Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. I'm new to anoles but have a beardy for last several years so that is my point of reference
Anyway I recently acquired/rescued an anole. With the beardy I did the research, tank set-up etc first then got the lizard. This time I got the lizard first. I sort of rigged a temporary set-up until I was sure the anole would live. This may sound cheap but I really didn't want to spend the money if was going to die. It was pretty dehydrated and skinny and BROWN when I got it. After a week of soaking, handfeeding and a more appropirate enviroment, it seems to be doing well, eating on its own and is a pretty green in color. I have the basic ideas on lizard care but have a few questions on lighting.

What watt basking bulb would you use for a 10 gallon tank. the light fixture sits on top of the screen top. I have 100 Watt for the beardy tank but that is way too hot on top of the screen
for the smaller anole tank.

I also need to get him a UVB bulb. I've used the repti-sun 5.0 and recetnly the 10.0 for the beardy. Do I need something that strong? I've seen references to a vita-lite but am unfamilar with those and how they compare with the reptisun.

Thanks for your help

A ZooMed ReptiSun 5.0 is ideal. The wattage for a basking light will depend on the distance from the basking area(s) and ambient temperature in the house. The basking temperature should be 85-92 degrees (90 is ideal). I use a range of bulbs in my setups from 40 Watt (in the summer when it is warmer) to 100 Watt in the winter (when the house is much colder). They are all clamp lamps and hang from a homemade light bar which spans the top of the enclosure. I also have mounted a computer cooling fan that exhausts air from the enclosure to provide some ventilation.

Just an update. The anole is doing well. The new tank set up seems to be working well. Thnkas for your input