Position and size of lighting in 48"x20"x18" enclosure?

[rbcb]

My son and I are about a month away from getting our first bearded dragon. We are about to order our enclosure from BoaMaster. Our plan is to use a Reptisun 10.0. We would appreciate advice on:

- how big a fixture/bulb do we need for a 48"x20"x18" enclosure - 24" or 36"?

- where should the fixture be mounted - flush against one of the side walls, in the middle, or (it has been suggested) back right corner to front left corner?

We greatly appreciate the advice!

 

[gilliesexotics]

Hi, i would personally go with a 36" but if your enclosure could support a 48" i would go with that. The bulb should be mounted on top close to the basking bulb. The dragon will need a climbing rock or some sort of structure to get within 8-10" from the UVB bulb while basking. Depending on your enclosure, distance from the bulb to basking spot, house ambient temps will decide what your wattage of your basking bulb will be.

 

[gunkle]

I seem to be a minority opinion on this topic but my thinking is this.... I am cutting and pasting a post i made in "another" forum

if the enclosure is say 4x2x2 and I go with the idea of the uvb bulb taking up 3/4 the length of the cage i need a 36" bulb. Now i have also read that at roughly 20" away from the bulb (while not on the raised basking spot) there isn't a whole lot of uvb getting to the bottom of the cage. Plus I've read that the Beardies need a place to get away from the UVB rays so they can regulate their absorption. Is there a reason not to use say a 22" or 24" fixture and bulb installed parallel to the sides directly over the basking spot with a spot light next to it in an adjustable fixture so it points on the basking spot? Would that not give the proper UVB light to the raised basking spot since I've also read that these florescent bulbs release the most UVB in the center than they do at the ends.

The response I got seems to be that my thinking is correct. Not sure why everyone wants to fill the tank with UVB when it seems to be unnecessary. Smaller fixture and bulb will save money over time. As long as your BD can access the proper amount and beable to regulate the uvb. Conventional "web wisdom" seems to be that the BD needs to get within 6 - 10 " of the UVB bulb to receive the proper rays from it. (a little farther with the Acadia bulbs I've read) So anywhere that is farther than that seems to be way more wasted rays than useable ones.

 

[gilliesexotics]

Hi Gunkle, the extra problem will be lighting the other portion of the enclosure. Instead of buying another dome of fixture to light this area up. It would be easier on the pocket book, cord management and electricity to use a 48-36". The whole having to get away from uvb etc... Is just something that someone has posted and it has been overly stated on many sites. The truth is at 20" the UVB levels from a linear tube will be extremely low. As in lower than being in the shade on a summer day outside.

 

[gunkle]

First off thank you for your feedback I am by no means trying to argue just testing my thinking against someone with lots more experience than me. I like to try to think against the "norm" to find new ways and ideas for doing things. You do prove my point about it being unnecessary to have such a long UVB when you say

The truth is at 20" the UVB levels from a linear tube will be extremely low. As in lower than being in the shade on a summer day outside.

. So if you can light the cage by other means then the longer bulb is not truely needed and a lot of money can be saved over the life of your BD since these bulbs need changing twice a year and are not cheap at the bigger lengths. Also your spot light that is warming up the basking area since the reptisun alone can't provide the necessary boost in temp by itself is adding a lot of lighting to the cage. Since you need a UVB and a spot light there are no extra costs to lighting. Here is a picture of the cage I just finished putting together (today) It's a basic Crossfire cage 4x2x2 I have a UVB, a spot light for the basking temp / and lighting the cage, and a heat element since it is a big cage and I'm concerned about heating during the colder winter months.

My current setup looks like this

The dome on the right had a regular household bulb for lighting the side of the cage but I figured out it was not needed and is just sitting there unused. I bought the longer UVB during the original setup here before I thought my way through it.

RBCB... I am not trying to hijack your thread just thought I would share some "unconventional thinking" . What Gilliesexotics is saying is definately keeping with the most common way of thinking that has been tried and proven over the years. I am by no means says it wrong just that there may be room for modification to that thinking.

 

[gilliesexotics]

Most places sell 24-48" for the same price. You may a little more for shipping but it still wont be that much.

Gunkle, Nice cage!

 

[gunkle]

Most places sell 24-48" for the same price. You may a little more for shipping but it still wont be that much.

Gunkle, Nice cage!

Wow. guess i'm looking in the wrong stores. But I am new to this. and thanks for the compliment.

 

[rbcb]

Wow. guess i'm looking in the wrong stores. But I am new to this. and thanks for the compliment.

I really appreciate the information and the healthy debate. I have decided to go with a 36" for the very reasons gilliesexotics mentions , though the points I was debating are exactly what you mentioned, gunkle.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

an 18" 10.0 that is about 16" away from basking area would be enough for your size enclosure Gunkle and RBCB. Nothing larger is needed. In other words, don't waste your money. I wouldn't have it any higher than 16" though and don't worry about them getting burnt by a UVB as they only get about 100 degrees F.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

This is my light setup. It is right by my basking bulb and incandescent bulb. Notice it is about 14-16" away from basking area. (Aries is 15" long in this pic) The other half of my enclosure has no lights:

Now look at Aries, he is a Super Citrus and could not achieve this brightness in color if his UVB was off or lack of. In my opinion, I have the perfect setup when achieving Husbandry with lights:

 

[rbcb]

Very cool looking dragon...and I suspect you are right - it would be difficult to achieve that color with improper lighting.

Again, I appreciate the different points and comments. Gives me a great deal to consider and allows me room to experiment. I am hopeful I can play with the enclosure for about a week before our BD arrives.