Would appreciate tank setup help/Vent

[Karnagia]

I am truly infinitely frustrated right now. Normally I'm an ace at setups and conditions for all types of animals. But this bearded dragon setup is driving me mad!
Rufus is in a 40 breeder - he currently has 2 dome style lights. One is a heat/UVA & the other WAS a coil style Repti Glo 10.0. I purchased it after doing research and finding that Rufus didn't have the right type of lighting to begin with. Come to find out the bulb I bought wasn't right either.
So today I went to Petsmart (30 min drive) and purchased an ESU Reptile Fixture. Knowing the ESU bulbs aren't the greatest, I also purchased a Repti Glo tube bulb to replace the original with right away. I get home and realize I purchased the wrong bulb. I purchased a 24" and I needed an 18". So I drive BACK to Petsmart and exchange for the correct bulb (which was actually $5 more. Less wattage, shorter length..but more money??). I get back home and think "Okay I'm doing good!"....until I come onto the forums.
Now I'm reading that ExoTerra's Repti Glo 10.0 TUBE isn't good enough either!? My PetSmart doesn't carry ReptiSun so this was my option.

I just feel like Rufus would be better re homed since he obviously doesn't have a competent mother.

I think it's because my husband is deployed and I'm completely scatterbrained but could SOMEBODY please take me under their wing and advise me??

 

[wizbee]

Ok take a deep breath. We are here to help you!
The reptiSun tube is available here for cheap! http://www.petmountain.com discount code is LOVE this month. Take the other one back. For heat I use a regular household lightbulb (way cheaper) Right now I use a 75 watt to get the temps up. So I use a dome for the lightbulb and a strip for the reptisun tube.
Check out the caresheet section on top of this page. Make sure your temps are measured with a digital not a dial (walmart $12).
Don't give up.

 

[Karnagia]

Is the Repti Glo I have safe to use until the Repti Sun comes in?

 

[wizbee]

I think it is the reptiglo 8 that is usable but not the 10. Really he will be fine for a few days witout the UVB but if you are in a warm place natural sun for a few hours a day is just as good. Direct sun not through a window. and no inside a glass cage (gets too hot) but it should be fine for a few days with none, just heat and the right temps. Sorry for such confusion but you can probably get your money backon both of those bulbs and maybe one of the domes and be just fine.

 

[Karnagia]

I've got the digital probe thermometer and my temps are good. When my heat bulb goes out I'll buy a housebulb to save some moolah.
I'm using the repti glo for now and I'll be ordering the repti sun Thursday.

I'm hoping this will perk up his attitude and appetite, as he's not been a 'normal lizard' the past few months.

 

[beardie parents]

Don't worry about the bad advice you got from the pet stores. You aren't the first to get bad advice and probably won't be the last. There are still people that say they haven't had problems with the coil uvb's, usually they are some pet stores. The same with the reptiglo 10 strip bulb. Those are not very many tho. So, the problems you have experienced are not from being scatterbrained, it's from people in petstores not knowing what they need to know.

There is a petstore I'm aware of that still says that calci sand is good for adult beardies. Any beardie licker shouldn't be on any sand. I don't think I want to use any sand at all, even tho my beardies aren't lickers, Zoom Zoom does lick upon occasion, but not very much.