Is my uvb too close to my beardie ? How can I fix this

[Heroicchip]

I recently built him a new basking platform and he seems to enjoy it very much! His previous platform was very small and was given to me by his previous owners. Also on a forum I asked if the old uvb was big enough for him which people said it wasn’t “t8 5.0 18 inch mounted over screen top” and since then I upgraded to a reptisun 10.0 24 inch “month ago” and mounted it on the inside like people suggested. Only problem is the tank height is 12” and the lid has these stupid dividers going from side to side top to bottom. So I can’t really mount the light on top of the cage since it wouldn’t sit flush. I know this could possibly cause eye problems but unsure if this is a safe setup. I do have the old one but if I was to put it on top I couldn’t put it over the basking area. Ugh. Plus I spent money and time making sure it was inside the cage like people said. Is there any way I can fix this issue ? I know if the lights are bright enough it will block some of the uv exposure but unsure how much. Can somebody clarify. Thank you

 

[jessica1919]

I recently built him a new basking platform and he seems to enjoy it very much! His previous platform was very small and was given to me by his previous owners. Also on a forum I asked if the old uvb was big enough for him which people said it wasn’t “t8 5.0 18 inch mounted over screen top” and since then I upgraded to a reptisun 10.0 24 inch “month ago” and mounted it on the inside like people suggested. Only problem is the tank height is 12” and the lid has these stupid dividers going from side to side top to bottom. So I can’t really mount the light on top of the cage since it wouldn’t sit flush. I know this could possibly cause eye problems but unsure if this is a safe setup. I do have the old one but if I was to put it on top I couldn’t put it over the basking area. Ugh. Plus I spent money and time making sure it was inside the cage like people said. Is there any way I can fix this issue ? I know if the lights are bright enough it will block some of the uv exposure but unsure how much. Can somebody clarify. Thank you

I have the reptsun 10.0 24 inch as well in the reptisun high out put fixture..I was told it was ok to place on the top..My top is divided in sections as well and it doesn't lay flush..I am thinking about cutting a very small strip of my screen out.. I paid to much for the fixture to cut on it LOL

 

[PatsyB]

@Heroicchip The UVB placement isn't ideal because you don't want your dragon to be able to stare right into it. The problem is that a tank for a dragon needs to be min of 18" high. Rule of thumb in dragon tanks is it should be as 2x as long as an average adult and at least as high and wide as an average adult. Average adult size is 18" and up. You have a T8 bulb that should be mounted in the tank but since your tank is so short, it might be fine to just set it on top of the tank.

@jessica1919 You're good, your bulb is a T5 bulb and should be placed on top of the mesh because it's a stronger bulb.