# bearded dragon lights



## BillReptiles (Jul 22, 2012)

Hay guys 
Just wanted to ask what lights are best because everytime ive ask i get 15 different answers that confuse the crap out of me  
Its for a beardie 
Atm i have a infrared heat bulb i THINK its 100w 
And a coil bulb 
And now im reading that red light isnt good n coil bulbs cause eye problems any help please ?
I was thinking to buy a uvb tube and a ceramic heat emitter and a sunglo basking light just need the brand and wattages of each please n thank you


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## Bel03 (Jul 22, 2012)

It depends on what size enclosure it is for, but i would think 100w is prob too much. I use 75W basking lights in 4ft enclosures & that gives my beardies a basking spot of 40-42 degrees. I was using a 10w uv light, but now they just go into their outside enclosures daily. Red bulbs & also ceramic bulbs are no good for beardies, they need the light (it acts like the sun) to bask under.

Hope that helps some.


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## bigjoediver (Jul 22, 2012)

In my 4x2x2 enclosure I use a 100w ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat 24 hrs a day, a 32w halogen spotlight (r80) and a 2ft 18w 5.0uv tube on a timer (12hrs). As for the coil type uv bulbs it depends on how close to it the dragons get as to if it will cause eye problems. People often use MV bulbs as their only heat and uv source and these put out a lot more uv than anything else. Hope this helps.

Bel very correct re basking, I just use the 100w CHE to lift ambient temps as the room they are in gets v cold in winter here in SA hence the spot to stimulate sun.


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## Bel03 (Jul 22, 2012)

bigjoediver said:


> 24 hrs a day



Beardies dont need heat 24hrs a day. Mine have basking lights on from 7am-5pm.


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## BillReptiles (Jul 22, 2012)

I have a 4 ft by 2 by 2 
The uvb 10.0 coil bulb is on the cool side of my enclosure and is high off the floor but the beardie can get as close or as far away as it likes and the infrared is on 24 hours on a thermo only because it
freezing at night 
Its just so stressfull when u buy light then there wrong ect thanks for helping


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## animal805 (Jul 22, 2012)

Please turn off the heat at night, it is not needed. Get rid of the infrared light and have a white basking light. Get rid of the coil bulb and have a battern tube 10.0 You need a basking spot temp of 40-43C a warm end temp of 33-37C and a cool end temp of 24-28C Maybe research 100w Mercury vapour bulbs as on light/heat/uv source in one bulb, I use these in my 4x2x2 enclosures and they give perfect gradiants if set up correctly


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## mad_at_arms (Jul 22, 2012)

BillReptiles said:


> I have a 4 ft by 2 by 2
> The uvb 10.0 coil bulb is on the cool side of my enclosure and is high off the floor but the beardie can get as close or as far away as it likes and the infrared is on 24 hours on a thermo only because it
> freezing at night
> Its just so stressfull when u buy light then there wrong ect thanks for helping



Dragons best absorb UVB rays at when they at optimal basking temp. 
So the CFL should be situated so the dragon is within 20-30cms of it whilst basking. 
Your dragon will not seek out UVB. 
Use pieces of rock or tile around the basking area to absorb the heat during the day.


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## BillReptiles (Jul 22, 2012)

Ok thanks so if i get a sunglo 75 watt basking light
A flourescent uvb tube light and a ceramic heat emitter for night just to keep it about 16c 
Is that good ? 
Ive done so much research but everythings different


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## mad_at_arms (Jul 22, 2012)

You can pay through the nose for "branded" basking globes or you can go to your local hardware or even supermarket and pick up some. 
The money your going to pay for one sunglo 75W globe will probably afford you a few globes of varying wattages to play around with.
How old is the dragon?
How cold is freezing at night?


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## dangles (Jul 22, 2012)

Bel711 said:


> Beardies dont need heat 24hrs a day. Mine have basking lights on from 7am-5pm.


Middle of winter, my herp room regularly gets close to 0*C. Guessing no night heat for any of my herps won't hurt then???


What works in the tropics of qld isn't necessarily going to work in cold climates like Vic/sa and nsw west during winter


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## moussaka (Jul 22, 2012)

animal805 said:


> Please turn off the heat at night, it is not needed.



