Is a photoperiod light schedule truly essential for my bearded dragon?

The lights should go off at night. A photo period of 12-14 hours depending on the season is recommended. The heat lamp can be turned off as long as nighttime temps in the enclosure do not fall below 70 F. If they do, you can use a ceramic heat emitter, or CHE. This will provide heat without visible light and will not disturb your dragon while sleeping.

Good questions. Since Bearded Dragons are omnivores, you want limit the amount of crickets (and other insects) you feed them, so they are motivated to eat the veggies. You can do this by having a daily feed time. It's not easy to know exactly how many to feed at a certain time, because it depends on their size. I would start with 12. If this seems like too much (he doesn't eat them within a day), then cut back till it seems adequate. Remember, you want a few hours where he only has vegetables to eat. If he/she eats them all right away, then you can add some more. You want the UV lamp to mimic daylight, so it should not be on longer than 12 hours. I always used a timer with my lamps, or I'd invariably leave them on or off for too long. I've included a link to a very helpful website that has great information on how to care for Bearded Dragons. It's highly recommended you read this for the best care of your Beardy. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html Good luck and enjoy - they make great pets!

I think leaving the red light on at night is fine. I would try not to let it get below 60s at night. I am going to attach a great resource about husbandry and diet for your bearded dragon to help give you better guidelines on his temperature, lighting, and diet. I hope this helps. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html

The ReptiSun 10.0 bulb by Zoo Med is widely recommended. It should not be obstructed by either glass or plexiglass or be more than 18 inches away from the basking area. If you can't get one just yet, natural unfiltered sunlight can be provided daily if you can do it safely and without risk of escape.

The ReptiSun 5.0 UVB bulb will provide sufficient UVA/UVB lighting for an anole. Be sure it is not obstructed by glass or plexiglass and replace it every 6 months (it loses strength over time). Leonard should have 12-14 hours or lighting each day. The simplest way to ensure this is to place the tank light and UVB light on a timer. If temps drop below 65 F at night, you'll need a supplemental heat source for the enclosure. A ceramic heat emitter (CHE) will emit heat with no visible light so as to not disturb him at night. You can read more about anole care here: http://www.anapsid.org/anole.html

Con rats on your new beardie! Conflicting information online can certainly drive you crazy. I'm not sure if you had a question or concern since the post was truncated. Juvenile beardies need temps that are a bit higher than adult dragons. As Sam gets older, you can make adjustments. For now, the basking area should range from 35C to 43C. Ambient temps should range between 29C and 32C. Nighttime temps should not drop below 22C. You can use a ceramic heat emitter at night if necessary. This is a heater that does not emit visible light which can disturb your beardie at night. Humidity levels should be 35%-40%. Beardies come from desert environments. High humidity can predispose them to respiratory infection. Use high quality thermometers and hygrometers to monitor parameters. The following links can provide great information regarding care and feeding. http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html https://www.beardeddragon.org/index.php http://pogopogona.com/

It's a fine set up. You may not need the CHE at night. As long as nighttime temperatures don't drop below 70 F, you should be fine without supplemental heat. I can't see the top, but make sure the UVB light is not blocked by fine mesh.