Thermostats

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I am getting new enclosures built for each of my two Bearded Dragons.  The are almost done so I have just a few final decisions to make.  The cages are approximately 4x2x2, but those measurements are slightly off due to the shape of the cages (half-octagonal).  They are made of red oak with formica on the floor.  They will have glass doors on the front, side panels that interchange between glass and screen and a screen top covered by a faux top that will house the lighting and heating.  I am going to have a 100 watt MV bulb with supplemental heating hooked up to a thermostat.  My first question is, what (flood) wattage would you suggest as supplemental heat (I was thinking like 60 watt halogen?...).  Also, I would like a thermostat tht will keep it UP TO a certain temp (say 105) but also NOT OVER a certain temp so as not to overheat.  The ambient temps in my apt are all over the board so I definitely need some regulation within the tank.  Also this is not imperitive, but ideally I could also hook an alternate light on the "cool" side that I could use to either use as supplemental in the winter to keep the cool side warm enough and or as a nightlite to ensure it doesnt get under say 60 or so.  Sorry for the novel - just wanted to provide some back-up info.  My other main question is what kind of thermostat would you recommend based on that (and any info you can provide about it would be much appreciated) and where can I get the one you recommend?

THanks so Much!!!

ANSWER: Hi Karuna,
For the cool side, remember, that area won't drop lower than the temperature of the room.  
What I suggest to use for night time heat is the ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat.  Lightbulbs or tubes cannot be used on a thermostat as that it will sooner or later cause the lightbulb to break. The MV lights cannot go on a thermostat or a rheostat....it will instantly burn the light out.
I use the A-life 1000 watt thermostats and they are within a few degrees of being accurate. All the critters here have thermostats which have the ceramic heat emitters hooked up to them.
There are some thermostats that are rather pricey, but of course the more you pay..in most cases the better the product.  Here is one site that has higher priced thermostats. http://www.spyderrobotics.com/products/index.html

Here is what the thermostat looks like that I use... ..
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/thermometers-and-thermostat (if you also do a "google" search, you will come up with other places that sell them..so you can do a little comparison shopping.  Also, Zoo Med has one that is identical to the ALife one...which I also use.
Since you are using a MV  for uvb and heat(hopefully the mega ray or T-Rex brand) you should have another non uvb basking area(light/heat only) as with the MV lights, the lizards seem to meet their uvb needs faster but still need to have a basking area to be able to bask for proper digestion, etc. For extra heat and light during the day, I really like the new Zoo med halogen bulbs...the wattage will depend on the distance and room temperatures, but I would figure somewhere between the 50 and 75 watt would do it.
Your cages sound lovely!!!  With the faux top, be sure to have plenty of air circulation to prevent overheating of your lights.
Hope this has helped you out and if you have any other questions, let me know....  below are a few links that you might find helpful.

More in-depth care info can be found at: http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/BDcare.html
http://www.sundialreptile.com/care%20sheet--bearded%20dragon.htm
http://www.blackninjakitty.com/herps/dragons
Most bearded dragons will take long naps (generally,if they are  over a yr) in the fall.. this is called Brumation.  is a form of hibernation.  You can read more about that at http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/BDbrumate.html )


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks so much for answering so promptly!  I have heard before that they should have additional basking area but am a little confused as to how that fits into my current plan (ie would that be in lieu of additional heat for mv bulb? and if not how far apart should they be and also I would have concerns about too much heat.  I am also going to have a double fluerescent (im sure I butchered that word lol) bulb for daylight light only 5000 k daylight bulbs).  thanks so much again!

Answer
It would be in addition to the MV bulb. The MV bulb is basking(heat) and uvb... then having an area away from that(like maybe mid or slighty less) another basking area that is heat only.  I wouldn't worry about that until you get your "kids" into their new cages and see if they seek out a spot with no uvb, other than their cool spot.  With them being sun worshiping critters, they may be ok with only the MV ...
If I am reading your cage size right, you are 4 ft long, so you have a good bit of space to work with. If you find that you do need to include a "heat only" spot for them, you could always switch to the mega ray 60 watt external ballast MV light. which then, using one of the halogen bulbs(zoo-med) should be ok with temperatures and you would be able to set them closer together.  The zoo med halogen come in  a low wattage of 50 ..and of course higher. Also, keep in mind that there are "spot" and "flood" lights.  The spots concentrate on a smaller area where the floods, well..they flood the area in a wider area.