I am getting a terrarium that is 48in long 18in deep and 17in tall, and I was wondering if anyone can tell me how big of a hood do I need to get and what would be a good uva/uvb bulb to get and how big of a heat lamp should I get and how many watts do I need.

you will need at least a 100W spot basking bulb, maybe an Under Tank Heater if your house is cold. Put the UV light inside the tank by the basking spot. Change the temp by raising and lowering the basking spot.

__________________
Bennett Greenberg
www.beardiedragon.com
home of the Florida Orange

It depends on what type of light youare going to go with. If flourescent you will need a 2 tube fixture, 48 inches long to cover the entire tank length. The bulb is the reptisun 5.0 or iguana light 5.0(same bulb different package). You will also need to provide a basking area that will get the animals within 12 inches of the bulbs.
Mercury vapors only require a dome like a basking light, put out a lot more UVB at greater distances from the bulb and will not require you to use the 12 inch minimum distance.
I would suggest checking out the ReptileUV link on our homepage. These are the state of the art in UVB bulbs. You can get them that do or do not produce heat.
For heat for a cage that size I would recommend a ceramic heating element. Puts out a lot of warmth but no light so you don't have to worry about a supplemental heat source at night if the room is too cool.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!