Advice on basking lamp

[lionthebeardeddragon]

I had a blown fuse a couple days back, and had to buy some new basking bulbs to replace the old one, and replaced the fuse as well. I accidentally bought the Arcadia 100W E27 floodlight, instead of the spotlight which I usually get. The bulb also has a dimmer, I checked. From what I’ve read, it seems that floodlights are the way to go, but I’m having trouble getting the correct temperature.

I have the thermostat on the side of the tank dialed to 32 C, and I got that temp output with a spotlight bulb. With the floodlight, I know the heat is distributed over a wider surface area, so even dialed at 32 C I am only getting 27 C on the temp reader. Do I continue to increase the temp until I get a reading of 32 C or will I run the risk of overheating the whole tank?

For context, I think my tank is a 120 gallon. I knew when originally buying a tank what was the best size for an adult beardie so I am sure I have a good sized tank.

Thanks for reading, any help is appreciated.

 

[Sadie]

I had a blown fuse a couple days back, and had to buy some new basking bulbs to replace the old one, and replaced the fuse as well. I accidentally bought the Arcadia 100W E27 floodlight, instead of the spotlight which I usually get. The bulb also has a dimmer, I checked. From what I’ve read, it seems that floodlights are the way to go, but I’m having trouble getting the correct temperature.

I have the thermostat on the side of the tank dialed to 32 C, and I got that temp output with a spotlight bulb. With the floodlight, I know the heat is distributed over a wider surface area, so even dialed at 32 C I am only getting 27 C on the temp reader. Do I continue to increase the temp until I get a reading of 32 C or will I run the risk of overheating the whole tank?

For context, I think my tank is a 120 gallon. I knew when originally buying a tank what was the best size for an adult beardie so I am sure I have a good sized tank.

Thanks for reading, any help is appreciated.

How are you getting the temp? Are you getting surface basking temp that is what you want- Digital probe thermometers are going to give you the correct surface basking temps- I am not experienced w/ the flood lights etc but I do have a person that can help you -- your tank size is good -- most people use the 120 gallon tanks -- I can reach out to the person and see what they say and can help you

 

[lionthebeardeddragon]

How are you getting the temp? Are you getting surface basking temp that is what you want- Digital probe thermometers are going to give you the correct surface basking temps- I am not experienced w/ the flood lights etc but I do have a person that can help you -- your tank size is good -- most people use the 120 gallon tanks -- I can reach out to the person and see what they say and can help you

Hi, I am getting surface basking temp, I have a digital probe I keep in there to monitor temperature, as well as one on the wall by the basking lamp which feeds information into my thermostat which adjusts the temperature accordingly. That probe on the wall always adjusted temperature well with my spotlight, but now I have a floodlight it doesn’t work the same. Thanks so much for replying and for finding help!

 

[Sadie]

Hi, I am getting surface basking temp, I have a digital probe I keep in there to monitor temperature, as well as one on the wall by the basking lamp which feeds information into my thermostat which adjusts the temperature accordingly. That probe on the wall always adjusted temperature well with my spotlight, but now I have a floodlight it doesn’t work the same. Thanks so much for replying and for finding help!

I will post back on here when I hear from him --

 

[Sadie]

I will post back on here when I hear from him --

Here is his response
In my opinion, a flood light is the way to go. A wider beam allows for more even basking, especially for a fully grown dragon without needing to be very far away. In this case, a higher wattage bulb may be needed if the bulb isn't reaching the temp requested by the thermostat. This could take some trial and error. I also noted that the basking surface temp sounds a little low. Perhaps their dragon prefers that, but generally I like to set the basking surface to about 38-40 with cooler areas available to the sides. 32 seems low for most cases, so once a more powerful bulb is in place, I'd do some tests raising the temp a bit and see how it goes over. If the dragon basks right under the bulb, then increase it a degree or two more. If they avoid it, bring it back down a little. You want the dragon to bask right under or just to the side of the warmest spot at least during part of the day, but not avoid it completely.