Hi guys, I am planning to do a 45" length tank, what recommended height and width should I go for? And also, I plan to do a wire mesh lid but cut a hole for the uvb tube light and basking heat to pass through, will that be ok? Or do I have to mount the fixture inside?
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Size and UVB/Basking
- Thread starter joshua123
- Start date
They don't need anything that is real high. They like to climb and jump but as they get older they are also clumsy and you don't want them falling from a large height because they can get hurt. You want your tank to be at least 18"-24". I would think you would want your tank as tall as your dragon could get, the same thing for the width. You want them to have enough room to turn around in the tank without being cramped. And you want it to be tall enough so that if they stand up against the glass they are not going to burn themselves on the light or be able to climb out.
You also want to make sure there is enough room from your lights to provide proper lighting. If you have a ReptiSun T5 10.0 fluorescent bulb they should be 12" away from the UVB light with no mesh blocking the light. If you have mesh blocking it's more like 4-6". With a ReptiSun T8 10.0 fluorescent bulb they can be, I believe, 18" from it.
You also want to make sure there is enough room from your lights to provide proper lighting. If you have a ReptiSun T5 10.0 fluorescent bulb they should be 12" away from the UVB light with no mesh blocking the light. If you have mesh blocking it's more like 4-6". With a ReptiSun T8 10.0 fluorescent bulb they can be, I believe, 18" from it.
I will be ordering these for my dragon, what do you think? so the size of my tank will be 45" length and 18-24" height, what about the width?
You want your tank to be at least 18 inches deep so they can turn around in in comfortably. My tanks are 36x18x18 and Dexter is 18.5 inches. She does pretty good turning around. And she can easily climb out of her hammock without falling.
Everything looks good. What kind of decorations are you going to have? You'll need a basking spot and a hide or two. Also, make sure you have something to check the temps with. I have 2 digital probe thermometers but I just bought a temp gun that works real good.
Everything looks good. What kind of decorations are you going to have? You'll need a basking spot and a hide or two. Also, make sure you have something to check the temps with. I have 2 digital probe thermometers but I just bought a temp gun that works real good.
I'll probably do the same as yours but with 45" length I guess... I haven get my deco or dragon yet, I wanna set up my tank and settle everything before getting my dragon. I am still looking for a nice wood for my dragon to climb and bask and a place for him to hide. Mind showing me your tank? ^^
I'll take a photo in a minute. I did a very basic set up especially once Dexter got bigger I wanted her to have room to move. When I first set up their tanks I just took a chance and ordered the mopani from Amazon. I think I went with extra large and ended up getting some real nice pieces. With Luci's we had to saw off a small part so it would fit but it looked good. I actually think now Luci has Dexter's since she doesn't need to get so close to her basking light anymore.
I bought the Nubee one for 12.98! Love it! How are you going to support it on the mesh if you cut a hole in it? I couldn't tell from the picture...is the light fixture a T8 size bulb?
I bought the Nubee one for 12.98! Love it! How are you going to support it on the mesh if you cut a hole in it? I couldn't tell from the picture...is the light fixture a T8 size bulb?
The size of the hole will be bigger than the uvb bulb/ basking bulb but smaller than the fixture so it will still stay on top. Do you think that will work? I'll probably just get some wood and a place for my dragon to hide.. Pretty simple but I hope that will be ok.
Dexter's tank is the upper one, she has a bark hide that is usually down under her basking spot but she's currently using it to look out the front room window! We were trying something with Luci. He never liked hides buy likes to hide in things when he runs around the house so we put a box and blanket in his tank but he doesn't like it.
Haha I only hope the basking bulb Won't melt my acrylic.. What do u think of my wire mesh idea? Cutting a hole that is bigger than the bulb
Yes it will be acrylic. Hopefully it will work
Hey there, so youre going to want a different UV light than that, especially if its going to go through wire mesh. Im assuming you mean the thicker stuff called hardware cloth rather than the thin stuff like you use for window screens, right? If so, I would order the 24 or 36 inch High Output T5 from Zoomed. Get the 10.0 bulb. This fixture has a reflector in it that means it will penetrate about 15-18 inches into your enclosure with a decent index still. You can also build up a basking area so you are closer to the 12" mark and have a great exposure level.
No, they sell a T5 strip without the LED lights. The LED lights aren't going to do any benefit other than adding more light because they don't give off UV or heat. Plus, there are red lights and the moon light on that fixture that are unnecessary for bearded dragons.
This is the one he is talking about, http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25698 This one is cheaper than the LED one
This is the one he is talking about, http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25698 This one is cheaper than the LED one
