Looking for thoughts and feedback :)

[Angela]

Hello everyone!

I've had a few people suggest I post some pictures of Quixote's enclosure for feedback. I thought it might be better to video it so you can kind of see around so here is a link to the video:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByB3KylgXItAeFloVjk5NFVaSjQ/view?usp=sharing

Please let me know of any thoughts or feedback you may have!

- Angela

 

[BeardedDragon65]

looks awesome .

 

[PatsyB]

Good start! You need to be careful with that flood light in the dome fixture. Dome fixtures are designed to handle a certain wattage, the fact that the bulb is sticking out makes me think the wattage may be too high for that fixture. I think the reason he is hiding under the hammock is that it is too hot in the tank. You are reading 104 degrees on the floor and you really want it to be 107 at the highest spot of the basking area. That is probably why he doesn't go on the stick, because it's way to hot up there for him. Get a temp gun or a digital probe thermometer that you can attach right to the top of the basking branch to measure the temps. What you are using right now is perfect for the cool side of the tank especially if it is one that measures humidity because you do want to keep an eye on that. A good humidity is between 30-50 percent.

Also, you want your UVB and your heat to overlap some. The UVB light helps the body synthesize D3 but the heat helps the D3 metabolize calcium.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Yep I agree with Patsy looks like it's too hot for him as he should be up on that log and he's not.

 

[Angela]

Thank you so much for the feedback, Patsy & Hydryd31! His new lamp should hopefully be coming today and I am hoping it will be a proper fit for the lamp and give him the opportunity to bask on his branch. If it doesn't fit the lamp and sticks out - as you pointed out - I'll run by one of our petstores and grab one of the dome shaped lamps.

 

[Angela]

Hey guys!

So, I got his new bulb in yesterday and I put it in last night. But now I'm a little bit worried that he's not warm enough.

Nothing has changed from the setup you see in the video except that I replaced the flood lamp bulb with a PowerSunUV bulb. I also bought one of the "point and shoot" thermometers you guys recommended.

The bulb has been on for 2 hours now and the little thermometer on the bottom of his cage reads 76 degrees and when I click the thermometer on his basking spot (the log) it reads 85 degrees. Obviously this is not nearly warm enough for him.

So...I don't really know what to do. With the flood light its too hot and he isn't getting the proper UV. With the UV bulb its too cold.

Help?

 

[Angela]

Hm. One thing I did just notice is that the light I got is a 100W and the packaging recommends 160W bulb for tanks of 20 gallon or larger (mine is 50 gallon). So Im going to go to the pet shop after work today and see if I can exchange it for 160W bulb.

But any further feedback you may have is extremely welcomed! I want to make absolutely certain that I'm giving my little guy all the best he can have. He's already completely and entirely stolen my heart and I want him to be happy and healthy for a very long time. <3

 

[PatsyB]

If you are going to use a mercury vapor bulb for heat and UVB you can buy a high wattage and put it on a dimmer so it keeps the temp steady. Just make sure your bulb and your fixture will work with a dimmer switch.

You could use just a normal basking bulb or flood light in the dome fixture and buy a Reptisun 10.0 fluorescent bulb for the other fixture for UVB.

 

[Angela]

Just found out that my local pet store has a 160W UV bulb. So I'm going to replace my 100W one with the 160W and hopefully that will heat up the tanka little bit more and regulate the temperatures as I need it to.

Crossing fingers and will keep you guys updated!

 

[Hdrydr31]

Lighting is always the hardest! trust me it's alot of trial and error we all end up with bulbs laying around

 

[cold blooded]

If you are going to use a mercury vapor bulb for heat and UVB you can buy a high wattage and put it on a dimmer so it keeps the temp steady. Just make sure your bulb and your fixture will work with a dimmer switch.

Hi. I was reading this and have to comment that you cannot dim a mercury vapor bulb. They are not dimmable. Mercury vapor bulbs are quite advanced to set up and best used on large enclosure like 120 gallon + IMO where you are trying to project uvb great distances. When using them you really must use a uvb meter such as solarmeter 6.2 to make sure you are not over exposing your animal to the radiation. Generally I wouldn't let my animal get closer than 18 inches without a meter to verify safe levels. If more heat is needed add a supplementry halogen or incandescent bulb an a dimmer, do not use a bigger bulb as that may increase the temp but also will increase uvb to unsafe levels at the same distance! As you can see mvb done right can be more advanced and involved.

That all said if it was me I would switch back to a halogen and keep it simple. Put it on a dimmer for basking heat temp control and don't mess with mvb bulb. In addition I would recommend a longer strip light that covers the length of the tank. Since you have a screen (I think) I would recommend a double t5 fixture with decent reflector. T5 are more powerful and last longer. Check out lightyourreptiles.com. They have some ones. In the double fixture run one zoomed 10.0 or an Arcadia 12.0 bulb for example and the other run a 6500k "natural daylight" bulb. The combination of all will provide high "lux" which really benefits the animals well being stimulates appetite and activity. Remember they are from an arid region with extremely high light.

Best of luck with your setup

Jeff

 

[PatsyB]

Hi. I was reading this and have to comment that you cannot dim a mercury vapor bulb. They are not dimmable. Mercury vapor bulbs are quite advanced to set up and best used on large enclosure like 120 gallon + IMO where you are trying to project uvb great distances. When using them you really must use a uvb meter such as solarmeter 6.2 to make sure you are not over exposing your animal to the radiation. Generally I wouldn't let my animal get closer than 18 inches without a meter to verify safe levels. If more heat is needed add a supplementry halogen or incandescent bulb an a dimmer, do not use a bigger bulb as that may increase the temp but also will increase uvb to unsafe levels at the same distance! As you can see mvb done right can be more advanced and involved.

That all said if it was me I would switch back to a halogen and keep it simple. Put it on a dimmer for basking heat temp control and don't mess with mvb bulb. In addition I would recommend a longer strip light that covers the length of the tank. Since you have a screen (I think) I would recommend a double t5 fixture with decent reflector. T5 are more powerful and last longer. Check out lightyourreptiles.com. They have some ones. In the double fixture run one zoomed 10.0 or an Arcadia 12.0 bulb for example and the other run a 6500k "natural daylight" bulb. The combination of all will provide high "lux" which really benefits the animals well being stimulates appetite and activity. Remember they are from an arid region with extremely high light.

Best of luck with your setup

Jeff

Thanks Jeff. I don't use MVB bulbs but have always been told that they could be dimmed. I'm going to stop telling people that!

I personally use the T5 running the length of the tank, but I have a single bulb. I love it! Everyone is more active than they were with the T8.

 

[cold blooded]

I've used both types for uvb, but I think for bearded dragons I am leaning back towards the t5 striplight. Now for Iguannas or other large species I can really see the benefits of MVB although the newer T5 tubes are a close second.

If anyone would like more info on MVB bulbs I learned a lot from this website

http://www.reptileuv.com/

Main take away: "reptile lighting is a process not a bulb" I have found that it is really true since most bulbs are made for us humans with limited vision as compared to our scaly friends. Reptiles see so much more, they see certain spectrum of light which we cannot. By combining a full spectrum bulb like a 6500K with a UVB and a halogen for heat we attempt to "fill in the gaps" and provide full lighting spectrum that REPTILES CAN SEE and attempt to provide them a more natural looking environment--IN THEIR EYES.

 

[Hdrydr31]

Thank you Jeff! Lighting is such a hard thing for me (I'm still learning but am still new) It can be hard to understand the differences..Always looking for new sites to learn from

 

[Pete33]

We are using that bulb with our Uromastyx. Great light. Check out their food supplements. Only have to use it twice per month.