Hi!
I dont have a screen top on my viv- Wink cant get out, and non of my other animals would want to get in. My small dog is terrified of Wink, so the most vicious creature in my house is my rabbit LOL. I take any ladybugs I see out of the house ASAP, and I havent had an issue yet. There actually was one that made it into the cage, but Wink was sleeping so he didnt notice it LOL.
I got a 24" fixture from Walmart for $9. I cut a 4 ich-ish wide board to the length of my viv (I have a 40 breeder too, and I think it ended up being about 35 1/2" long so it fit right into the notches in the trim, if that makes sense.), attached my fixture too it, and set it across my viv so my light is mounted directly in there. It works REALLY well, although its not quite as fancy as the hoods.
No worries, I enjoy helping. After Ash died I decided I would help other beardie parents whenever I could.
I don't know about leaving the screen off. I know a lot of people do. I can't because I have cats. If you live in an area that has fireflies, then you definately want to leave the screen on, because fireflies are deadly to beardies. I would assume you can use the Megaray through the screen, just like you can use the Repti-sun, although it does cut down on the amount of UVB that gets in the cage. If you use the floor lamp, you definately wouldn't have to hang anything on the wall. I think the Megaray with an adjustable floor lamp and the screen on would work.
Your tank is the 40 gallon breeder, right? That's the smallest tank you can use a Megaray on.
No problem! Glad I was helpful
You probably could fit a screen over it, if you use a thin enough board and it isnt a slide on one. I dont even have a screen top for my viv, but Im starting to think twice about it now that you mention the fireflies... Ive never had any get into my house though.