Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well ok im going to go ahead and purchase 2 baby beardies in about 2 weeks im getting the tanks and lights and fixtures this weekend, and im using shelf liner as my substrate and whatnot..

I just wanna check what exactly to get and if im forgetting somthing

Also whats the difference between the repti-glo 5.0 and 8.0 is it just the uvb output..and if so Should I get the 8.0?

Ok im getting 55g tank this weekend the 55 is $59.99 so If they have like a bigger one for around 80-100 bucks I might get that.. what do you guys think?

What kind of temp guns you guys like.. Im look for a cheap one.. but not so cheap its inacurate....

Thermostats.. What do you suggest?

also what exact brand vitamins should I use.. I heard like repcal or somthing like that...

And thats it..unless I missed somthing..ill deal with the objects in the tank like a basking rock and stuff...

Also I need a dish for food and dont I need one thats filled enough for the beardie to fit in or no..I read somewhere its good to have a pool for it to walk in..

-- Paul

Well I recommend repti sun 5.0 as I believe most people use this brand and it gives off more uvb then repti glos and for the tank the bigger the better.For a food dish I use a flower pot base and I don't recommend having a water dish in the cage as it will raise humidity and will increase the chance of a respiratory infection.

Are you getting two female BD's? B/c unless your getting two tanks for each BD, you need for them to both be female. And really have the breeder or petstore check. I've got a male and a female BD, but i bought both as female.

As for the lights, i'd say ReptiSun 5.0 i use them and they are more than enough UV. I wouldnt waste the extra money on the 8.0, but if your budget alows it, u can, but it wont make a noticable difference. You can buy those real cheap Here

Tempguns only measure the temperature of the surface of the object that your taking the temperature of. I'd reccomend gettign sum digital thermometers. They measure the temperature of the air in the tank, and that's wut u wanna kno.
Here's the kind that i use, they're inexpensive, small, and are very accurate. You can buy them Here

Repcal calcium w/ D3, and Repcal vitamins are both very good and should last you a long time.

I myself don't use a thermostat (or jsut havent gotten around to getting one) but if i did get one i'd get a "ReptiTemp 500R" made by ZooMed. You can get those Here

I also say "No" on the water dish. Wading in water can stimulate your BD's to poop, and you don't want your BD to poop in it water and then drink it. There's no way to be around 24/7 to makesure that the water get's cleaned. Water dishes are just bacteria breeding grounds. BD's rarely drink from standing water anyways. They get all their moisture from either misting them on their head where they can lap up the water off their nose, or more often they get all their water intake form the greens that you feed them.

And you dont need a bowl big enough for them to fit into, but get a pretty big one, they eat so much when they're older.

On a final note, somethign else that i'd suggest for your tank that u didnt list would be a timer for you lights. And don't get one from a petstore or something like that, they'll only overcharge you for one. go to liek walmart or homedepot and get one for $7. It's so much easier not having to worry about your BD's lights, just preset it and never think about it again. And somethign that's nifty to have is a MistyMate handheld mister. I use it to mist my BD's and their food.

Also, (just incase you didn't kno) electric heat rocks are a big No NO, they'll burn your BD's stomache.

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1.1.0 Bearded Dragons
Quebert & Isis
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Signature file edited; [phw 9/24/04]