# what is the best basking bulb for bearded dragon



## minty1982 (May 7, 2009)

hi just buying all my stuff for bearded dragon my viv will be 48x24x24 but just wondering what would be the best basking bulb to buy would be and what watt should i use thanx


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

100watt spot lamp from Asda / B&Q / Tesco / Homebase / etc. Shouldn't cost more than 75p


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## minty1982 (May 7, 2009)

thank you and would that supply enough heat 2 keep the cool end right temp


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

yep, or you want to cover yourself you can go for a 150watt. They should be plugged into a dimming thermostat as standard so the thermostat will make sure it gets hot enough in the hot end and cool enough in the cool end.
you might have to play with the basking spot though to get them right, ie raising or lowering it to get the right variation of heat.


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## LUISSSSSSSS (Jan 8, 2009)

My daughter uses a 60w spotbulb for her beardie and he's in a 4x21/2x21/2. She's never had a problem with warm or cool end


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## taraliz (Aug 10, 2008)

my viv is 4ft by 2ft and even a 100w normal bulb wont get temps high enough, so im guessing from this thread i need a spot bulb and maybe a hood? Sorry to but in...


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

minty1982 said:


> thank you and would that supply enough heat 2 keep the cool end right temp


If anything it might be too much heat. You need to get a thermostat to regulate things and make sure the beardie doesn't overheat.


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## minty1982 (May 7, 2009)

thanx for help i have bought a habistat dimming thermo so hopefully this will be ok.and i bought a arcadia lighting controller model number acu36 36/38/40w and it says to use with 42"-48" bulbs but i heard the best bulb to use is zoo med reptisun 10.0 but they only do 48" which is 2 big and 36" which is bit small and no 42" could i use 36" with this lighting controller as the 36" reptisun is rated 30w so would it work as box states 36/38/40w


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

put the 48 diagonal rather than straight, it's a bit bigger


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## mEOw (Dec 28, 2006)

i used to use 80Watt or 100Watt Par38 bulbs for bearded dragons.. they have built in parabolic reflector and last a hell of a lot longer than normal spot bulbs, i found they were just better all round. but like with most things you get what you pay for, these are quite a bit more expencive than normal spot bulbs... infact i still use these and the smaller halogen bulbs for all my basking reptiles, my par38 bulbs are over 2 years old now, havnt had to replace a single one yet, bought them as a job lot on ebay and from what i have seen the smaller halogen bulbs i use are just as good (Par63 i thinl?)
Owen


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## minty1982 (May 7, 2009)

do u think zoo med will bring out a reptisun 10.0 in 42" anytime soon lookin at getting my beardie once i get back of holidays in aug


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

minty1982 said:


> thanx for help i have bought a habistat dimming thermo so hopefully this will be ok.and i bought a arcadia lighting controller model number acu36 36/38/40w and it says to use with 42"-48" bulbs but i heard the best bulb to use is zoo med reptisun 10.0 but they only do 48" which is 2 big and 36" which is bit small and no 42" could i use 36" with this lighting controller as the 36" reptisun is rated 30w so would it work as box states 36/38/40w


I wouldn't use that controller with a 36" tube, as the wattage is a bit too high - it could shorten the lifespan of the tube or cause other problems. A 48" tube should fit in diagonally, or you could look for a 12% Arcadia D3+ tube - I think they might come in 42" lengths, and are just as good (if not better) than the ReptiSun 10s...


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## minty1982 (May 7, 2009)

ok will have a look at that as well thanx


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## minty1982 (May 7, 2009)

ok thanx


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## jaf2212 (May 10, 2008)

I use par38 bulbs, cost between £3-5 but last alot longer, I use the 80w in the warm weather to heat a 6ft viv.

PAR38 Plain - Spotlights — (UK) Light bulbs, halogen lamps, spot lights and tubes by mail order in the UK


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