost a whole week now. I suspected because he is itching his head and might be shedding. He may eat a baby roach or a wax worm once a day but that's about it. I guess what my question here is, what is the normal amount of time for a baby bearded dragon to go without food while its shedding? I feel like a week is long and I haven't seen much progress with his shedding (barely any visible flakes, and i give him regular baths). My fear is that my coil bulb is the culprit but then again i'm not sure. I'm sorry for all the questions but one last one. I am planning on buying a 40 gallon tank in the next week, and I'm wondering how did you guys get it to your house? Like, do they fit in a normal sized car? Or did you just get it delivered to your house via amazon/fedex/ups ect? Thank you for listening, I am a new time lizard owner and i'm use to keeping snakes

 

[lizardmom25]

Bottom line, adequate lighting isn't cheap. If it were me I would go with a t5 fixture with reflector. The sunblaster you linked didn't have one. if you buy the kit with the reflector, you get pretty close in price to the zoo med hood. The zoomed hood can sit on top of the screen.
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26053-Reptisun-Terrarium/dp/B00AQU8F2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520366873&sr=8-1&keywords=zoo+med+reptisun+t5+ho+terrarium+hood%2C+24%22+l
I have this one on my 40 gallon breeder over the screen and it is very low profile. If it is over the screen your baby will need to be able to get within 10 inches of it. Since a 40 gallon is about 6 inches taller than a 10 gallon I would think most of what you have would be fine height wise. I would definitely get him out of the 10 gallon ASAP. it is VERY difficult to actually provide a proper temp gradient in it. I tried a 10 gallon initally and had to abandon it because there wasn't a cool side. How are you getting a 100+ degree basking spot and 80 on the other end? I couldn't do it. I think that' coupled with the UV might be your issue. I don't think its shedding at this point.

I was able to get the 40 gallon in the back of my SUV no problem.

 

[Brittany26]

Bottom line, adequate lighting isn't cheap. If it were me I would go with a t5 fixture with reflector. The sunblaster you linked didn't have one. if you buy the kit with the reflector, you get pretty close in price to the zoo med hood. The zoomed hood can sit on top of the screen.
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-26053-Reptisun-Terrarium/dp/B00AQU8F2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520366873&sr=8-1&keywords=zoo+med+reptisun+t5+ho+terrarium+hood%2C+24%22+l
I have this one on my 40 gallon breeder over the screen and it is very low profile. If it is over the screen your baby will need to be able to get within 10 inches of it. Since a 40 gallon is about 6 inches taller than a 10 gallon I would think most of what you have would be fine height wise. I would definitely get him out of the 10 gallon ASAP. it is VERY difficult to actually provide a proper temp gradient in it. I tried a 10 gallon initally and had to abandon it because there wasn't a cool side. How are you getting a 100+ degree basking spot and 80 on the other end? I couldn't do it. I think that' coupled with the UV might be your issue. I don't think its shedding at this point.

I was able to get the 40 gallon in the back of my SUV no problem.

Yeah idk about the temp gradient, I know his basking spot is 105 ish or more but hes always under the light and never on the cool side, but I will have him in a 40 gal by this weekend. I ordered the t5 ho and a fixture that sits on top (not zoo med but a diff one i found on doctorssmithandfoster.com). And I keep reading that for a t5 ho they should be at least 10-12 inches away from it? Im confused now lol. But yeah hopefully all will be well next week. Hopefully he can hang in there.. his belly is a nice size but he has dark stress marks and just looks at the insects. He use to eat like 10-15 a day and now 1 if im lucky.

 

[Brittany26]

I got his 40 gallon today. I am still forced to use the uvb bulb until the new one gets delivered, but i upgraded from a 75w to a 100w bulb but it doesnt even feel hot.. Im also waiting on the digital thermometer to come in also. Today he has eaten 0 bugs and no plants... Hes been basking all day. Heres a pic of his enclosure