Setup Help :)

[Kaida_Dragon]

Good Afternoon all, (new here i will introduce myself in the right section shortly)
I hope its ok to post this .. I am currently setting everything up for a Beardie .. I have been researching them for a while and have this week purchased a vivarium to bring me that step closer to owning a lovely dragon .
I went to a Reptile shop local to me to gain some further information and also check out their dragons, after i was asked a few questions about the set up i decided to send them an email with pictures to show the size and layout of the Viv.
The viv is currently not set up as i purchased it the weekend and as it is second hand i wanted to ensure i cleaned it thoroughly (which is my intention this evening), so i have included a photo of the size of it from the advert in which i bought it from.
I sent this to the reptile store, however the lady is saying that the lighting placements are all wrong and need changing and that i should go in to see her to discuss it further as it difficult to explain over email, which i will do however due to work i am unable to until the weekend.
The placements of the lights at the moment are a UVB (strip bulb) on the back wall at the top in the middle and then two attachments for Heat bulbs either end of the vivs from the roof of the viv. (the bulbs will obviously be replaced as i dont know how old they are, so would rather be safe than sorry).

Substrate wise i am going to go with more of a flooring than a substrate as i have read how sand and certain other substrates are bad for them.

The Viv includes an Arcadia Euro Range UVB Lamp and also a white basking heat lamp (with the connection for another bulb also, i also aim to get new bulbs just encase the current ones only have a short life left in them). It also has a thermostat, Habistat and 2 digital Humidity/thermometer readers. (pictures of bulbs and viv below)

I have also purchased a mixture of items to 'decorate' the viv such as -
*Hide (altho the reptile store have responded to that saying they are against hides)
*Wooden Branch like items
*Fake plants - however i have read some horror stories about beardies trying to eat them and causing compacting, so im reluctant to use them and pop some of the beardie safe plants in instead.
*Lock for the vivarium door as i have dogs and also have small children visit often

Sorry for the lengthy post, i just want to ensure i have everything perfect before i purchase a beardie, Thankyou in advance

Viv set up in previous owners home, i will not be using sand!

 

[spambortner]

The uvb needs to start on the same side as the basking, in front of the basking bulb or behind it. The uvb can span 1/2 to 2/3rds of the tank. They need the cool end that gets no uvb. You can get herbs and repot with a soil change and put them in. My one bearded ate her italian parsley in 2 days. She has not touched the elephant bush except to lay on it. I don't think she likes the basil either as that is untouched but smells nice when you open that side.

This is an example of the way the lights should be.

The right side is the hot/basking and as you can see, the tube uvb starts right behind the basking, far right to the edge of the lid.

I did end up putting a LED plant light on the far left, above the plants. Put a couple inches of play sand in the back and falling under the center grapevine piece.

 

[Skybug]

Welcome to the forum , i probably wouldn’t ask the pet store anymore questions going forward, ive had “industry experts” tell me some really stupid things about lizards yes, heat and uvb are the two most important things, absolutely NO “coil” compact bulbs, you NEED a long tubular uvb , ur beardy needs a hide if not 2-3 of them, you want them to exhibit as many natural behaviors as possible.
This is my setup, its a little extra work to keep clean, but no more difficult than tile, its a bioactive setup with no plants, my beardy doesn’t respect plants, if you have any questions please do ask, theres no such thing as a silly question, this is a good place for information, lots of helpful friendly people and lizards

 

[Kaida_Dragon]

Thankyou both for your helpful replies! Its very much appreciated .. i have cleaned and set the tank up this evening and noticed the UVB is at the front of the Viv not at the back (unsure why she set it up this way) so i shall alter that.
No coil UVB here i had read about them being no good but luckily this was already fitted with the long bulb (will replace it tho’ as looks quite old)

i thought it was very strange the reptile shop saying no hides, surely in natural habitats they would seek the safety of “shelter” when needed