# Incandescent Black Light



## Turtulas-Len (Oct 20, 2010)

I have been using these for a source of heat when you don't need the light,but the only time I can find them is at Halloween time. Wal Mart has the 75 watt bulbs for a $1.00 in the Halloween section.Thought I would put this info out here for those who could use them and didn't know they were there.


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## Maggie Cummings (Oct 20, 2010)

K-mart usually has them year round and if not you can ask the manager and they will get them for you. That's what I use and I get them from K-mart...


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## Kristina (Oct 20, 2010)

RiteAid has them also for $1 right now. I get them during the "non-Halloween" season at Walmart, but they are only 60 watts and 2 for $6 something.


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## terryo (Oct 20, 2010)

How long does one bulb last if you keep it on 24/7 for heat?


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## Kristina (Oct 20, 2010)

I have some that I bought last February (I stock up on such things every year when I get my tax return, lol.) I have been using them ever since and they are still going strong.


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## Madkins007 (Oct 20, 2010)

Just because I am in that sort of mood...

Did you guys know that tortoises can probably see UVA light? The sort of light that this kind of black lights put out (albeit weakly)? It is probably like putting out a fairly bright night light.

Always glad to help!


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## Yvonne G (Oct 21, 2010)

The regular incandescent bulbs hardly put out any UVA to speak of.

Scroll down to the incandescent paragraph:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_light


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## Madkins007 (Oct 21, 2010)

LOL Yvonne- that is the same article I looked at!

The 0.1% of the energy output as UVA is kinda misleading- most of the energy being released is in the form of heat energy (the heat is so bad in the bulb they generally only last about 100 hours according to the article, which would mean that they would only last about 12.5 8-hour nights- but Kristina seems to be getting a lot better life than that out of it.)

Since the cheapo bulbs you are talking about put out enough UV energy to brightly illuminate a black light poster, or a white t-shirt, they are putting out enough light energy to act as visible light to the cones in the tortoise's eyes.

I have no idea how bright it would seem to the tortoise, but it would almost have to be at least as bright as if the walls were all painted white and glowing blue.

Does this mean I would tell anyone to stop using them? Nah. But it would be interesting to try a controlled experiment and see if there are any differences in groups with and groups without them.

Like I said, I am just being a pest right now!


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## Yvonne G (Oct 21, 2010)

No this is really starting to bug me. I typed out this great big long post in response to Madkins' comment and when I hit "post reply" it came back a blank screen saying "done." And my post is gone into the nether world! Argh-h-h-h!!!

What I said was:

Please always continue to be a pest. That's how we all learn and maybe change our way of thinking.

I've not noticed any of my tortoises being restless during the night or seeming stressed at having a light on all night (black light). But I'll try to work on somehow covering the light to shade it, yet not block the heat.

How do you feel about using a red light instead of the black one? Most zoos use red at night.


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## Terry Allan Hall (Oct 21, 2010)

Only problem I have w/ those incandescent black lights is that Ptolemy never puts my Grateful Dead CDs back in their cases when they're on...


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## Madkins007 (Oct 21, 2010)

emysemys said:


> No this is really starting to bug me. I typed out this great big long post in response to Madkins' comment and when I hit "post reply" it came back a blank screen saying "done." And my post is gone into the nether world! Argh-h-h-h!!!
> 
> What I said was:
> 
> ...



I am almost glad that happens to you too- drives me crazy!!

I don't think the light is enough of an issue to worry about as long as your guys are not restless. I have seen more things in print wondering about the wisdom of a red night light for animals that can see color than I have about black or blue lights. 

After all, torts can sleep in broad daylight, so this is probably a non-issue in reality.



So..... you see lower electrical costs and better heating with the black lights, huh? I'll have to give that a try.

I use a low-wattage CHE in the 'cool' side to keep the temps around 80ish under it, and turn off the MVB at night, so the whole things cools a bit. I'll have to try the black lights instead.

Thanks!


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## Turtulas-Len (Oct 21, 2010)

These incandescent bulbs get much hotter then the regular bulb with the same wattage so what I do to reduce the heat output is use a dimmer switch, I take a extension cord and cut it in two and run it through the dimmer switch so the wattage can be reduced to reach the temp wanted.This also extends the life of the bulb.--(You need to make sure it is wired correctly to avoid a open hot side or reversed polarity )--I usually don't use black light bulbs or any type of light at night they are used to make a small hot spot during the day,because a lot of tortoise species don't like bright light shinning in their eyes.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 21, 2010)

E-e-e-e-ek!! Cut an extension cord??? ME???

I don't think so.


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## Laura (Oct 22, 2010)

I found Black lights at the dollar store...
and this time of year.. prob everywhere!


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## Candy (Oct 22, 2010)

I find it's like moonlight for the tortoises.


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