[Tortoise Man]

Hello all,

Im awaiting delivery of a vivarium (4 foot). I have read the sticky guide for bearded dragons but im still confused. I gather I need 3 different bulbs.

1, UVB tube type
2, Basking light
3, heating bulb for night time use

What wattage and UV % is recommended for a young Dragon? Different brands seem to have different rating systems.

I would prefer to buy a Kit so are there any places that sell a bearded dragon lighting and heating kit? If not how do I go about sizing up a bulb that fits its housing etc?

Lastly is it expected that you must drill out holes in a vivarium to fit these lights and heating bulbs. Its not an issue If I have to I just want to make sure its the done thing

Thanks all

You will have to drill holes into the top panel of the vivarium in order to fix the holders in place, but most premade vivariums will have holes on the back to route cables through, just make sure there is enough space.

For heating, you only really need one bulb assuming both the room that the vivarium is in and the vivarium will not get too cold. You want a standard white spot lamp pointed onto a piece of natural rock, such as slate. This needs to be attached to a thermostat, the type is up to you, but dimming thermostats will increase the life span of the bulb compared to a standard on/off thermostat. If the tank itself gets too cold either during winter or at night you should supplement with a ceramic heat emitter or radiator to increase air temperatures during cold periods. Again should be attached to a thermostat, but this can be on a on/off thermostat.

You are aiming for a 45C surface basking temperature and as most thermostat work by measuring air temperature you need to get an IR temperature gun to measure accurately and then work out what setting you need to have the thermostat. A digital style thermometer should be positioned in the cool end to make sure temperatures don't drop below around 18C, if it does this is when you should supplement heating.


For normal bulb fitting, assuming in the UK, the most common type of fitting is the E27 fitting which is your standard screw fitting. Most holders designed for reptiles will be this standard fitting and will say on the product information what fitting it is. There isn't really any kits for heating bulbs as there are so many different options to have. For what wattage you need is really does depend on many factors, and you may have to play around with it, I think a good start is 100W. However if it can't get up to the correct temperature you would have to go up, and if seems to be always off drop the wattage down.



UVB tubes the best option is to look at the Arcadia T5 bulbs, they have a specific bulb that is 14% UV index for bearded dragons (and other desert species), the wattage will vary upon the length of the bulb. So for a 4ft enclosure you will be aiming for around a 24" bulb. These come in two all in one kits that will contain every apart from a timer, one slimline and one normal.

https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/arcadia-prot5-kit-dragon-14/
https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/slimline-t5-luminaire-vivarium-canopy-14-dragon/


If you have any other questions, just ask

TM

 

[Tortoise Man]

The height of the vivarium is 14.5 inches. So would a 6% bulb suit better?

What is the full dimensions of the tank, that sounds very shallow. No matter the bulb UV strength you want to be aiming for around 12"-18" distance between the bulb and the basking spot. You will struggle to achieve this when you include things like substrate and decor.

TM

 

[Tortoise Man]

You've bought a 4ft long viv, but its only just over a ft high?
Dude... you cant use that...

Honestly I am confused by the measurements, hopefully OP can clarify, I can't think of any tanks that are made at 4ft long but only 1ft high.

 

[Tortoise Man]

The viv I ordered is 48″(L) 14.57″(D) 15.75″(H)


I plan on just getting a substrate from a local pet store just to keep things simple whilst starting out. I never considered depth. Would 1 inch be standard?


Would a patio slab be an option for a basking stone?


I dont mind going down the diy route but ill leave that to a later stage.

Honestly, that tank will not last long. It is generally advised to have several inches of a sand/soil mixture to allow the beardie to dig and burrow. Combine the actual depth of the bulb you'll be running it too close. A lower UV % bulb won't help with this too much.

Patio slabs are generally made out of concrete and aren't the most efficient. However if you can find a natural stone one that will be fine.

Part of the reason why it is recommended that 2ft depth is needed is to take into account substrate + decor + distance to bulb for both UVB and heat.

Sorry its not good news,
TM

 

[Tortoise Man]

Ok have emails a few places and I am awaiting replies.



Is a thermostat controller a must have from the get go? Could someone explain the difference between a dimmer and pulse version? Which is better suited?

