Newbie Lighting Advice!

[ArciCola]

Hey everyone!

I'm new to chameleons, owning mostly snakes and lizards and have been reading these forums religiously since deciding on a ambilobe panther chameleon a month ago.
I have a repti-breeze 2x2x4 set up with real, washed pothos plants, bamboo and fake vine branches as well as a real branch which has been washed and frozen. I have a dual t-5 strip plant light and was told to invest in a deep dome and 125w exo-terra solar-glo bulb by the guy at my local reptile store. After setting everything up, the solar-glo bulb doesn't seem to be heating the way I'd like. The temperature about 24' away is only 75 and basking is at 88. Also, I read numerous reviews on this bulb with people complaining that it doesn't produce hardly any UVB. Two people even said their animals developed metabolic bone disease!
I'm thinking of returning both the bulb and dome and investing in a dual deep dome, with one basking bulb and one UVB repti-sun. I keep getting conflicting information, but would it be best to do as said above, or should I keep the light set up I have now and just add a 18' long UBV repti-sun? Or should I keep the dome, replace the bulb and get a 18' long UVB?
Sorry if this is confusing, just want to make sure my set up is on point before I get my new pet Oh BTW I live in the pacific Northwest and my house temp is relatively low this time of year, about 60.

Thanks everyone!!

(Here's a pic of my set-up, clearly not finished yet but getting there )

 

[MelissaB]

If it was me, I'd take back the dome and the bulb, and buy the T5 UVB reptisun if it will fit in your fixture. Then for basking, I'd buy a brooder dome(with ceramic bulb socket) from the hardware store and use a regular bulb for basking. I have several fixtures with the reptisun T5 bulbs, and have been very pleased with them.

Edited to add:
I don't think you want temperatures higher than what you're getting now.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I just use a quad T5 fixture and swap a bulb with a Reptisun 10.0 or Arcadia 12%. I then get a cheap dome from the hardware store and use a regular bulb for basking. I have this setup on all of my chams and they are as healthy as can be.

 

[hobbywhelmed]

If I may jump into this thread - I'm all for using regular incandescent bulbs for basking - but a shopping search today for 40 and 60 watt bulbs only brought a ton of those "modified spectrum"/"energy saving" incandescent bulbs. Do they provide the same amount of heat as the traditional incandescent "general use" bulbs that are getting forced off the marketplace?

Or do I have to start buying the much more expensive specialty basking bulbs sold only in pet shops?

 

[ArciCola]

Thanks everyone! I took back the light but saved the fixture, put a repti-sun 5.0 in the dual light and it's running great! Good to know temps don't need to be higher than about 75, 88 for basking. Any particular basking bulbs recommended??

Thanks everyone, you guys are the best !!