# Correct distance from UVB light and basking light for a beardie?



## AmyUSA (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi all, I wanted to ask a couple of questions about lighting for my black soil dragon ...

I have a 10.0UVB (reptile one) fluro tube sitting on top of the tank for my beardie (over the mesh strip, not the glass). Distance to the floor is 45cm, and distance to his basking spot is about 30cm.

I am concerned this might not be close enough for him to be getting the full effect?? He spends a lot of his time lying on the floor, so effectively the furthest point from his light, should I have the UVB light lower in this case?

And with his 75w basking light, I have it set over his basking log, keeping the temp around 38 degrees, but it probably sits about 10cm above his head, and I am concerned it might be very bright on his eyes? Could it affect his eyesight over time?

Any help/advice most appreciated 

Cheers
Amy


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## the jungle guy (Nov 22, 2010)

ok well the UVB is useless any more than 12inch 30cms there is not UV output, so you will need to lower that i personally use the compact coils and have had no dramas and there much easier to move to get the desired height 

as for you basking light there is no height min etc obviosuly the higher it is the higher wattage the bulb you will need and then that will heat the ambient temp even more making it harder for a temp gradient between the basking spot, hot side and the cooler side, and for what reptile is this for?


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## Kirby (Nov 22, 2010)

The uv tube you have isn't entirely beneficial or reputable. personally i find them a poorely designed cheap chinese bulb. mass produced to fill the market quickly when the Kongs reptile range was first expanded. 

Find yourself a Zoo med reptisun or a Exoterra repti glo (8.0 or 10.0) have him capable of getting within 20cm. 

provide another standard lighting tube for brightness. the brighter the better. 

ideally if you could find yourself an MVB combined heat and uv. Tubes are not even 1/5th the amount of uvb of natural sunlight. let alone cheap poorly designed brands.


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## the jungle guy (Nov 22, 2010)

i just saw in your profile you have a pygmy beardy, so im assuming this re: the pygmy the basking light will not affect them in anyway in fact beardies like it bright during the day on the other hand if your UV is to close you can cause serious damage photokeratoconjuctivitis ideally i would keep the bulb around 15cm from him/her
with the UV stick with exoterra ive found them over the years to have a slower decaying UV rate and better qaulity but saying this they still need to be replaced every 12months only becuase they light up does not mean they are producing UV output

the basking temp i would get up around 40 make sure there is a heat gradient between basking site, hotside and cool side


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## Kirby (Nov 22, 2010)

the jungle guy said:


> ok well the UVB is useless any more than 12inch 30cms there is not UV output, so you will need to lower that i personally use the compact coils and have had no dramas and there much easier to move to get the desired height


 
Compacts regularly emit excessive and dangerous wavelengths swaying into uvc (which is quite dangerous). and there uvb output is usually rendered usless after a month. 

uv output depends entirely on brand, model, and individual tube. depending on your brand and designed purpose, you can purchase uv mvbs etc emitting apropriate levels of uvb anywhere from 15cm up to 2 metres+


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## AmyUSA (Nov 22, 2010)

the jungle guy said:


> ok well the UVB is useless any more than 12inch 30cms there is not UV output, so you will need to lower that i personally use the compact coils and have had no dramas and there much easier to move to get the desired height
> 
> as for you basking light there is no height min etc obviosuly the higher it is the higher wattage the bulb you will need and then that will heat the ambient temp even more making it harder for a temp gradient between the basking spot, hot side and the cooler side, and for what reptile is this for?


 
Thanks - it's for a black soil dragon (pygmy). He;s in a 2.8ft tank - temps range from 38 degrees at basking spot, to 25-28 degrees in the coldest spot ... Am confused how to measure ambient air temps, and what they should be??

