Zilla UVB Fixture

[BabyBeardie13]

Hello! I bought a zilla desert fixture from the pet store before reading it was bad for my baby beardie i was wondering if I could buy the correct bulb and put it into the fixture? I spent so much on her already id hate to have to buy a whole other fixture, but will if I need to. I have about $40 to spend max to fix this problem asap.

 

[CooperDragon]

Is it the 18'' T8 Desert 50? Those aren't terrible but not great. The fixture itself can hold any 18'' T8 bulb so if you want to move to a ReptiSun 10 you can but probably don't need to at this point. Just be sure to remove the clear plastic from in front of it as that will intercept all of the UVB. The fixture should sit 6-8'' above the main basking area for best results. When you move to a larger tank, you'll want to replace that with a T5 fixture and UVB tube. It's worth investing in a good one at that point. The T8 is OK for a small tank though (20g)

 

[BabyBeardie13]

Is it the 18'' T8 Desert 50? Those aren't terrible but not great. The fixture itself can hold any 18'' T8 bulb so if you want to move to a ReptiSun 10 you can but probably don't need to at this point. Just be sure to remove the clear plastic from in front of it as that will intercept all of the UVB. The fixture should sit 6-8'' above the main basking area for best results. When you move to a larger tank, you'll want to replace that with a T5 fixture and UVB tube. It's worth investing in a good one at that point. The T8 is OK for a small tank though (20g)

Yes it is! I will definitely remove the plastic now and upgrade with the tank; I have her in a 20g for a couple months until I can move and have a bigger tank, shes only 9 weeks so she isn't very big. Its 6" away from her basking spot but it is on top of the mesh lid, do I need to velcro it to the inside of her tank? Thank you!

 

[CooperDragon]

In a 20g tank, putting it inside the lid might make it too close. It should be OK at 6'' on top for now. It's not the best option but I don't think it will be harmful. I used one of those with my 20g as well and then moved to a T5 when I got a bigger tank after a couple of months. It's good that you are removing the clear plastic though, that would have rendered the fixture useless.