Lighting for a baby beardie

[Tesla123]

Ok gurus, I need advice: I have a new baby beardie that we think was born around January. I now have a 75 gal tank as well. So, the questions are
What temperature is appropriate for the basking side?
Do I put a basking light on both sides to keep optimal temperature?
Same for the cooler side?
What temperature at night? I think it's too cool because he feels cold in the mornings. I turn on the non-heating 'black-light' at night as well.
The size of the tank is throwing me off... I'm really not concerned with brand names, just temps

 

[KarrieRee]

Ok gurus, I need advice: I have a new baby beardie that we think was born around January. I now have a 75 gal tank as well. So, the questions are
What temperature is appropriate for the basking side?
Do I put a basking light on both sides to keep optimal temperature?
Same for the cooler side?
What temperature at night? I think it's too cool because he feels cold in the mornings. I turn on the non-heating 'black-light' at night as well.
The size of the tank is throwing me off... I'm really not concerned with brand names, just temps

Brand names for a UVB are recommended - there are 3 recommended on this board for a 75-120 gallon tank a 24" fixture is good - you dont want the same length of the tank they need to be able to get out of the UVB rays w / out hiding from it- surface basking temps should be taken w a digital probe thermometer 105-110 for a baby up to 6 months 95-100 over 6 months - one on each side of the tank cool side of the tank 80ish during the day - mid tank 90's and ambient hot side around 100-- NO colored bulbs at all --- if your tank is falling below 65 ambient at night a CHE is recommended 65-75 at night -- dragons like cool and dark to sleep -- placement and distance for a UVB is inside the tank w/a it placed directly over basking spot 12-15 inches --- if you want the links for UVB please ask we can post them for you

 

[matojack]

Brand names for a UVB are recommended - there are 3 recommended on this board for a 75-120 gallon tank a 24" fixture is good - you dont want the same length of the tank they need to be able to get out of the UVB rays w / out hiding from it- surface basking temps should be taken w a digital probe thermometer 105-110 for a baby up to 6 months 95-100 over 6 months - one on each side of the tank cool side of the tank 80ish during the day - mid tank 90's and ambient hot side around 100-- NO colored bulbs at all --- if your tank is falling below 65 ambient at night a CHE is recommended 65-75 at night -- dragons like cool and dark to sleep -- placement and distance for a UVB is inside the tank w/a it placed directly over basking spot 12-15 inches --- if you want the links for UVB please ask we can post them for you

Karrie.. I have a similar question and thought Telsa might benefit from your response.

My baby, Pumpkin, is 2 months old. We have a 120 gallon tank with two 24" UVBs to cover 80% of the tank in the middle. It is hanging out in a tree decoration in the middle of the tank under the UVB but NOT in the basking area. I have seen it move to the warmer side from time to time. Does it know when it should go lay on the basking log spot that's running 103-106 degrees? I assume so but am worried about everything because I just lost our first beardie last Saturday after only having it for 5 weeks.

 

[KarrieRee]

Karrie.. I have a similar question and thought Telsa might benefit from your response.

My baby, Pumpkin, is 2 months old. We have a 120 gallon tank with two 24" UVBs to cover 80% of the tank in the middle. It is hanging out in a tree decoration in the middle of the tank under the UVB but NOT in the basking area. I have seen it move to the warmer side from time to time. Does it know when it should go lay on the basking log spot that's running 103-106 degrees? I assume so but am worried about everything because I just lost our first beardie last Saturday after only having it for 5 weeks.

I am sorry to hear about the first dragon that is sad when they pass so young- do you know why it died? And are you using the same tank? If you are did you disinfect the tank before putting the one now in the tank? Please take out one of the UVB's and section off the 120 gallon tank - it will be easier to take care of them in a smaller area - you can use cardboard and do either half or 1/3 of the tank till hes about 4 months old -- you only need one good UVB he will go to the light he needs - you can set up a second basking area w/ the basking on top of screen in the middle of the tank - here is a pic of mine to give reference - the middle of the tank is around 90's w/ the hot side in the back of the tank around 100 ambient- but for as young as he is please get those surface basking temps to 105-110- use your probe thermometer - it doesnt need to stay on the spot where he sits for basking but please check it every so often - basking lamps loose their heat over time --

 

[Chris.]

Ok gurus, I need advice: I have a new baby beardie that we think was born around January. I now have a 75 gal tank as well. So, the questions are
What temperature is appropriate for the basking side?
Do I put a basking light on both sides to keep optimal temperature?
Same for the cooler side?
What temperature at night? I think it's too cool because he feels cold in the mornings. I turn on the non-heating 'black-light' at night as well.
The size of the tank is throwing me off... I'm really not concerned with brand names, just temps

As mentioned, around 100°F is good for the basking spot. You only need a second basking light if your cool side gets below 75°F. If your basking spot is hot enough and your cool side cool/warm enough everything else may be what it is.

