Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am getting a three month old bearded dragon and have a couple of questions. Tha first question I have is about what kind of substrates are the best for this lizard. I have read many things, often contradicting one another, on what is safe and what isn't. Does anyone have a recommendation based on extended personal experience, or know of a professional/expert opinion on this matter. The second question I have is about light and heating sources. I am leaning toward using a UV heat mercury vapor bulb to supply both the tank heat and the needed uv light. Is this all that is needed, or do I need another heat source, such as a under-tank pad. Also, does a uv heat bulb work as a sufficient heat source in the basking area. I noticed that the uv heat mercury vapor bulbs come in flood and spotlight models. If I am using this bulb as the only heat source and uv source, which type should I use? I have a 50 gallon (36L X 18W X 16H) tank and want to know what brand, and watt uv heat bulb people recommend. The lowest room temperature the tank will ever experience is 68 degrees overnight in the winter. If this is a problem, that can be adjusted to 70 degrees. If you have any knowledge on these two questions, please let me know. Thanks alot!

Well, for the first question, I would recommend paper towels for a young dragon. I know this is a heavily debated topic, but as the dragon gets older, I would use repticarpet or an outdoor carpet. I know alot of people use washed and sifted playsand, but I feel it is safer to go with the carpet. I believe that the BEST substrate for a baby or juvie is paper towels though. As for the heating question, I would say get a 160 watt PowerSun from Zoomed. You will have to experiment with the height of the lamp (I am assuming you will be using a lamp stand, if not, you should). You will have to test to see what the temp on the other side of the tank is. I used a 160watt flood in my 65 gallon, and that is all I needed. For a 55 gallon, I would think that you would just need to raise the height a bit. If the temps on the cool side are not close to 80, you may want to put a lower watt (like 40watt) bulb on the screen top (also assuming you will have one of these), maybe somewhere in the middle (you don't want to put it directly in the cool zone, because it will get too hot)and watch the temps in the basking area, you don't want that to get too warm either. It is trial and error really. That is my suggestion. The best MVB bulb I have used though, and never had a problem with is the Powersun. Hope this helps. Good luck.
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Reptichik

Reptichik- thanks for the info and the quick response. I think I will try the Powersun uv lamp, and the repticarpet as a substrate.