Difference between Basking Bulbs and lighting questions

[Miyoko]

Hi,

Im still trying to figure my lighting out and what works best for my 40GB tank. I previously had a 100W Intense Basking Spot Bulb but noticed that his basking spot was becoming to hot reading at 115 degrees. As you can see from the pic below his basking spot is 8" tall and has different levels with about .5 inches difference between each of them. This puts him at about 9" from the basking bulb from the very top. He actually never goes that high but spends most of his time between 10"- 10.5" from the basking bulb and UVB 10.0 Reptisun fixture.
went out and got a 75W Daylight Basking Bulb which seems to be better with the surface temps reaching at 110 degrees from the very top and about 106 degrees from where he likes to hang out. I'm using both the temp gun and digital wire probe thermometer. I noticed that my
digital probe thermometer i have now is cheap and isnt giving me the same temps as the gun is so I will get a better one this week.

So my questions are:

1. What is the difference between the Exo Terra Daylight Basking Bulb and the
Exo Terra Intense Basking Spot Bulb? Which one is better?

2. What is the best method for checking the surface temps with the thermometer gun? Do I go from the other side of the tank and point it toward the basking spot?

3. I have mounted a UVB 10.0 Reptisun that is 18" long inside of his tank on the hot side. Since I have a 40GB tank and is 36" long it only covers half of the tank. Should I add another UVB light to the cooler side of the tank? I have a Reptisun 5.0 UVB light fixture that I can place on top of the screen. I know he wont be getting much UVB light from it being placed on top of the screen but should get some if he decides to hang out in the cooler side of the tank.Or is this to much UVB light for him?

4. I have seen many people state that the AcuRite Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer and Humidity with the wire probe for checking the basking spot temps is a good one to use. Are there any other ones that work just as good?

Thank you in advance for all your help...without this website I think I would go crazy.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Use your temp gun those will be more accurate, measure the closest spot that will reach him. Babies basking should be 100-107. So sounds like you can go down a bit more...
This is a hard one for all what i do is watch where they hang out as they will "tell" you what they like. I raise and lower my basking to match what they are doing.
Thats all i have time for...

Sent from my RS988 using Tapatalk

 

[PatsyB]

I never liked the Exo Terra bulbs. I always got mixed readings with them and they burned out fast. I like the Zoomed ones. You want your UVB to cover at least 2/3'rds of the tank so it wouldn't hurt to get another 18" for the other side. Makes sure that your UVB and your basking light are overlapping. They work together to help the body absorb UVB and process calcium.

 

[Miyoko]

I never liked the Exo Terra bulbs. I always got mixed readings with them and they burned out fast. I like the Zoomed ones. You want your UVB to cover at least 2/3'rds of the tank so it wouldn't hurt to get another 18" for the other side. Makes sure that your UVB and your basking light are overlapping. They work together to help the body absorb UVB and process calcium.

My set up is below

 

[KrissyLeigh]

Wow, I'm amazed your tank gets that hot! I also have a 40 gallon, and I have to use 2 bulbs, 100 watts each, to get to 100 degrees.

1) look up the manufacturer information. I have used zoomed and exoterra, and both are really hit and miss and NEVER last as long as the box says. The good news is that if you buy them from the petstore you can return it and get a brand new one... I save the boxes and reciepts and I haven't had to buy a bulb in forever, I just return them and get a new one because they don't last as long as the packaging says.

2) I don't know what kindof temp gun you have, but with mine I hold the 'read' button down and move it around all over the tank - it gives me the readings as I go so I can get an accurate idea of surface temp and air temps. I actually don't even bother with a separate temp reader inside the tank- after I'm sure his temps are good, I check it if the house gets hotter or colder but that's it since it stays stable.

3) not sure about an additional light, but check the manufacturer info - the bulb I have specifically says it can be used over a screen. I also know people use handheld UVB readers to measure the amount of UVB, but I have yet to find an affordable option for myself.

4) I can only tell you NOT to use the national geographic brand. I bought a really nice (read: expensive) digital humidy probe for my tortoise tank and it broke after a couple months. The national geographic brand food is not great either. (it was tortoise food, but at this point I wouldn't trust anything from them). I have 2 temp probe \ controllers made by zilla that work like a charm, but those are used in conjunction with a CHE, not basking bulb.

