First time reptile..... new tank setup / dragon help

[Camajestic]

Hello All, I am sorry in advance for all the miss naming/ term use.

This is my first reptile and I am setting the tank up before I bring home the dragon. I feel this is the best/ safest way to make sure I am doing everything right and insuring the safety of the dragon.

I have attached a picture of my current setup. I bought the 20 gal kits. ( I will be upgrading the tank later this is just a starter.) it came with the double dome light and the bulbs. the bulbs are the Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 mini compact fluorescent and the Zoo Med Reti basking spot lamp 75w. I have been watching videos and reading about how to set up the lighting and to be honest I am confused. my house stays about 65 year round so I don't want to hurt the dragon. with they way my tank is set up now with the lamps is this okay or what do i need to change/ add. ( i will be adding two hammocks and a cave and a taller basking area this week when the new stand comes in.)

I also had a question on the dragon its self. I found two that I really liked the markings on. however the darker gray I am unable to find what it will look like as an adult. I am sure this is due to i am not sure what to search. I have attached to two that I like so if anyone has advise or anything for those also.

again, sorry for the " newbie" type post bust I want to make sure I get this right.

thank you all I look forward to joining the group!

 

[Camajestic]

Any help would be great. I am going to the pet store tonight.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Have you purchased your dragon yet?

 

[Hdrydr31]

You want an alert active dragon, one that has all their "parts" clear eyes. Healthy looking and healthy acting.. The dark one is likely not warm enough in the picture.. the tan one looks skinny and really young. Getting such young ones can be hard as they are pretty fragile that young..

 

[Hdrydr31]

Ok now that I got response to you on the dragon part.. You may want to take a look at the links below several of our comments (can also be found in the general care section at the top) We have put together a ton of info on everything you could possibly need for care of these sweet critters.
Of the bat the lighting you have isn't the best as the bulbs for the dome fixture are not what your going to want... It would be best if you got the Reptisun T5 HO 10.0 fixture/bulb (picture is in that post) petmountain.com and foster's and smith often have great deals on fixtures/bulbs.. the compact bulbs especially the coiled ones are not good for their eyes, the short tubed ones are ok temp...The UVB and the basking bulb should overlap for proper digestion and supplement absorption.
Night time temps...you want to make sure it doesn't go below 65F especially such young babies as that's kinda low for them right off the bat.. You can get what is called a ceramic heating element (CHE) for use during nighttime hours to keep the temp around 70F for such young ones as you have pictured.

Again take a look at the post for info it will help..

 

[Camajestic]

Thank you so much !!! I have not got my dragon yet I’m still deciding I want to make sure I pick the right one. Sadly we don’t have many places that offer them other than Petco and PetSmart

 

[Hdrydr31]

Thank you so much !!! I have not got my dragon yet I’m still deciding I want to make sure I pick the right one. Sadly we don’t have many places that offer them other than Petco and PetSmart

To tell you the truth I don't really think either look really good

 

[Hdrydr31]

Thank you so much !!! I have not got my dragon yet I’m still deciding I want to make sure I pick the right one. Sadly we don’t have many places that offer them other than Petco and PetSmart

They get good dragons so just wait until you find the right one all 3 of mine came from Petco and have been perfectly fine

 

[Camajestic]

I’m looking at UVB lights and I found a Zoo Med 26396 Reptisun 15W 10.0 T5-Ho Uvb Fluorescent Lamp, 12" and a Zoo Med 26061 Reptisun 10.0 T5-Ho Uvb 24W Fluorescent Lamp, 22". My tank is 31 long would the 22 be too small ?

Also can I put the CHE bulb in the double dome with the basking light ?

 

[Camajestic]

im glad you’re being honest with me. I’d rather be told that it’s not a good pick thank you

 

[Hdrydr31]

I’m looking at UVB lights and I found a Zoo Med 26396 Reptisun 15W 10.0 T5-Ho Uvb Fluorescent Lamp, 12" and a Zoo Med 26061 Reptisun 10.0 T5-Ho Uvb 24W Fluorescent Lamp, 22". My tank is 31 long would the 22 be too small ?

Also can I put the CHE bulb in the double dome with the basking light ?

are you going to get a 40Gal breeder when you upgrade? If so then I would get length you would need for that tank remembering to overlap the basking with it..

 

[Hdrydr31]

im glad you’re being honest with me. I’d rather be told that it’s not a good pick thank you

if you wonder if what you look at is ok do what you did and post pics asking opinions.. typically one of us admins are on throughout the day Its just a busy week for me appt wise and deer hunting lol

 

[Hdrydr31]

I’m looking at UVB lights and I found a Zoo Med 26396 Reptisun 15W 10.0 T5-Ho Uvb Fluorescent Lamp, 12" and a Zoo Med 26061 Reptisun 10.0 T5-Ho Uvb 24W Fluorescent Lamp, 22". My tank is 31 long would the 22 be too small ?

Also can I put the CHE bulb in the double dome with the basking light ?

Sorry just saw the last part.. No you can't put the CHE in that as they get much hotter than that fixture. Get it's own fixture with a ceramic base.. (hint if you have a farm store nearby chicken brooder lamps have ceramic bases and are made for heat bulbs 24/7)

 

[PatsyB]

Usually someone is on here throughout the day. if its not me or Hdrydr31 it's one of the other knowledgable members. I would buy a longer UVB light with the thought that you will be upgrading the tank. You don't want to have to buy a longer tank and a longer light in the future. Unless, you are like me and want to get another kind of animal to put in the smaller tank and use the smaller light