You can now download a Free PDF of this series by clicking here! You would get no argument from anyone who has kept or bred the Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. that natural unfiltered sunlight is the very best situation for a Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. to obtain the needed UVB that this species requires. Living in an apartment setting however this can prove to be a difficult chore to handle. In order to provide a Bearded Dragon Pogona sp. with UVB light you must have a light which is capable of providing it. Here again there is considerable debate on which ones provide the best output of UVB. For myself I use the fluorescent tubes manufactured by Zoo Med or the Vita-lite series.
In my experience these provide enough UVB without having to worry about overheating as you would have when using the Mercury Vapor style bulbs. 
In order to get the most out of the UVB lighting most manufacturers recommend that the light be situated no more than twelve inches away from the reptile itself. These fluorescent lights come in various sizes so that you may buy the appropriate size for any enclosure that you might be using. When buying the fixtures for these bulbs I always recommend and use the “shop light” fixtures available from most home improvement and hardware stores.
Apartment Living & Reptiles 