At over six months he will probably outgrow the 75GAL pretty soon. As a guide, it is recommended the tank to have 5x4x3 times the lenght from snout to vent of the dragon (or an equivalent).

Karrie.. I have a similar question and thought Telsa might benefit from your response.

My baby, Pumpkin, is 2 months old. We have a 120 gallon tank with two 24" UVBs to cover 80% of the tank in the middle. It is hanging out in a tree decoration in the middle of the tank under the UVB but NOT in the basking area. I have seen it move to the warmer side from time to time. Does it know when it should go lay on the basking log spot that's running 103-106 degrees? I assume so but am worried about everything because I just lost our first beardie last Saturday after only having it for 5 weeks.

As Karrie suggested you don't need and don't want two tubes. He might get attracted to the high illuminance and try to bask there which might even work as your two tubes will also put out lots of UVA and will produce quite a bit of heat. That being said I did see my girl bask under the uvb from time to time to warm up a bit and just afterwards turn towards the basking spot itself.
I did raise up my baby girl in a 210 GAL without any issue but she used to poop in the same place every time and I was hand feeding her a lot in the beginning.

A picture of the tank would be very helpful in both your cases

 

[matojack]

I am sorry to hear about the first dragon that is sad when they pass so young- do you know why it died? And are you using the same tank? If you are did you disinfect the tank before putting the one now in the tank? Please take out one of the UVB's and section off the 120 gallon tank - it will be easier to take care of them in a smaller area - you can use cardboard and do either half or 1/3 of the tank till hes about 4 months old -- you only need one good UVB he will go to the light he needs - you can set up a second basking area w/ the basking on top of screen in the middle of the tank - here is a pic of mine to give reference - the middle of the tank is around 90's w/ the hot side in the back of the tank around 100 ambient- but for as young as he is please get those surface basking temps to 105-110- use your probe thermometer - it doesnt need to stay on the spot where he sits for basking but please check it every so often - basking lamps loose their heat over time --

So our first beardie I got from Petco and was sick when we brought it home. I didn't know that and when we took it to the vet after five weeks for a hurt arm, we learned that it's kidneys were failing. We suspect it had parasites that robbed it of water and nutrients too because it also looked to have MBD.

The breeder we got our new beardie, Pumpkin, from told us to disinfect the tank and deco with vinegar water before we took it home. I took everything out and disinfected to the max. Also, I just bought Wipe Out from Zoo Med for future cleanings. I do pickup the poop as soon as I see it to help keep the enclosure as clean as possible.

Here is our tank. Is it necessary to split up the tank and take out the 2nd UVB? Would the following changes work as well? I was thinking of moving the tree over with the basking log and changing the heat fixture (2x100w bulbs) across the tank horizontally to provide more overlap with the UVB than what it is now. Additionally, I can move the second UVB bulb closer to the right side to ensure 1/4 to 1/3 of the tank is without UVB. (I read that a 120 gallon tank needs 2/3 to 3/4 UVB coverage).

Thanks for your suggestions. I look forward to your reply.

 

[KarrieRee]

So our first beardie I got from Petco and was sick when we brought it home. I didn't know that and when we took it to the vet after five weeks for a hurt arm, we learned that it's kidneys were failing. We suspect it had parasites that robbed it of water and nutrients too because it also looked to have MBD.

The breeder we got our new beardie, Pumpkin, from told us to disinfect the tank and deco with vinegar water before we took it home. I took everything out and disinfected to the max. Also, I just bought Wipe Out from Zoo Med for future cleanings. I do pickup the poop as soon as I see it to help keep the enclosure as clean as possible.

Here is our tank. Is it necessary to split up the tank and take out the 2nd UVB? Would the following changes work as well? I was thinking of moving the tree over with the basking log and changing the heat fixture (2x100w bulbs) across the tank horizontally to provide more overlap with the UVB than what it is now. Additionally, I can move the second UVB bulb closer to the right side to ensure 1/4 to 1/3 of the tank is without UVB. (I read that a 120 gallon tank needs 2/3 to 3/4 UVB coverage).

Thanks for your suggestions. I look forward to your reply.