Hope that helps... I'm not super experienced with bearded dragons - this is only my second, and my first hatchling - but between my turtles, tortoises, gecko, and snake I have experienced all the flavors of brands and products, hahaha!

You're right, this website is fantastic! Just keep trying different things - if I'm switching it up I make sure to do it over the weekend so I can monitor - and you will find the sweet spot!

 

[Miyoko]

I never liked the Exo Terra bulbs. I always got mixed readings with them and they burned out fast. I like the Zoomed ones. You want your UVB to cover at least 2/3'rds of the tank so it wouldn't hurt to get another 18" for the other side. Makes sure that your UVB and your basking light are overlapping. They work together to help the body absorb UVB and process calcium.

I think your right about the Exo Terra bulbs. I have noticed that they do not put out as much heat as the Zoomed ones which is weird.

 

[Miyoko]

Wow, I'm amazed your tank gets that hot! I also have a 40 gallon, and I have to use 2 bulbs, 100 watts each, to get to 100 degrees.

That is a lot of bulbs! How far away is the bulb from your beardies basking spot? I guess if the basking spot is lower it would make more sense that you would need more heat. Ryders basking area is a big fake rock that I got from Petsmart and can hold a lot of heat. Its has levels so he can move around but from the very top he it is about 7" away. I originally had a 150W Zoo Med bulb for his basking spot and I would wonder why he was always stressed out. It turned out that the basking spot was way way too hot. I was taking the temps with a probe and the probe was not directly under the bulb. Now that I have a temp gun I can get more accurate temp readings. I was tired on buying bulbs so went out to get the Exo Terra lamp stand yesterday so I can adjust the height if needed...right now online Petco has a sale for $12.99. I went to the store and asked if they price match with their online prices and they did. At the store it was $19.99.

1) look up the manufacturer information. I have used zoomed and exoterra, and both are really hit and miss and NEVER last as long as the box says. The good news is that if you buy them from the petstore you can return it and get a brand new one... I save the boxes and reciepts and I haven't had to buy a bulb in forever, I just return them and get a new one because they don't last as long as the packaging says.

That is good to know! I will keep my boxes and receipts from now on.

2) I don't know what kindof temp gun you have, but with mine I hold the 'read' button down and move it around all over the tank - it gives me the readings as I go so I can get an accurate idea of surface temp and air temps. I actually don't even bother with a separate temp reader inside the tank- after I'm sure his temps are good, I check it if the house gets hotter or colder but that's it since it stays stable.

3) not sure about an additional light, but check the manufacturer info - the bulb I have specifically says it can be used over a screen. I also know people use handheld UVB readers to measure the amount of UVB, but I have yet to find an affordable option for myself.

I was looking into getting a UVB tester but seen how expensive they are! I wish that I knew someone who had one so I can borrow theirs...lol

4) I can only tell you NOT to use the national geographic brand. I bought a really nice (read: expensive) digital humidy probe for my tortoise tank and it broke after a couple months. The national geographic brand food is not great either. (it was tortoise food, but at this point I wouldn't trust anything from them). I have 2 temp probe \ controllers made by zilla that work like a charm, but those are used in conjunction with a CHE, not basking bulb.

Hope that helps... I'm not super experienced with bearded dragons - this is only my second, and my first hatchling - but between my turtles, tortoises, gecko, and snake I have experienced all the flavors of brands and products, hahaha!

I have previously owned a Sulcata Tortoise and Russian Tortoise too. Unfortunately we moved into a condo with no backyard so had to re-home the Sulcata. Before we adopted Ryder we actually bought another bearded dragon which we named Torch from a little pet store shop in the city I live in but unfortunately it had many issues from the beginning and passed away within 2 weeks on getting him/her. Needless to say I was pretty traumatized after and still am. Im always stressing about Ryder...lol. Ryder is super active and eats a ton which is already completely different than what Torch did from the beginning. When we got him about a month ago he weighed 8g and was 6.5" long. Now he weighs 16g and is 8" long!

You're right, this website is fantastic! Just keep trying different things - if I'm switching it up I make sure to do it over the weekend so I can monitor - and you will find the sweet spot!

Thank you so much for your reply! I appreciate it very much!