Yes a thermostat controller is needed for any heating element going into the tank as it controls the element to make sure it doesn't overheat the enclosure and the animal. Also higher end ones have separate surge protection to help protect your electronics more from surges and prevents bulbs blowing more.

Thermostats come in three main variations. On/off, dimming or pulse. The all work based upon how the thermostat sends power from itself into the heating element to switch it on. Fairly obviously and on/off has two states it can switch the heating element, on or off. For a dimming it will allow a variable amount of voltage to pass through into the heating element so you would get the element turning on at different strengths, i.e. if the temperature is significantly over the target amount it will turn to 0%, if it is only slightly over it may reduce it down to 50%. Where as a pulse thermostat works by leaving the heating element on until it reaches the targeted temperature and will maintain this temperature by pulsing power into the heating element, turning it on and off rapidly.

Now each of the different variations will have different uses, for example you can't use a dimming thermostat with a combined heat and UVB lamp as UVB lamps need a high amount of energy to start the initial chain reaction and most reptile ones are not designed with a dimmable electronic ballast. But also heating elements that are designed to only have on or off states such as radiator style heating elements as they require cool down and heat up times.

Pulse thermostats can be generally attached to the types of heating elements that have only on or off states, but don't require cool down and heat up times so they can be more efficiently controlled. While you can use spot lamps and the likes on pulse thermostats, I would advise against it as the most stressful time for the bulb is turning it on and off, especially at higher temperatures. So by pulse power through you can significantly reduce the lifespan of the bulb, this is more apparent in cheaper or more poorly designed bulbs, like own-brands and Exoterras.

For the standard white spot lamp used for beardies it is best suggested to go for a dimmer thermostat as it prolongs the life of the bulb and can be more efficient. One thing to note is the fact that all thermostats measure air temperatures via their sensors and do not measure surface temperature. So while you are targeting the basking surface temperature of 45C, if you set up the thermostat to be 45C you will risk it going well above that temperature. Hence why it is best to pick up an IR temperature gun as well and in the set-up phase of the tank work out what the correct setting is for the thermostat in comparison to the surface temperature. In my old bearded dragon set-up it was set in its location for 22C and on the slate surfaces temperature went up to 46C.

TM

 

[Tortoise Man]

A local place stocks this substrate



''Arcadia Reptile EarthMix Arid is a potent and eco-friendly, Bio-Active ready planting medium. It has been specifically formulated by the world’s leading reptile care and plant growth experts and contains organic compounds and worm manure to be easily assessable for plants of arid origin''


How much substrate will I need for a 4x2x2 foot Viv? They do a 10L bag

Honestly I haven't bought reptile specific substrate ever for any of my animals. I use a mixture of organic topsoil and play sand, with the additive of crushed charcoal for bioactive tanks and orchid bark/spag moss in high humidity enclosures. Generally speaking it is 50/50 mix will do of soil to sand, but for a more desert species like bearded dragons i'd say up it to 60 sand/40 soil.

General rule of thumb when dealing with substrate 1000 litre is equal to 1 cubic meter. I.e. 1mx1mx1m. Now we don't need that much but we can use maths to work out how much we need. Assuming you are going for a standard enclosure they normally have a 10cm high front panel on the bottom so substrate depth goes up to that mark. 4ft into meters in 1.2m and 2ft is 60cm. So we have a volume to fill of 120cmx60cmx10cm which roughly 0.072 cubic metres. So you will need roughly 72L of substrate to fill the tank.

Now buying the Arcadia mix will cost you around £80, where as visit your local B&Q or equivalent and for two 25L bags of topsoil and three bags of 15kg soil will roughly come to £15.

Now if you do want to go for a bioactive enclosure with plants and a clean up crew. The addition of crushed charcoal will help supplement the clean up crew, and if you need additional drainage the addition of crushed pumice is perfect addition.

TM

 

[Tortoise Man]

Wow 72L is alot. Ill go the top soil and sand mix route. I understand that spot cleaning is needed when the dragon goes to the toilet but how often would you change the entire substrate?

If you go bio-active route it isn't that often, but just whenever the substrate is really bad, could be 3 months, or 6-12 months.

TM