Will look to lower the UV tube straight away and consider another brand (Thanks Kirby) ... I do also try and get him outside in the sun for half an hour each week at least


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## the jungle guy (Nov 22, 2010)

beat me to most of kirby was reading her profile to see what rep it might be lol 

althought MVB are no good in smaller enclosures there on and off more then a larger enclosure and the bad part about these guys as there a heat source aswell they need to be thermostated once its reach temp your UV goes out aswell imo its important to offer seperate UV and heat source, as beardies need lots of UV


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## Kirby (Nov 22, 2010)

feel free to private msg me if you need a hand, im not going to continue cleaning up. lol


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## AmyUSA (Nov 22, 2010)

Kirby said:


> Compacts regularly emit excessive and dangerous wavelengths swaying into uvc (which is quite dangerous). and there uvb output is usually rendered usless after a month.
> 
> uv output depends entirely on brand, model, and individual tube. depending on your brand and designed purpose, you can purchase uv mvbs etc emitting apropriate levels of uvb anywhere from 15cm up to 2 metres+



Sorry - what's a UV MVBS ?? is that a brand of UV light, not sure where I would find one?


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## the jungle guy (Nov 22, 2010)

i would bump up the basking temp to around 40 grab a temp gun for measuring temps i would have the warm end around 32 and cool end around 27 to acheive this it will be trial and error to finding a bulb wattage that works for you but this will change season to season aswell 

thats the best thing you can do natural sunlight nothing compares to it as much as you can your beardie will love it


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## the jungle guy (Nov 22, 2010)

sorry the UV stands for ultra violet and MVB is a mercury vapour bulb its a type not a brand 

imo use a exo terra 10.0 for your uv needs 
and a phillips reflector incandescent bulb what ever wattage you are using now
or a nelson par20 halogen bulb they make for a very nice basking light


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## Kirby (Nov 22, 2010)

lol, she says 'black soil dragon' in the first line of her first post. take a breath!

you can purchase combined heat and uv globes with sufficient uvb, barely recordable uvc and the best brightness available on the marker under the brand 'lucky reptile.'

these can be as little as 15 watt and are perfect for smaller enclosures. 

if your bright lighting goes out, and all that is on is your uv tube. this is when photo-kerato-conjunctivitus can occur with poor quality bulbs. the irritation from dangerous wavelengths occures with the pupal dilates under low light coditions. bright lighting is required to retract the pupal.


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## the jungle guy (Nov 22, 2010)

Kirby said:


> Compacts regularly emit excessive and dangerous wavelengths swaying into uvc (which is quite dangerous). and there uvb output is usually rendered usless after a month.
> 
> uv output depends entirely on brand, model, and individual tube. depending on your brand and designed purpose, you can purchase uv mvbs etc emitting apropriate levels of uvb anywhere from 15cm up to 2 metres+



ive been using these compact coils for many many years with not a single problem and yes i have UV meters hence why ive found this brand to much higher standard to the rest and you can get a full 12months out of one, and not a single result showing even close to emiting UVC there is other brands that do and claim they dont but the meter dont lie, and yes some of these cheap chinese brands are useless after 1 month not the exoterra... that all i use and recommend


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## the jungle guy (Nov 22, 2010)

photokeratoconjuctivits is a condition thats caused from high exposure of UV output 
cheers


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## Kirby (Nov 22, 2010)

do you have a uvc meter?

you will probably notice that after 6 months any uv tube is no longer providing sufficient uv. ei: below 60 uwcm2. which is very little compaired to 350 uwcm2.


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## Kirby (Nov 22, 2010)

the jungle guy said:


> photokeratoconjuctivits is a condition thats caused from high exposure of UV output
> cheers


 
due to poor lighting. the sun emits the same wavlengths, the only difference is, the sun is much brighter then your uv tube.


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## AmyUSA (Nov 22, 2010)

Thanks for the advice guys


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## the jungle guy (Nov 22, 2010)

your classic your lack of knowledge and argument cracks me up i havent got time to waste with people like you maybe time to do some research or better yet gain some experience and buy a UV meter learn before you talk

sorry amyusa i have replied enough now, if you would like further knowledge feel free to pm me


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## Dannyboi (Nov 22, 2010)

General rule of thumb here for every 40cm the UV level halves UVB 5.0 is appropriate but be careful it can cause cancer i recently was told this by Dr. Mark Hill and was generally surprised his recommendation is to take them outside for some sun about 5 mins a day.


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