my beardies home

[GroomerMo]

Well so far I got rid of the extra 75 watt and put a zoo med nocturnal infrared heat lamp 100 watts to see how that work if not I'm going to have to find a place that sells CHE bulbs around me.

 

[GroomerMo]

But it still seems to be staying in the 80-90 :-( I bought the drift wood to bask on so now they are 6" from the lamp but still no change in temp am I doing something wrong my beardies do feel warm at least when I picked on up. I even reset my digital thermometer to see if that's the problem.

 

[GroomerMo]

Ok I finally returned the 100 watt zoo med basking bulb and got a exo terra 150 watt basking bulb

 

[GroomerMo]

Yay I was finally able to get the temp up to 102 today on the basking area

 

[Pat B]

Woohoo!! It takes time and patience but you got it!! Hope beardie is doing well!

 

[GroomerMo]

I'm so happy I finally have most of their home the way it should be.

 

[GroomerMo]

They love the right temp and their new log

 

[Noella]

Yes they do!

 

[Germ]

The way it is setup your BD will not receive any Benefit from the UVB Bulb. UVB Bulbs have a very limited range & do not emit usable amounts of UVB as far as the light is emitted. If my memory serves me right, you mentioned that you are using a slimline fixture with a Zilla Desert 50 T8 bulb. If you have not already removed the plastic cover over the Bulb, you must, UVB will not pass through a solid filter such as glass or plastic. A Desert 50 Bulb, that length, will only emit effective UVB to a max distance of 12" from a NEW bare unfiltered bulb. Being mounted above a screen can block\reflect\filter as much as 50% of the effective UVB from ever entering the enclosure. UVB bulb's effective range dissipates quite quickly as the bulb ages & is why they must regularly be replaced. When properly set up, mounted above a screen, they must be replaced a minimum of every 6 months for this reason. A Repti-Sun or Repti-Glo 10.0 linear tube has a maximum effective range of 20" from a NEW, bare, unfiltered bulb.

This is why it was previously mentioned to you that the UVB must also cover the basking spot alongside the heat bulb. In most setups the basking spot is the only area that it can get close enough to the UVB bulb for it to be effective & is also where it should be spending the majority of it's time if your temps are correct throughout the enclosure.

It was also mentioned that you may want to consider mounting the UVB fixture inside the enclosure, below the screen. Here is a good example of hot gluing the fixture inside the enclosure with a tin foil reflector to help intensify the radiated effective UVB.

MVB's are not really a great choice for small enclosures. They are also much more expensive. My preferance is to use standard household Halogen floodlights for basking the bulb. These are readily available and cheaper than the "reptile" bulbs at the petshops. They also put out a clean bright white light which dragons are attracted too and a lot more heat per watt. In your 20 gallon Long tank it would probably only take a 50 watt to produce the right basking temp. That saves you significant both on the cost of the bulb and in electricity used.
For the UV light I use and recommend 18" inch 10.0 0r 10% ReptiSun or ReptiGlo tube lights. I also recommend mounting them inside the enclosure using a cheap 18" under the cabinet mount fixture you can get at Walmart for about 10 dollars.(Note: These fixtures come with a clear plastic shield that covers the bulb. Make sure to remove and discard this shield as it will cut of all of the UV output.) This can be mounted to the back glass wall and side wall about an inch under the lip of the tank so you can still slide the lid closed and using a hot glue gun.
Here is a picture of what I am talking about. This is in a 40 gallon Breeder tank but they sell a slim-line fixture as well which may work better in your 20 gallon tank. You can order the slim-line version for about 14 bucks at Walmart.com. The type in the picture is sold in the stores.

Mounting the UV this way will give your dragon full unfiltered UV light. The screen top of your enclosure can filter out up to 50% of the UV of your bulb when the light is placed on top. With the light unfiltered you will only have to change the bulb out every 12 months too instead of every 6 months with an above the screen mount which saves a lot of money again as well as being better for your dragon.
It will also then allow you to line up the basking and UV lights easier like I had shown you in your other thread so that both shine down on the basking spot making them both highly efficient.

The foil in the pic around the bulb is just heavy duty aluminum foil and there to intensify and direct the UV at the basking spot.

Again these are inexpensive and quick fixes that can be done in just a few moments and when you compare prices you will see that this way is much cheaper than a single MVB as well too more efficient and safe for your dragon.

Enjoy!!

Mounted above the screen, with the plastic cover removed from the fixture, your basking spot would need to be within 6" from the UVB bulb to be effective at all. The way it is setup now, virtually NO UVB is reaching the areas that the BD has access to & spends any amount of sustained time.

As mentioned in PM, the thermometer sensor should be place directly at\on the basking spot, not attached to the glass, to provide accurate readings.

These are all issues that really need to be addressed, for the continued health & wellbeing of the animals. Please deal with the Cohabitation issue, asap.