Heating/lighting

[Kimberly85]

I just upgraded my bearded dragon to a 40gal tank I'm currently using a 75w heat bulb and a 10.0 UVB light do I need to get stronger bulbs for a tank this big

 

[jarich]

What brand and model is your UVB light? I'm guessing that it is too far away and you'll need to mount it inside the enclosure, unless it's one of the new high output T5 models from Zoomed. Also do you have a thermometer to measure the basking temperature?

 

[Kimberly85]

It's from zoo med how close do the lights need to be and yes it's about 90 but that is the same as it was. In the 20gal I use to have her in should I get a stronger heat bulb?

 

[Kimberly85]

I moved the branch last night so he would be closer to the lights

 

[jarich]

Ah, that picture did the trick. Thanks! Unfortunately though you have a CFL light for your UVB source, which means yes you will need to upgrade it. That screen is blocking about 35% of the light, which means that bulb is only effective to about 3" to 4". You will want to look into getting either a linear fluorescent bulb (Zoomed or Arcadia) or something like the ExoTerra metal halide lamp (more expensive but worth every penny)

 

[Kimberly85]

Do I need to upgrade both or just the UVB and what watt or number should I look for also what watt should the heat be

 

[jarich]

I would guess that you could just upgrade the UVB light. For your enclosure I would recommend either the High Output T5 Zoomed 10.0 ReptiSun Fluorescent or the MegaRay Self Ballasted 100 watt MVB, or if you have the funds, the ExoTerra 70 watt Sunray metal halide bulb. That last one requires a special ballasted fixture though so it's about $150 total. The easiest is probably the Zoomed 10.0 HO T5. It too requires a particular fixture, so bulb and fixture together will be about $80.

Do you have a digital thermometer?

 

[Kimberly85]

I have the one from zoo med that lays in the ground

 

[jarich]

Hmmmm you mean it has a probe on the end of a wire?

 

[Luvthemanimal]

Your basking temps should be 100-115 degrees...

That temp gauge is junk and should be thrown out ASAP.... Get your self a temp gauge with a probe to get accurate readings.
UVB should be changed like already suggest to a florescent tube style bulb.... Either Repti sun 10.0 or the Repti glow 10.0. If your UVB if it sits on top of the screen your beardie needs to be able to get within 8-10 inches of it. And should be placed no further than 6inches from your basking fixture......

The other reason you should switch out the compact fluorescent UVB bulb to the tube style is the compact ones can cause eye problems with your beardie and potentially make it blind........

Cheers

 

[Luvthemanimal]

O also remember your UVB must be changed once a year EVEN if it is NOT BURNT OUT..... They do loose there ability to produce UVB over time.

 

[Kimberly85]

This is the UVB I have it says it's reptile sun

 

[Kimberly85]

And thank you I didn't know about the one a year thing I'll remember that

 

[jarich]

Just a few corrections to make. The Reptiglo are not a very good light at all. Not only do they not produce as much UVB wavelength, they also tend to degrade much quicker. As for the Zoomed ReptiSun, it can be a bit confusing as there are two types, the long linear fluorescent tubes and the CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) type. That one you have Kimberly is the CFL type. They don't cause conjunctivitis or blindness anymore, but they are just a poor design in general and not very good at projecting UVB light at all. The animal needs to be about 6" away, with no screen in between, for it to be any good. It also is a really concentrated small beam of light that gets projected, and then drops away very quickly after that. They fixed the problem of low wavelength UVB and UVC that was the problem that caused blindness in the past (basically cheap manufacturing), but they still are not worth the money they cost.

As for replacement times, it depends again on the bulb type and brand. If you are buying the normal output T8 bulbs, which are more common, then those need to be replaced about every 6 months. The Zoomed and Arcadia brands will usually last 8-9 months, but without a Solarmeter or something to test them, its best to just replace them every six months too. With the newer T5 High Output fluorescents, they only need to be replaced once a year. So even though they are a little more expensive, you end up saving money in the long run as they only have to replaced half as often. They also produce a lot more UVB and visible light. As Luvthemanimal said, even though these lights will still light up and produce visible light, they loose the ability to produce UVB light after those times mentioned.

As for how far away, if you are sitting it on top of screen, then the T8 normal output bulbs really need to be about 4-6" away from the dragon. Screen reduces the light by about 25-35% so that needs to be taken into account when determining where to put it. If you can, its always better to not have screen or other things in between the light and the dragon with the T8s. If its the HO T5s, you can get away with it a bit more and have them further away. It should be noted too that all the Zoomed and Arcadia(LightYourReptiles) T5 fixtures that are made in the US have reflectors built in to them. This is important to have as it doubles the output of your bulb by reflecting the light from the back of the tube back down into the enclosure.

 

[Kimberly85]

Wow that's confusing. Lol but I think I got it thank you so much for the help

 

[jarich]

Sorry, I know it gets a bit technical sometimes If you have any questions, feel free to ask away. Ill try to keep it a little less geeky from now on.

 

[Kimberly85]

It's nice getting all the info and knowing why certain ones are better so until I can get a new UVB should I take the screen off and just hang the lamp over the tank?

 

[diegothediggy]

Yeh u shudnt have a screen between ur beardie n uv they wnt get enough its a real lot to take in i no but all for the best for ir beardie

 

[monkeybumpz]

I set my light on top of the screen, I use one of those powersun all in one bulbs that was suggested by the pet store. I also have a compact repti glo 10.0 13w watt bulb not in use. If I ran the powersun and the 10.0 both, do you think that would make up for the diminishing return of shining through a screen top?

 

[Luvthemanimal]

I set my light on top of the screen, I use one of those powersun all in one bulbs that was suggested by the pet store. I also have a compact repti glo 10.0 13w watt bulb not in use. If I ran the powersun and the 10.0 both, do you think that would make up for the diminishing return of shining through a screen top?

No........ No matter what u do the screen cuts your UVB period..... It's like putting your beardie in the window to absorb natural UVB..... Does **** all...


If your UVB are on top of the screen. Your dragon needs to be able to get within 8-10 inches of it