Doing research for my son, now im confused. Need Help

[pafireguy]

I come from the world of salt water fish tanks. I have learned over the years that buying a basic boxed kit is not the way to go. Usually full of useless products or very cheap products you will want to upgrade. So no there is where I'm getting confused.

We have a 30 gal. 36" X 12" X 18" aquarium we are going to convert to house my sons first bearded dragon. I have found the hinged wire tops that look like a good idea so you can access the bearded dragon or anything else inside easily.

Here is where I start to get confused. Lighting! Does everyone just sit there lights on top of the screen? Does that mean you have to move them every time you want to access the enclosure? I have looked at some reptile hoods on amazon and I know we want to use UVB lighting and heat and so on.

First hood I found was the Zoo Med Reptisun Led Uvb Terrarium Hood
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LQKAJI...olid=1JHL8ZI58Y0OD&coliid=IU2REN5P3TLZ4&psc=1
I'm kind of thinking now this is overkill. Thoughts?

I am concerned with the 30" length and not having room for the heat/basking light.

So then I ask for a 36" long enclosure what length hood should be we booking at for the UVB bulb? 24"? Or do we just stick with 1 or two dome style fixtures?

So then after looking at all those things I'm not wondering if maybe the lights shouldn't be on top of the wire cover but maybe hang from inside?

So what is best? Lights inside the enclosure? Lights on top? What length hood is best for 36" enclosure?

So many questions lol.

 

[Anthony Radford]

Ok, a lot of good questions, my friend. I will do my best to try to explain it a little. First off, you are correct about the pet store "all in one kits" - those are mainly full of worthless rubbish.

It sounds like your present enclosure will work great. The length is just fine, and the folding wire top that you mentioned is perfect. As for lighting, it is best to set the fixtures and hood on top of the wire top. Some people DO mount them inside, but usually only when the enclosure is pretty tall. With yours only being 18", then you wouldn't want to mount them internally. When setting up the tank, keep in mind that you need 3 zones- hot/basking, warm, and cool... I will go into this a little more in depth as I go.

With lights, you will NEED two types - UVB and UVA. The ReptiSun LED fixture you looked at IS a little overkill, especially for a "new" parent. Those are very expensive. I recommend a fluorescent tube style, like the ReptiSun T8 10.0. I would also advise an 18 inch tube bulb. No, this doesn't cover the entire tank, but it does reflect and disperse in the tank. You only technically need to cover 2/3 of the length of the tank. Here is a link for a good hood fixture:

http://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6016+6028+19109+22808&pcatid=22808

Compact Fluorescent Lights: There are 2 types of CFL- ReptiSun's compact bulb (pictured below) and the "curly" type similar to household CFL's.

ReptiSun Compact

STAY AWAY from the ReptiSun style bulb! Those are known to damage your beardie's eyes! If you must use a CFL UVB, then I'd recommend the curly kind. But these are very underpowered, and not as efficient. For best healthy results, go with the tube style. They do cost a little more, but they're worth it. And they don't need replacing as often.


UVA would be the basking bulb. For this, you would want an elevated area in the tank, preferably to one side. A single dome is ideal for the basking bulb, typically resting on top of the tank. With a tank your size, I would recommend starting with a 60-75watt basking bulb. You want to have the basking spot around 100-107 at the warmest point. Maybe a little cooler as he gets older.

Here is an ideal lighting setup:

Or you can do this to give a little more UVB while basking:

Proper heating and lighting is very important and needed for proper digestion. It is important for your beardie to bask for a good 2 hours after eating! VERY important to digestion. It's amazing how sensitive they actually are to heat and lighting conditions.

They do also have Mercury Vapor Bulbs (MVB) that emit both UVA & UVB. These are good, and work great, but IMO, lack the focused heat of a basking bulb. Plus, these are quite costly. On average, they run $65-$75+ at petsmart.

Another important point- they bulbs DO wear out over time. It is a good rule of thumb to replace the tube style bulbs every year at most, even if they aren't burned out yet. They may still produce light, but the UVB radiating performance wears out over time. Basking bulbs (UVA) are good to replace at 6months.

Feel free to ask me ANY questions you may have regarding heat, lights, and setup in general.

 

[PatsyB]

Just want to add some stuff here. The mesh top blocks out about 50% of your UVB if you are using a T8 size UVB bulb. You can test that with a SolarMeter that measures UVB. If you do put the T8 bulb on top of the mesh, you'll need to replace it every 4-6 months. If you are using a T8 bulb you want to mount it inside the tank but over your beardies head so that it doesn't hurt their eyes. Now a T5 style bulb with the proper fixture can be set on top of the tank and still penetrate the mesh to give you ample UVB coverage for 12 months.

