What's up,
I just picked up my first bd a few days ago. Everything is setup accordingly and going smooth. He is very active and eating fine. I have done my research and realized The pet store never told me they needed UVB and just gave me the UVA light bulb.
Currently running a 100watt daytime bulb which is believe is the UVA only. My room gets kinda cold.
I know about the T5 light fixtures and all.
I have a small T5 light I use for household things. It is two small bulbs that are 6WATS each I believe. 12 total. I've just suck it on there to see what happens and the guy loves it. But I want to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong that'll hurt him in the mean time.
So my questions is
1)Can I use the standard T5 bulbs until I can get a reptisun or something that's designed for reptiles?
2)Do standard T5 lights emit UVA/B or only one?
I think the standard lights will only emit visible light/UVA. You'll need specialized bulbs for UVB. You can get UVB lights that are the appropriate size for your fixture though. I'd double check the fixture. 6w doesn't sound right for a T5. The typical 22'' T5 UVB light I recommend runs at 24w.
I think the standard lights will only emit visible light/UVA. You'll need specialized bulbs for UVB. You can get UVB lights that are the appropriate size for your fixture though. I'd double check the fixture. 6w doesn't sound right for a T5. The typical 22'' T5 UVB light I recommend runs at 24w.
just edited the post with a picture.
The light emits barely any heat, it can be on for hours and I can touch it without a problem. He seems to enjoy it more than the basking light
It is putting out UVA so a bright light but you need to get him a good UVB light asap to help prevent metabolic bone disease and other health issues. Without proper UVB rays, the calcium you're dusting the feeders with won't be able to be absorbed properly.
It is putting out UVA so a bright light but you need to get him a good UVB light asap to help prevent metabolic bone disease and other health issues. Without proper UVB rays, the calcium you're dusting the feeders with won't be able to be absorbed properly.
thank you for the response. the answer I was looking for. I am aware of the disease which Is why I am concerned.
He seems to really like it so would I be able to run both those lights without hurting him ?
I get paid Friday and had already planned to get a proper UVB bulb regardless.
Awesome ! I never thought about that.
So I can run this setup if I get a nice little uvb bulb for the dome and just use the mini T5 I have for uva like so?
I would of course get more proper lightning as he's only in a 10gal at the moment.
A 10g is really too small to provide a proper gradient of heat and UVB. I advise moving at least to a 40g breeder tank for the short term. I'd go with something at least 4'x2'x2' in the long term like this https://beardies.dreamwidth.org/2145.html
It's important to be able to provide a basking area that is at least as wide as the length of your dragon that runs between about 100-110f and a gradient down to about 75-80 on the cool side of the tank.
A T5 UVB would be way too powerful for a 10g tank so a lower output bulb such as a T8 tube or one of the 26w Exo Terra UVB200 bulbs in a dome would be more appropriate, sitting about 6'' above the basking area for optimal output. These aren't the best options in the long run though.
A 10g is really too small to provide a proper gradient of heat and UVB. I advise moving at least to a 40g breeder tank for the short term. I'd go with something at least 4'x2'x2' in the long term like this https://beardies.dreamwidth.org/2145.html
It's important to be able to provide a basking area that is at least as wide as the length of your dragon that runs between about 100-110f and a gradient down to about 75-80 on the cool side of the tank.
A T5 UVB would be way too powerful for a 10g tank so a lower output bulb such as a T8 tube or one of the 26w Exo Terra UVB200 bulbs in a dome would be more appropriate, sitting about 6'' above the basking area for optimal output. These aren't the best options in the long run though.
Yes 10 gal is just temporary I am definitely getting a 40 gal asap. I just would like to find a temporary source of uvb for now. When I get a 40gal I would get something more expensive & permanent.
So if I go with a uvb bulb in the dome that would provide the uvb & heat that the uva day time bulb is just giving correct ?
And I would just leave the little white on for uva ?
You won't really be able to give your dragon a "good" lighting setup in that size cage. I'm not sure how much UVA the little hood you have gives but your dragon may like it because it's very bright - they are sunworshipers
A compact florecent will work in the dome but it will not give heat. They are just as expensive of bulbs and have only drawbacks vs a tube. Plus you need another dome for the heat lamp. Not worth it IMO.
You can get an all in one heat+UVB/UVA lamp but it would not be advisable for such a small cage. They are not the best choice for dragons anyway.
The cheepest way is a T8 in an undercabinet fixture - this will last about 6months but you need to upgrade the tank well before then. This is the bargain basement bare minimum amount of UV light.
A better lamp would be what cooper linked but like he said, it's not really ideal for a small cage like you have. You might be able to mount it far enough away (14+ inches over the screen) that it will be safe until you upgrade to your next cage.
Shop around for t5 bulb prices and fixtures also! I got my t5 fixture from amazon for about $32 and it's low profile and works amazingly. So not all fixture have to be expensive to work well. Also check with petco and see when they are doing their $1/gallon sale. They recently included the 75gallon tanks.
thanks for the advice everyone. I decided to go to PetSmart and get a 26 watt uvb bulb for 26$ and got the extra dome for 5$ at Wal-Mart. This is temporary until upgraded tank.
Currently running two lamps; The uvb bulb & the daytime 100 watt uva bulb.
anything else I should adjust?
What lights should I run at night?