Vinegar and water is good for poop cleanup but you want an actual disinfectant - Wipe Out is good along w/ F 10 or Rescue- 1/2 the tank is good for UVB - please take out the second one and have it as close to the basking area as possible 12 - 15 inches -- you want your tank smaller since he is so little - he will adjust better to the smaller surroundings - you dont want to cook him make sure you have a cool side he can go to around 80ish -- also w/ out UVB as well --

 

[Chris.]

So our first beardie I got from Petco and was sick when we brought it home. I didn't know that and when we took it to the vet after five weeks for a hurt arm, we learned that it's kidneys were failing. We suspect it had parasites that robbed it of water and nutrients too because it also looked to have MBD.

The breeder we got our new beardie, Pumpkin, from told us to disinfect the tank and deco with vinegar water before we took it home. I took everything out and disinfected to the max. Also, I just bought Wipe Out from Zoo Med for future cleanings. I do pickup the poop as soon as I see it to help keep the enclosure as clean as possible.

Here is our tank. Is it necessary to split up the tank and take out the 2nd UVB? Would the following changes work as well? I was thinking of moving the tree over with the basking log and changing the heat fixture (2x100w bulbs) across the tank horizontally to provide more overlap with the UVB than what it is now. Additionally, I can move the second UVB bulb closer to the right side to ensure 1/4 to 1/3 of the tank is without UVB. (I read that a 120 gallon tank needs 2/3 to 3/4 UVB coverage).

Thanks for your suggestions. I look forward to your reply.

How are you getting your temp on the basking spot?
The thermometer in the picture can only pick up ambient temps but no surface temps!
200W is a damn lot especially in a wooden tank.

Just from feeling, I would move one uvb all the way to the hot side to fully overlap the basking light. Take the tree under the basking light so the highest point is the basking spot. And ditch one basking bulb as 100W with overlapping uvb should be enough. This also depends on your room so please check that with an IR gun or a digital probe thermometer.
Make sure at least 1/3 is without uvb and the thermometer on the left never reads over 85F.

As mentioned I did raised both my dragons in 210 GAL from the get go. It is a little more work but it can be done.

 

[matojack]

How are you getting your temp on the basking spot?
The thermometer in the picture can only pick up ambient temps but no surface temps!
200W is a damn lot especially in a wooden tank.

Just from feeling, I would move one uvb all the way to the hot side to fully overlap the basking light. Take the tree under the basking light so the highest point is the basking spot. And ditch one basking bulb as 100W with overlapping uvb should be enough. This also depends on your room so please check that with an IR gun or a digital probe thermometer.
Make sure at least 1/3 is without uvb and the thermometer on the left never reads over 85F.

As mentioned I did raised both my dragons in 210 GAL from the get go. It is a little more work but it can be done.

When I get some time today, I will take out the dragon to do a deep clean of the tank. I removed the basking log until I can disinfect the tank and decorations, because the other beardie favored it. And if I understand you correctly, making the tank smaller will help it acclimate to its new environment faster right?

I turned off the left UVB and moved the tree under the basking bulb with the remaining UVB. I measure the basking spot with a temp gun. Right where they UVB and bulb are together, the temps typically read from 103 to 108. With the 2x100w bulbs, the black basking stone reads around 105 regularly even being so much lower than the tree. The ambient temp with a temp probe on the wall is 96-100 degrees on the hot side. The cool side should drop under 85 based on turning off the other UVB. There is a hide on the back side of the tree and I assume it can hide under the black rock as well.

I do plan to rotate the basking lamp to be horizontal to the UVB and will measure all temps again to ensure I'm not cooking Pumpkin. Thanks for the replies and let me know if I'm missing anything.

 

[KarrieRee]

When I get some time today, I will take out the dragon to do a deep clean of the tank. I removed the basking log until I can disinfect the tank and decorations, because the other beardie favored it. And if I understand you correctly, making the tank smaller will help it acclimate to its new environment faster right?

I turned off the left UVB and moved the tree under the basking bulb with the remaining UVB. I measure the basking spot with a temp gun. Right where they UVB and bulb are together, the temps typically read from 103 to 108. With the 2x100w bulbs, the black basking stone reads around 105 regularly even being so much lower than the tree. The ambient temp with a temp probe on the wall is 96-100 degrees on the hot side. The cool side should drop under 85 based on turning off the other UVB. There is a hide on the back side of the tree and I assume it can hide under the black rock as well.

I do plan to rotate the basking lamp to be horizontal to the UVB and will measure all temps again to ensure I'm not cooking Pumpkin. Thanks for the replies and let me know if I'm missing anything.

