New to Lizards - UVB and Dividing an Enclosure for a Baby Dragon?

[lyzard]

Hello, I am currently a snake owner looking to get a bearded dragon. My snake doesn't need UVB so I struggle a bit to understand it with bearded dragons.

I bought a 48 in L x 18 in D x 21 in H 75-gallon tank, which I realize is huge for a baby, so I want to divide it in two. As I said, I'm having a little trouble understanding the UVB, especially because the tank is so deep.

If I were to divide the tank perfectly in half, It would be a little under 40 gallons. The recommended UVB for a 40-gal tank is a 24-inch long UVB bulb; my problem with this, is that the tank, when divided in half, is 24 inches long. So, rather than covering 2/3 of the tank's (usable) length, it would cover the full (usable) length.

Would it be better to move the divider over to the side more so that there is a portion of the tank that is not under the UVB?

Also, the tank is 21 inches deep, which would put the baby dragon nearly 2 feet away from the heat lamp and UVB bulb, which I worry is far too much. Is there some way I can raise the floor of my terrarium without using a ton of unsafe substrate? I'm at a loss for ideas of what to fill the bottom of the tank with. I figure, if it's solid, I can just put a sand/rubber/carpet mat over top to make it comfortable for the beardie.

I also figure I could add climbing spots to let him get closer to the heat/light, but I'm not sure how easy it would be for a baby to climb ~15 inches upwards.

Here are some exceedingly simple "graphics" I made to help...

Again, as I said, the recommended ReptiSun bulb for a 40-gal is 24-in long, which would cover the full length of my tank when split in half, as opposed to the recommended 2/3 length. Also, again, I worry about the depth of the tank for a baby dragon-- is there something I can put inside the tank to elevate the floor?

 

[Sadie]

Hello, I am currently a snake owner looking to get a bearded dragon. My snake doesn't need UVB so I struggle a bit to understand it with bearded dragons.

I bought a 48 in L x 18 in D x 21 in H 75-gallon tank, which I realize is huge for a baby, so I want to divide it in two. As I said, I'm having a little trouble understanding the UVB, especially because the tank is so deep.

If I were to divide the tank perfectly in half, It would be a little under 40 gallons. The recommended UVB for a 40-gal tank is a 24-inch long UVB bulb; my problem with this, is that the tank, when divided in half, is 24 inches long. So, rather than covering 2/3 of the tank's (usable) length, it would cover the full (usable) length.

Would it be better to move the divider over to the side more so that there is a portion of the tank that is not under the UVB?

Also, the tank is 21 inches deep, which would put the baby dragon nearly 2 feet away from the heat lamp and UVB bulb, which I worry is far too much. Is there some way I can raise the floor of my terrarium without using a ton of unsafe substrate? I'm at a loss for ideas of what to fill the bottom of the tank with. I figure, if it's solid, I can just put a sand/rubber/carpet mat over top to make it comfortable for the beardie.

I also figure I could add climbing spots to let him get closer to the heat/light, but I'm not sure how easy it would be for a baby to climb ~15 inches upwards.

Here are some exceedingly simple "graphics" I made to help...

View attachment 32789
View attachment 32790
Again, as I said, the recommended ReptiSun bulb for a 40-gal is 24-in long, which would cover the full length of my tank when split in half, as opposed to the recommended 2/3 length. Also, again, I worry about the depth of the tank for a baby dragon-- is there something I can put inside the tank to elevate the floor?

The 24" fixture is fine --- you can use the full fixture -- just make sure he has some good hides in the tank where he can go and get out from under it or as you stated put it to where the UVB is not over part of the tank -- hes not going to be in that part for long as they grow very fast - is the screen on the tank a fine mesh like a screen door or a wide holed type ? This will determine where the UVB needs to go --- it needs certain distance as well depending on where its placed

 

[lyzard]

The 24" fixture is fine --- you can use the full fixture -- just make sure he has some good hides in the tank where he can go and get out from under it or as you stated put it to where the UVB is not over part of the tank -- hes not going to be in that part for long as they grow very fast - is the screen on the tank a fine mesh like a screen door or a wide holed type ? This will determine where the UVB needs to go --- it needs certain distance as well depending on where its placed

The mesh is pretty open, the wires are very thin. Much more airflow than the mesh on my snake's tank.
Here's a photo:

 

[Sadie]

The mesh is pretty open, the wires are very thin. Much more airflow than the mesh on my snake's tank.
Here's a photo:

View attachment 32792View attachment 32791

Ok so the UVB can go on top of your screen and distance would be 8-10 inches directly over the basking decor piece

 

[lyzard]

Ok so the UVB can go on top of your screen and distance would be 8-10 inches directly over the basking decor piece

Thank you so much for your explanations. Also, should I be using a T8 or a T5 bulb with that screen?

 

[Sadie]

Thank you so much for your explanations. Also, should I be using a T8 or a T5 bulb with that screen?

A T 5 -- T 8 's cannot go thru the screen