Over the weekend, we purchased a juvenile beardie for my 10 year-old son. This is his second attempt at keeping a beardie; the last one died about a month after we purchased it. Consequently, I want to make sure we are getting our husbandry right.

When we purchased the first beardie, we also purchased a Zoomed Bearded Dragon kit. It included a 20 gallon screened top tank, a double dome light (with a 100 watt incandescent bulb and a red bulb), and a UVB 5.0 compact flourescent (with hood). When we bought the new beardie this weekend, I was told that we really needed a UVB 10.0 bulb, so I purchased one of those. I have a Herpstat 2 that I wasn't using for anything else so I connected the 100 watt incandescent to the Herpstat and set a daytime temp and a nighttime temp (I'm at work right now and don't recall the exact temp settings, but they were within what is normally recommended for beardies). I did not use the red light. I connected the UVB 10.0 bulb to a separate timer and had it set to be on for 14 hours. What I quickly discovered is that the Herpstat frequently would cause the incandescent bulb to dim and then get brighter. This drove my family nuts. In addition, I was concerned that the light would not be good for the beardie at night (it was effectively giving him a 24-hour daylight). Consequently, last night I switched the incandescent bulb to a 100 watt CHE that I wasn't using. From what I am seeing, the 100 watt CHE is not strong enough to get the basking area to 104. As a result, I'm considering switching to a 150 watt CHE, but before I do so I want to make sure it is acceptable to use just a CHE for heat. In other words, my first question is this: If a CHE is used as a heat source, is an incandescent bulb also needed to provide daylight? Or, is the UVB 10.0 a sufficient daylight source?

Second question: Knowing that I have the following equipment that I am not currently using, what would you recommend I use for heating and lighting for the beardie:
  • Double-dome fixture
  • Two single dome fixtures
  • Two CHE fixtures
  • 100 Watt and 150 Watt CHEs
  • Assorted red and white incandescent bulbs


Third question: Does it make a difference where I place the UVB 10.0 (i.e., over the basking area or over the cold side)? If it does make a difference, over which side should I place the UVB?

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions for this beardie newbie.