Sounds good - take the probe and place it on the spot where he bask-- yes making the tank smaller for now he will acclimate faster to the tank and surroundings - does he have stress marks -

 

[matojack]

Sounds good - take the probe and place it on the spot where he bask-- yes making the tank smaller for now he will acclimate faster to the tank and surroundings - does he have stress marks -

I went to check the temperatures on the tree without the second UVB and, ironically, only one basking bulb is on (the other one burned out). The temperature is only 94 degrees. I turned the other UVB back on to hopefully bring up the temp in the tank at least and will buy a second basking bulb. For whatever reason, our tank needs two basking bulbs to get to the correct temperatures. Additionally, I may take out the tree and put the basking log back in after it's disinfected. It seems to get hotter than the tree. (Maybe I'll do that first with only one bulb).

I can't tell about the stress marks. Maybe you can zoom in on the picture I sent where she's in the tree in the middle? I'm thinking that I should cut the tank in half lengthwise to maintain a hot and cool zone. Does that make the most sense?

This is so tricky.

 

[KarrieRee]

I went to check the temperatures on the tree without the second UVB and, ironically, only one basking bulb is on (the other one burned out). The temperature is only 94 degrees. I turned the other UVB back on to hopefully bring up the temp in the tank at least and will buy a second basking bulb. For whatever reason, our tank needs two to get to the correct temperatures. Additionally, I may take out the tree and put the basking log back in after it's disinfected. It seems to get hotter than the tree. (Maybe I'll do that first with only one bulb.

This is so tricky.

UVB's are not hot enough for getting surface basking temps - they are strictly UVB -- please either increase the wattage of the one bulb or get a lower wattage basking bulb - all this is trial and error -- just keep working w/ it and you will eventually figure it out --

 

[matojack]

UVB's are not hot enough for getting surface basking temps - they are strictly UVB -- please either increase the wattage of the one bulb or get a lower wattage basking bulb - all this is trial and error -- just keep working w/ it and you will eventually figure it out --

Karrie, I finally reviewed your enclosure picture more closely. I see that you dropped down the UVB tube probably to get it within the 18" you mention from the floor. When you do that, can you put a basking bulb directly over the UVB housing or does it still need to be to the side of the UVB?

I took out the tree for now and left the basking log. The side directly under the UVB is 11" from the tube at the highest point. The rest of the log that is taller is just under the basking bulbs and not the UVB. To your point that a 100W bulb is a lot even for a 120 gallon tank and the fact that I have two but can only get one small spot to 105 degrees on the log makes me think that I need a different basking housing. Do you have a recommendation? I'm also considering two single housings like you have.

One last thing, is there any reason why you chose to have your beardie's decorations low to the ground? Am I okay to put back the tree eventually as long as my dragon can't get too close to the UVB? Thanks.

 

[KarrieRee]

Karrie, I finally reviewed your enclosure picture more closely. I see that you dropped down the UVB tube probably to get it within the 18" you mention from the floor. When you do that, can you put a basking bulb directly over the UVB housing or does it still need to be to the side of the UVB?

I took out the tree for now and left the basking log. The side directly under the UVB is 11" from the tube at the highest point. The rest of the log that is taller is just under the basking bulbs and not the UVB. To your point that a 100W bulb is a lot even for a 120 gallon tank and the fact that I have two but can only get one small spot to 105 degrees on the log makes me think that I need a different basking housing. Do you have a recommendation? I'm also considering two single housings like you have.

One last thing, is there any reason why you chose to have your beardie's decorations low to the ground? Am I okay to put back the tree eventually as long as my dragon can't get too close to the UVB? Thanks.

Your good for distance w/ the UVB - my second basking lamp is top of screen behind the UVB fixture - the basking pieces are not purposely low --- the pic I sent is a old pic of Blazes tank - the UVB has since been lowered to 13 inches from the floor - he is eye sight impaired and basically does not climb anymore - I have noticed him climb a few times on the rock you see him sitting on but it has been moved to the center of the tank now and not directly in front - he sits on the floor in the front of the tank now under the UVB - I readjusted this about 6 months or so ago after I noticed head tremors which told me he was not getting enough UVB so I lowered his UVB and since doing this I have not seen any more head tremors from him - I would get a 75 watt basking light next to your 100 watt and see what your temps do -- its more than likely not your housing but the wattage - I manually keep track of temps in the tank and hot summer days only one basking light is used the 100 watt as my room that the dragons are in gets warm in summer - its a sunny room - depending on temps in winter I do have both being used and sometimes a CHE depending on how cold we are gonna get - below zero weather CHE goes on at night --- your dragon will tell you or go to the distance if offered for UVB--- so if you have options he will go sit where he is most comfortable -same w/ basking temps - if hes off to the side of the basking light its more than likely too hot under it - follow your lead from him --