You want your UVB and basking bulb to be on the same side of the tank, like one in front of the other. The UVB bulb provides the D3 and the heat in combination helps the body process D3 and calcium.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Just want to add some stuff here. The mesh top blocks out about 50% of your UVB if you are using a T8 size UVB bulb. You can test that with a SolarMeter that measures UVB. If you do put the T8 bulb on top of the mesh, you'll need to replace it every 4-6 months. If you are using a T8 bulb you want to mount it inside the tank but over your beardies head so that it doesn't hurt their eyes. Now a T5 style bulb with the proper fixture can be set on top of the tank and still penetrate the mesh to give you ample UVB coverage for 12 months.

You want your UVB and basking bulb to be on the same side of the tank, like one in front of the other. The UVB bulb provides the D3 and the heat in combination helps the body process D3 and calcium.

lol you beat me to it patsy lol

 

[Draeju's_world]

The best all-around single bulb to use would be the ReptileUV Mega-Ray mercury vapor bulb with the appropriate wattage for your setup. They put out excellent uvb light and good (not great) heat. They can always be paired up with a par38 halogen bulb or a CHE if more heat is required. Otherwise, you cant go wrong with any of the previous suggestions, either. The Repisun 10.0 T5HO lights are exceptional and i use one, myself along with the mercury vapor bulb i mentioned before. My enclosure has a wide surface area and needs the extra light.

 

[mxw0rld]

The best all-around single bulb to use would be the ReptileUV Mega-Ray mercury vapor bulb with the appropriate wattage for your setup. They put out excellent uvb light and good (not great) heat. They can always be paired up with a par38 halogen bulb or a CHE if more heat is required. Otherwise, you cant go wrong with any of the previous suggestions, either. The Repisun 10.0 T5HO lights are exceptional and i use one, myself along with the mercury vapor bulb i mentioned before. My enclosure has a wide surface area and needs the extra light.

That's exactly how we have Wally's viv TOO! We have an MVB with the repti sun tube! Wally's viv is extra long too!

Good recommendation!

 

[Draeju's_world]

Yeah, i like a little overkill...especially with wire mesh tops blocking your valuable light! I have a few low-wattage led spot lights on my top for extra light, as well. Beardies like it nice, bright and white! It looks like the mothership landed in my living room.

 

[mxw0rld]

Yeah, i like a little overkill...especially with wire mesh tops blocking your valuable light! I have a few low-wattage led spot lights on my top for extra light, as well. Beardies like it nice, bright and white! It looks like the mothership landed in my living room.

That is so funny cuz I do the exact same for Wally!!!!!

Great minds think alike! It sounds like we have the same bulb set up!

 

[seadevilfl]

Question:

I have a T5 HO light on my 36" length tank. The tank is 18" high and I have the light placed on top of the screen mesh. Its placed approximately 15-16" from his basking rock. Is this distance ok? I just switched to a T5 HO from a T8 and want to make sure the distance is not too close.

Also. Is it ok to light the entire enclosure? I like it, but does my dragon need shade on one side of the tank? Thank you

 

[Anthony Radford]

Yes, with a T5, I believe that distance is ok. And yes, it is ok to light the entire tank. It's heat where you want different zones- hot, warm and cool. If you want to give him shady areas, maybe use decorations to achieve that. A cave or hide, Leaves/branches that suction to the glass, (fake) trees, etc...

Here are a couple examples from Lacey's viv:

 

[seadevilfl]

Yes, with a T5, I believe that distance is ok. And yes, it is ok to light the entire tank. It's heat where you want different zones- hot, warm and cool. If you want to give him shady areas, maybe use decorations to achieve that. A cave or hide, Leaves/branches that suction to the glass, (fake) trees, etc...

Here are a couple examples from Lacey's viv:

Thank you for the response. I thought it would be fine, but being cautious.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Thank you for the response. I thought it would be fine, but being cautious.

Just make sure your checking the temps in all of the zones and pay attention to what your dragon is doing often they will let you know what they are needing..

 

[PatsyB]

I have my T5 on the mesh spanning the whole length of the tank. It's perfectly fine. You are going to get different UVB readings down the length of the bulb but it's still going to be good UVB levels. I use hides and hammocks so if they want to get out of the "sun" they can go under the hammock or in the hide.