Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am picking up a baby bearded for a friend at a show he has a 80 gallon tank what is the best heat source for a cage this size

depending high low or high you put the light you can ise a 50 watt outdoor flood or lower if you divide the enclosure.this is a 75 gallon and the light is about 11 inches from the highest basking spot it gets around 118 there but he can move.

Unfortunately it is pretty much impossible to tell you what wattage of bulb to use. It all depends on the cage, the height of the cage and your basking spot, your room temperature during the day and night etc.

With so many variables, all I can recommend is buy a couple cheap household spot lights or floods, a good digital thermometer with probe and set the cage up before you get your baby dragon. Try one light, leave it on for an hour or so, check temps on basking spot and ambient temps in the cool and warm ends...if they are too low, increase wattage, if too high, lower wattage. If just a little off you can lower or raise the basking spot.

I also suggest that you not put a very young bearded dragon in that big cage, it will feel lost in such a big cage and this can stress it out. Either use a smaller (a 20 or 30 gal long works great) cage or section off the big one in half or more and just adjust as your baby grows.
-----
PHLdyPayne

i agree...kind of a big cage for a baby dragon.

for heating....i'd get a 100 or 150 watt bulb and a dimmer switch so that you can control the output of the light without having to change bulbs.
-----
a free range dragon is a happy dragon