Lighting and heat

[drzebra]

Right now, I have two options in my possession.

1. A plain desert basking bulb and a 10.0 uvb cfe bulb, with fixtures positioned over the basking area. This keeps the temperature at 99-100 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing the dragon to be about 8 inches from the lights.

2. A mercury vapor basking light with a deep reflecting dome. This thing gets HOT, about 105-110 degrees about 16-20 inches away from the basking site.

For reference, she is housed in a 40 gallon breeder. The cool side ranges from 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Night time temperatures are mid 70s.

First question is this: what is the appropriate temperature for the basking area for a 2 year old beardie? I searched, but can't find a straight answer. I see everything from 90 to 115.

Next question: if I stick with the mvb, will she get enough uvb at that large of a distance? Yes, there is a wire mesh screen between her and the light fixtures.

I do notice that even in the high temperatures, she rarely bothers going over to the cool side. She occasionally gapes, but other than that she stays directly in the hot light or ducks under her log or her hammock.

 

[Luvthemanimal]

I keep basking temps to 110-115. I use tune style reptisun t5 high output 10.0 uvb bulbs.

 

[PatsyB]

I think 100-110 is good for the basking area of a 2 year old. Dexter is just shy of 2 years and her basking spot is 110 and honestly, I rarely see her on it. She spends most of her time on her rock ledge under her UVB next to her basking spot. I haven't measured the temp there but it's probably in the 100's. The problem with the mesh screen is it blocks out a lot of the UVB so you actually want them to be 4" from the UVB if it's on top of a mesh screen. If your UVB and heat bulb are the same that's going to be a problem because you can't really get her closer. The only way to really know how much UVB they are getting is to get a UVB monitoring devise. Very cool, but kinda expensive.

I only have 2 lights on my tank, a ReptiSun 10.0 t8 bulb that goes the length of the tank and a dome fixture with a 75 watt basking bulb. I have a CHE bulb but I never use it because the tank temps never dip low enough to have to use it. But the CHE is good to have on hand incase they temp gets too low or incase you need to up their temp when they get sick.

 

[drzebra]

Ok, but if I use a mvb, she'll cook if she gets within 4" of it. Is there a different distance with that bulb, or should I just skip mvb entirely?

 

[PatsyB]

I would just use a basking bulb for the basking spot and a UVB light that doesn't give off any heat so she can get closer to it.

 

[drzebra]

Well, it seems that my beardie doesn't like the mercury vapor bulb. Regardless of the temperature, she appeared to shy away from the light, ducking her head into her hide or under her repti hammock or just lying flat on the floor with her eyes squinted.

With the other light setup, she's more active and looks more eager to bask properly.

This girl has expensive tastes, I guess.

 

[jarich]

Which MVB bulb did you purchase, out of curiosity?

 

[drzebra]

It was a Fluker's 160 watt, left over from a wild box turtle that my stepdaughter conned us into nursing back to health after being winged by a car. (it's since been released back into the wild)

Arthur just doesn't seem to thrive under that particular bulb, and his colors are more vibrant under a 2 bulb setup.

 

[jarich]

MVBs are a highly variable lot, even bulb to bulb within the same brand. Ive done testing on a number of different brands and they really are all over the place. About the only one Id recommend highly is the MegaRay, which is probably why its hard to purchase sometimes. Generally though, its not good to use one bulb only. You are trying to replicate so many different factors that its not beneficial to think in terms of just one bulb. I have four in my enclosure and I know others that have even more. So Im glad that Arthur has put you on the right path!

 

[drzebra]

Actually, it's Fenchurch now that he turned out to be a she.