bearded dragons and light

Question
We have just purchased a baby beardie, he's probably no more than 2 mos. old.   We have a 40 gal tank with dimensions of 36W X 18D X 16H.  I have received such conflicting info about the lighting and setup of the habitat. I am worried that I may not have purchased the proper lighting. Could you please tell me what type of lighting/heat and how large they should be?  Should the UVB bulb extend the length of the tank?  What lights should be on 24hrs and which should be on only at night?  What should the set up of the habitat be also?  He has a rock which he uses to bask which lifts him maybe 4-5" toward the light.  He does have a hiding place but I have it on the cool side.  Is this correct?   We just got him yesterday and so he's still adjusting to his enviro but he spent almost the whole day basking.   I would rather get the setup right now before he develops any problems.

Thank you.

Answer
Hello Lizanne,

Those are very good questions as it is confusing with all of the conflicting lighting advice.  I will try to simplify it for you.
The best tube bulbs that you can get here in the US are the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb.  You could also try to find the Arcadia D3 12% tube bulb which is normally used predominantly in Europe & Australia but you can get it ordered to be shipped here.
The UVB tube should only stretch out to cover 3/4ths of the distance of the length of the tank.  The reason is that they need an area where they can get out of the UVB if they so desire to.  If you use a tube bulb, then you will need to use a bright white basking light.  I mostly recommend a bright white halogen flood light because they are so bright & get nice & hot.  The basking light needs to be placed directly beside the flourescent tube bulb on one end of the tank.  This will create a nice basking area in which they can get warmth right along with UVB exposure.  The bright light will also protect his eyes from the UVB exposure.  
The UVB tube needs to be roughly 6-8 inches from him.  Building a nice basking platform out of a rock, or tiles, bricks, etc is appreciated by them as they love to be up on something to bask.
The basking temperatures need to be 95-110 & the cooler end should be 78-82.  
The UVB & the basking light need to be on a 12 hour cycle for daytime regulation, & be off for a 12 hour nighttime cycle.  That is the most routinely used light & darkness cycle.  They need it dark for their sleep time.  Any light at night even the red light, can disturb their sleeping patterns.  If you need any nighttime heating, it is best to use a ceramic heat emitter.  They can fall into the 50's & 60's at night safely so nighttime heating might not be necessary for a portion of the year.  Most people tend to keep their tank temperatures around the 70's or so.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Tracie