Getting my first dragon...lighting suggestions

[Tytus402]

Hi all,

I picked up a 4x2x2 melamime enclosure for the new dragon I’ll be getting soon. I wanted to make sure I had everything setup for that day. Anyways, imthe enclosure has the under cabinet fluorescent lighting kit and a place for the basking bulb which is typical. When I picked it up from the shop they showed me a reflector type of light setup used for plants but he said I could put a uvb bulb in there and it would spread out more. Just wondering if there are any pro and cons to each lighting fixture. Arcadia or Reptisun? Also I measured the length and it would use a 24” bulb. Is that long enough for that sized tank?

Thanks in advance.

 

[PatsyB]

I love, love, love Arcadia bulbs. I think they last longer and I think the color of the lighting is better. A 24" bulb is going to be too small. You need your UVB to cover 1/2-2/3 of the tank. You could get 2 24" and put them in a line. Lots of people use regular under cabinet fixtures and plant fixtures for their bulbs. They work just as well as the fancy reptile ones.

 

[Tytus402]

I love, love, love Arcadia bulbs. I think they last longer and I think the color of the lighting is better. A 24" bulb is going to be too small. You need your UVB to cover 1/2-2/3 of the tank. You could get 2 24" and put them in a line. Lots of people use regular under cabinet fixtures and plant fixtures for their bulbs. They work just as well as the fancy reptile ones.

Thanks, Patsy. I spent a good amount of time looking at lights last night and think I’m going to go with the Arcadia T5 HO 12% 36” Light. It has a built in reflector that distributes the UV well from what I’ve been reading.

 

[PatsyB]

You won't be disappointed!

 

[Tytus402]

Another question...can a beardy get too much UV? That Arcadia model also comes in a double bulb version.

Thanks.

 

[PatsyB]

Yeah, they do say they can get too much UVB I would go with a single UVB bulb and offer places for them to hide. Mine always always go under their bridges when they want to get away from the UVB.