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86newbie

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Hi, I am soon to be the owner of a hatchling eastern water dragon. I am currently setting up the tank and went on the search for UVA/B fluros. Now what a mine field of information good and bad. What does everyone here recommend/use. I have read so much that says that one brand is terrible for causing damage to the reptile and then another site saying it is the best one on the market.
Basically I will have it in a indoor tank approx 4foot lng x 1.5x1.5 foot until its time to move into an outdoor enclosure.
I am also slightly confused with basic heating/lighting of the tank. What is recommended wattage wise to keep it at the correct temp and controlled gradient and also does the water need to be separately heated and how deep is recommend for the water. Thanks in advance.
:?
 
The best UVB lights are ReptiSun and Arcadia D3, Trixie's DesertPro is good too. And please don't buy those compact/coil bulbs (they look like energy saving ones) they are not worth jack *****. I use only tube bulbs (fluorescent tubes) for my beardie. Those compact bulbs sometimes flicker with low rate, so flickering is noticeable by eye, let alone with camera, which could lead to eye problems. ;)


P.S.: check this care sheet for your water dragon: http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com/articles/lizards/water-dragon-care.html
 
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I posted this on another thread but got no answer does the eye damage caused by compact fluoros occur only with bearded's or only with dragons or with all reptiles?
I do not use them for anything as I have heard about the eye damage they can cause to beardies but I was wondering whether they have the same effect on other animal.s
 
Can anyone show me anything that says these have been an issue in the last 2 to 3 years? :) Check out the UK guide, it was a long time ago.

I believe they are fine, but I think the main issue is they use all the UV very quickly, its a fast burn, or at least thats what research suggests. I cant come to terms with the fact that they are widely sold in all sorts of specialst reptile shops but diue to initial problems, they still have a hangover.

If you need to use them, as I do, they work no worries. We have a 10.0 and 2.0 curly in both our adult enclosures and never once had an issue. We aer slowly swapping to MVB's as we can afford to, but only as its cheaper than replacing these things every 6 months.
 
I switched to MVBs and my bearded dragons seem to love them. Only problem is, I've had two blow over the last 6 - 9 months, and considering how expensive they are..
 
Its true, they are expensive. The Solar Glo's have a good warranty, but I wouldnt put them on a stat, they have a safety built in to only start up 15 mins after they turn off. Given 50 bucks for a curly fluro and 80 for a solar glo, I reckon it works out OK in the long run. They sure do love em though.! :)
 
I think I realised the culprit of my two blown MVBs.. Appears a digital timer I'm using isn't working. Normal globe won't work on the same ceramic fitting when plugged in via the timer, but works when plugged directly into the power board. Given how sensitive MVBs are, I'm guessing that's what caused them to blow :(
 
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