Last winter the onions in my kitchen froze...pretty sure my beardie needs overnight heat.  It's a little warmer in Sydney though, so it really depends on how low temps are getting overnight.

I've currently got on a 160w MVB in conjunction with a 100w white light, which is perfect for winter. We used to buy 'reptile branded' heat lights, but the electricity's super dodgy at our place so they keep blowing - we now just use bog-standard halogen lights from Woolies, which work just as well.

I agree with mad_at_arms that what's probably best is to buy a few bulbs of different wattages and play around until you get the right combination for your enclosure, and then keep an eye on how things change as the seasons change and adjust accordingly.

Also, for overnight temps we just leave an oil heater on next to the enclosure, which keeps the ambient temps about right...and means it's not too cold for us, either.


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## dragonlover1 (Jul 22, 2012)

bigjoediver said:


> In my 4x2x2 enclosure I use a 100w ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat 24 hrs a day, a 32w halogen spotlight (r80) and a 2ft 18w 5.0uv tube on a timer (12hrs). As for the coil type uv bulbs it depends on how close to it the dragons get as to if it will cause eye problems. People often use MV bulbs as their only heat and uv source and these put out a lot more uv than anything else. Hope this helps.
> 
> Bel very correct re basking, I just use the 100w CHE to lift ambient temps as the room they are in gets v cold in winter here in SA hence the spot to stimulate sun.



All very good Joe but the UV tube should be a 10 UVB, 5 UVB is good for blue tongues etc but central beardies need a higher rated light

OK guys,on another forum we had a recent thread where we came up with a minimum temp of about 15C before night time heat was needed,remember central beardies come from the desert where night time temps are VERY low,it's the desert for crying out loud.
So depending on your location you probably might not need night heat unless you are in Victoria or SA or maybe in Canberra.I am in Sydney and do use any night time heat except for the very coldest of nights.I have 5yo beardies doing fine.


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## animal805 (Jul 22, 2012)

moussaka said:


> Last winter the onions in my kitchen froze...pretty sure my beardie needs overnight heat.  It's a little warmer in Sydney though, so it really depends on how low temps are getting overnight.
> 
> I've currently got on a 160w MVB in conjunction with a 100w white light, which is perfect for winter. We used to buy 'reptile branded' heat lights, but the electricity's super dodgy at our place so they keep blowing - we now just use bog-standard halogen lights from Woolies, which work just as well.
> 
> ...



Each to their own. It gets to zero on a regular basis where I live and I have no heat for my dragons at night. They do come from arid Australia after all.


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## dangles (Jul 22, 2012)

Yes they are from arid areas where temps plummett. They also have deep burrows to escape extreme heat/cold when needed


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## Dragons_Lair (Jul 23, 2012)

In my 4 ft tank I have 3 hanging fittings in a triangle formation over the basking rock at one end with a compact uvb 10.0 at the back and two phillips flood bulbs at the front. I find the lower wattage bulbs seem to last a lot longer than the high wattage one and by running two heat lamps instead of just one, if one blows while i'm out there is still one operating and my guys aren't sitting there stone cold and unable to digest their food. I simply mix and match 40w and 60w depending on the season and they run from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm. At the cool end I have another 60w bulb connected to a switching thermostat and timer. This comes on at 6.00 am and switches of when it hits 28 degrees (usually around lunchtime) and usually remains off for the remainder of the day unless by chance one of the main bulbs blow, in which case it will switch back on automatically to help out. During winter I change this bulb to an infra red and switch off the timer but leave it connected to the stat so it keeps the tank warm at night but will still regulate the cool end during the day. 
​


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## Bel03 (Jul 23, 2012)

dangles said:


> Middle of winter, my herp room regularly gets close to 0*C. Guessing no night heat for any of my herps won't hurt then???
> 
> 
> What works in the tropics of qld isn't necessarily going to work in cold climates like Vic/sa and nsw west during winter




I never said that *none* of your animals need heat at night, just that beardies dont require it. 
Maybe i should have added that if you live somewhere that is reaching VERY low temps at night then a ceramic emitter is better then a heat light when your beardies are trying to sleep.


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