MVB And Glass tanks

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Seiryu

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As I have never used a Mercury Vapor Bulb, I am curious how they are in larger glass tanks for lizards.

My brother is thinking of getting a beardy for his kids (10 and 11). It's about 3 months old.

They recently acquired a tank (48"x18"x15") roughly. Is a MVB too much for that size?

They plan to just use a tile as a substrate, until it reaches adult hood where they will switch it over to clean sand.
 

Tom

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I've used them on tanks that size and smaller. Just use a couple thermometers and check the temps. That's the only way to know for sure. The tough part is adjusting the temp as most people just set the lamp on the screen top, so you can't adjust the bulb up or down. My solution for this is to use a flat basking rock and adjust the height of IT up or down, like so:
2n221c7.jpg


I would skip the sand entirely. I've seen a lot of impactions, even in adults.
 

Seiryu

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Tom said:
I've used them on tanks that size and smaller. Just use a couple thermometers and check the temps. That's the only way to know for sure. The tough part is adjusting the temp as most people just set the lamp on the screen top, so you can't adjust the bulb up or down. My solution for this is to use a flat basking rock and adjust the height of IT up or down, like so:
2n221c7.jpg


I would skip the sand entirely. I've seen a lot of impactions, even in adults.

I see, it would seem even the best bearded dragon websites are out of date now too.

So stick to tile then, or is something better? I personally use reptile carpet for my basilisk, but they are hardly on the ground as they have many branches/ramps to climb.
 

Floof

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Seiryu said:
So stick to tile then, or is something better? I personally use reptile carpet for my basilisk, but they are hardly on the ground as they have many branches/ramps to climb.

I can't comment on the MVB thing as I haven't had the opportunity to switch my beardie just yet, but concerning substrate... Tile is fine. I've heard nonstick shelf liner is a good one, too--all the "rinse and reuse" of the tile without the weight. Since you mentioned it, they could use reptile carpet... The big problem with it, though, is it can be extremely difficult to spot clean, let alone washing/disinfecting the whole thing.

By the way, http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html is another good resource for beardie care.
 

Tom

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I use to use sani-chips with all of my beardies. Never caused me any problems. I always fed them in a shallow bowl or tray of some sort. I don't know what "they" say to use nowadays.
 

Seiryu

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Thanks guys, one last question though.

Like I said, the tank is decently big for a 2.5 month old beardy. 48"x18"x15" tall.

I know with MVB's you can't be too close. Most sites say 10-12 inches away is as close as you want to be.

The nice thing is he has no other animals, so he could potentially not have a lid to the enclosure right? I am not sure how active baby beardies are, or if they could somehow get out of a 15" tall cage. I know my basilisk definitely could, but they are jumpers, I don't think beardies are lol.

He was talking with the lady who had the beardies and she said she was worried about the cage being TOO big, and it might have a hard time finding the crickets.

What is the smallest cage he could get away with, with a MVB in it? I was thinking nothing smaller than a 30g long myself.

Or is his cage OK and just use that?

I have another tank myself. I want to say it's 24" tall, maybe 18" by 36". Would this be better so he can adjust the MVB more?
 

Tom

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There is no way around it. You have to put a thermometer under YOUR lights in YOUR cage in YOUR house. Your thought process seems logical and you are on the right track, but actually verifying temps is the only solution. I have a bunch of cages all in the same heated room with different temps because of height in the room, evaporation rates, size of tank in relation to the heat source, etc...
 

Seiryu

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Tom said:
There is no way around it. You have to put a thermometer under YOUR lights in YOUR cage in YOUR house. Your thought process seems logical and you are on the right track, but actually verifying temps is the only solution. I have a bunch of cages all in the same heated room with different temps because of height in the room, evaporation rates, size of tank in relation to the heat source, etc...

Yes I know this. I wasn't sure what people's opinions were on the matter of which they thought would be best for being able to adjust. He seems to want to go with his cage though.

I was thinking of telling him to try the 100w UV heat t-rex.

I also read up more, and you can actually put the MVB's closer than 10"? I've seen some sites say even 6" is OK as long as it's not hotter than it needs to be. As in, as long as the temperature is right, they are saying the UV output of the bulbs, even at closer distances won't harm them.

Six inches though is too close for the burn factor if the lizard were to jump, so that is out.

The crappy part is, if you buy them MVB's online (much cheaper), if you happen to buy one that is too strong, or not enough, you're screwed.

If you buy in the stores, you pay twice as much, but can probably return it for another.

And lastly is this OK as the fixture?

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=1924
 

Tom

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That fixture looks fine to me. You can buy one cheaper at a hardware store, but it will be silver, not black. Any will work as long as you make sure it has a ceramic receptacle.
 

tortoisenerd

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The 100 Watt MVBs say 12-18 inches is the safe range. Under 12 inches is dangerous, and most people need to do more than 12 to get the temp right. They come in 100, 160, and 250 Watt. 100 is fine for most animals. That dome is good. Also get a lamp stand to adjust it up and down. I agree the T-Rex is the best.
 
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