Hi, I have a new bearded dragon that is about 6 inches. I want to put him into a 20 gallon. What wattage should I use for the heat bulb, 75, or 100? Thanks in advance!
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What wattage bulb for 20 gallon
sclirada
Dec 22, 2006 07:47 AM
Replies (4)
B22
Dec 22, 2006 10:13 AM
Hi
you need to measure !!!!!!!
take a tempmeter with a extra probe and measure it .
also a tempgun is very acurate .
it should be round the 110-115 max
every tank is diferent .
byeeeeee
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BDlvr
Dec 22, 2006 11:11 AM
Also depends how high your basking spot is. The closer to the bulb the less wattage should be. When I used a 20L I used a 75. I took a floor lamp and put it next to the tank. Then I used a clamp lamp that could be slid up and down the on the lamp pole to adjust the temperature. I always believed in a digital temp guage with a separate probe (esu reptile makes one) to tell how high the light should be. I never had babies in the winter so I used a 75 in the spring/summer. The temperature of your house will change how high the light should be. You could also use a reostat or dimmer instead of moving the light. One big advantage of the floor light method is you don't have to move the light to slide the screen for feeding, cleaning, etc. Floor lamps are about $20 at Walmart etc.
sclirada
Dec 22, 2006 02:00 PM
Thanks for the help! Appreciate it, I just went out and got a reptile thermometer with a probe, so I'll check the basking area. I have both 75, and 100 watt bulbs, but I have a feeling the 75 will be enough. Thanks again!
jakentbc
Dec 29, 2006 08:49 AM
if you are using a regular incandesct bulb (no need to buy one with a lizard on the box...a waste of money) i would get a variable resistor switch (you can get one at lowes or home depot) and hook it up to the 100 or 150 watt bulb. there are two types of these switches....one will splice into the existing power cord of your light, the other plugs into the outlet and then you plug your light into the resistor switch.
unless you live in san diego the temperature of your house will varry, this way you can really control the temperature of your lizard's cage by increasing or decreasing the output of your light. warning: if you use self ballsted mercury vapor lights, you cannot use these resistors
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