UvB help!

[Jacob1289]

Hi everyone, I've had my baby bearded dragon for about a week now. I first got him a bundle 40 gallon tank which came with the duel bask/uvb fixture. This came with the zoo med reptisun 10.0 uvb fluorescent bulb. I hear things about bulbs being bad, and I'm trying to save enough money for a reptisun 10.0 tube to go in the cage. Both the bask light and the uvb light are a safe distance from my bearded dragon because I measured. Can someone answer these questions for me?

1). Will he be safe for another week or two with the uvb bulb I have in right now?

2). How do you place the uvb tube in the cage?

 

[SHBailey]

Most people say the tubes are better than the coils, but if that's what you have it should be better than nothing until you can get a tube.

Something I just learned recently, mostly from this website (after having my beardie for over 3 years and thinking I'd done enough research, I'm embarrassed to admit ): The Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 tubes come in two types -- T8 and T5 HO (High Output). You can set the hood on top of the cage, but if there is anything between the lamp and the basking area, such as screen, you will lose some of the UVB, as much as 50% depending on how fine the mesh is, so the T5 would be a better choice if you're going to put it on top of a screen. That's how I have mine set up and that's why I just replaced the T8 with a T5. It's easier for me not to have to worry about things like cords and lamp fixtures being inside the enclosure with the beardie, and I feel like it's safer, but you have to make sure that enough UVB gets to the basking area.

A UVB meter is a nice thing to have if you can afford it. Most people recommend the Solarmeter 6.2 or 6.5 (model 6.5 is usually preferred). They both run about $250. Otherwise the tubes should be replaced as often as the manufacturer recommends, usually every 6 months to 1 year, because the UVB output will drop before the bulb burns out but you won't be able to see the difference with your human eyes.

There's a really good everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-UV-lighting article in the latest issue of Reptiles Magazine (Jan/Feb 2017 page 16) that might be worth a read.

If you want to put the UVB tube inside the cage, I will defer to the other experts on this website to advise you on how to do that, because I haven't tried it myself.

(Those kits they sell at pet stores are notorious for not having the right stuff that you need. You'd think that if they're going to sell you a kit for a certain type of critter, the least they could do is get it right, but then what do I know? I'm just a dumb amateur :roll: )