Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,
Having been reading a lot lately about optimun set-ups for cyclura, I have a dilemma. I have a hatchling coming from David Blair and their new home is deep, about 29 high by 3 feet long and 20 " wide. Its a 75 gallon tank that needs illumination wuth both heat and UVB light. The mercury vapor light/heat bulbs have been highly recommended to me for ultimate UVB to get to the bottom of the tank, but if it is placed in the center of the tank, wouldn't that not allow for a "cooler" spot needed for the lizard on one side of the tank, while the other "basking" spot is on the warmer side? I do like the idea of the UVB getting down to the very bottom of the tank, but where would the little guy go to get away from all the heat if its basically the same on both ends of the tank as this bulb provides BOTH heat and light simultaneously? Would I then use another heat bulb to make a basking spot or would that be just toooooo much heat!!
I had been thinking reptisun 10.0 for UVB but I have been warned that they do not go down far enough as this tank is over 2 feet in depth and I dont want to shortchange the hatchling on UVB light. Suggestions? I would be very appreciative to hear from anyone on what to do.

Maybe I'm missing something but why do you have to put the MV bulb in the middle of the tank? Position it at one side to provide a basking spot and the other side should remain cooler for thermoregulation. If you need addition heat or heat at night add a CHE. If you want the whole tank illuminated run a 4 foot fluorescent across the entire top.

Contact Bob at reptileuv.com and he'll evaluate your set-up and recommend the best bulb. They sell a great product and have terrific customer service too!

Hey there,
Hi,,,,,Actually, I was thinking the same exact thing about having the MV off to one side as you said, but the problem of not enough UVB light at the other end of the tank concerned me. I guess I can have two sources of light with an addition of the flourescent across the entire tank. I plan to get a CHE for night time heating since it seems to be the most efficient and best idea for a large hatchling tank Thanks for the help and for a second opinion before we get things going. I will try and reach Bob at reptileuv and see what he can suggest but I do agree with your recommendation.
Have a great day, and thanks again for the help!
Carol

Hi, you dont have a problem. The lizard will spend most of his time under the basking light. You can illuminate with a reptisun 10.0 bulb if you wish but he will get plenty of uv from the mercury vapor lamp on the one end. Also put in some sort of basking platform like a big rock or a heavy branch. While these guys dont climb as much as the greens they will bask on a branch and that will get him up higher in the tank closer to the light. They like rocks a lot but you will need them to be anchored well so they dont fall and hurt him.

Carole

PS in the pic below the only uv in the enclosure is the light over her head there. She can choose to be anywhere in the cage and does move around but 80-90% of the day she is under that light.

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