Advice On LEDs (Ambient Lighting)

Tommy03

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Messages
57
Location (City and/or State)
England
Hello,

I'm looking at LED lights for my Horsfield's new 8x3ft vivarium, and was wondering what everyone's opinions are on tape lights or whether a bar would be better? I've got the 46" Arcadia ProT5 for UV but need something for ambient lighting when this isn't switched on. I was looking at some with IP65 rating in 5000-6500K range. I'm also not sure how big the light should be or how many I'd need, etc.

These were the kind of tape lights I was looking at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HSF66JO/?tag=
Or the bar: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B089NS4DHR/?tag=

Thank you!
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,938
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
That's a daylight spectrum. And an LED is an excellent way to supply light without heat.
I think it would be a fantastic light to use with your T5 UVB.
We have a few members that lighting gurus. I'm not one of them.
@Markw84
 

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
The tape lights are crazy-bright pin points...be sure to have enough plants to diffuse the glare. The ones with covers are a bit more viv-resident-friendly if you are not doing a full-garden landscape treatment.

Any other UKers using DIY LEDs?

@Yossarian @Lyn W
 

turtlesteve

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Sep 23, 2012
Messages
711
I like “full spectrum” LED strip lights that are used for plants, especially if you are trying to grow plants in the enclosure. Some of them have all white LEDs and some are mostly white diodes with a few red (or other colors) that make up for wavelengths that are missing in the white diodes.

Absent this, the “cool white” LEDs for common indoor use should be OK. “Warm white” LEDs often use a phosphor that favors a peak emission in the yellow wavelength region, which is not all that natural or useful to plants.

Steve
 

jessepinkman

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
glasgow, scotland
I got a grow light today, what colours would u recommend keeping it on red/mixed? Its for the plants in the enclosure, waiting on more plants coming,i read so many threads about people saying that grow lights i can effect sleep pattern, obvious id rather not cause upset to tortoise routine.

Also i plan on mostly putting these grow lights on at night time, for the plants and a kind of ambient effect. would the grow lighys on at nighr be an issue to its pattern or behaviour?


It is fully dimmable too which is good.

Ill attach a photo of what the lights like
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20210410-212730_Amazon Shopping.jpg
    Screenshot_20210410-212730_Amazon Shopping.jpg
    177.5 KB · Views: 7

jessepinkman

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
glasgow, scotland
Photos attached
 

Attachments

  • 20210410_213011.jpg
    20210410_213011.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 13
  • 20210410_213029.jpg
    20210410_213029.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 13
  • 20210410_213041.jpg
    20210410_213041.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 12

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
I got a grow light today, what colours would u recommend keeping it on red/mixed? Its for the plants in the enclosure, waiting on more plants coming,i read so many threads about people saying that grow lights i can effect sleep pattern, obvious id rather not cause upset to tortoise routine.

Also i plan on mostly putting these grow lights on at night time, for the plants and a kind of ambient effect. would the grow lighys on at nighr be an issue to its pattern or behaviour?


It is fully dimmable too which is good.

Ill attach a photo of what the lights like
Tortoises have very sophisticated color vision. If there is an excess of red (or purple) glow cast on surfaces, your pet will be stimulated to eat things that may not be foods. Colored lamps are not recommended with Chelonian vivs.
 

jessepinkman

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
glasgow, scotland
Tortoises have very sophisticated color vision. If there is an excess of red (or purple) glow cast on surfaces, your pet will be stimulated to eat things that may not be foods. Colored lamps are not recommended with Chelonian vivs.
Ive put photos in, would these be suitable, they are led, have tried to show differwnt spectrumss.
They can be dimmed right down also, 10 dimmer settings im sure.

Its to helps the plants growth, i see some people would leave them all the time, but i thought night maybe on a very dimmed blue or mix on a very dimmed at night would help minimise any reaction the tortoise would have, plus the plants would be getting help with growth from the light.

Just dont want to do anything that would hurt or upset his routine or behaviour, basically i dont want it to come to any undue distress due to these lights, any suggestions or answers welcome ?
 

TeamZissou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
1,048
Location (City and/or State)
Albuquerque, NM
I like “full spectrum” LED strip lights that are used for plants, especially if you are trying to grow plants in the enclosure. Some of them have all white LEDs and some are mostly white diodes with a few red (or other colors) that make up for wavelengths that are missing in the white diodes.

Absent this, the “cool white” LEDs for common indoor use should be OK. “Warm white” LEDs often use a phosphor that favors a peak emission in the yellow wavelength region, which is not all that natural or useful to plants.

Steve

Steve, do you think a diffuser is needed for the high intensity LED grow lights, or are the bright point LEDs OK? Thanks
 

turtlesteve

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Sep 23, 2012
Messages
711
Steve, do you think a diffuser is needed for the high intensity LED grow lights, or are the bright point LEDs OK? Thanks

I have no reason to think a diffuser is needed, and when I asked the tortoises they just ignored me and and kept eating dinner. But I do slightly prefer the light strips or LED arrays rather than the screw in bulbs, because they spread the light out more.
 

TeamZissou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
1,048
Location (City and/or State)
Albuquerque, NM
Anyone know the answer?

Definitely do not leave them on during the night. Tortoises need darkness. As @ZenHerper said, red light is not great for tortoises.

I bought some of LEDs of this style once and they did not do well when I tried to use them for growing some tortoise food indoors. I started the plants (clover, radishes, etc) under a fluorescent 6500k grow lamp and they sprouted nicely, and switched to theses lights and they all died, even with the light very close to the sprouts. I do not think they are bright enough. If I were you, I would return them.

If growing plants in the enclosure is the goal, a high quality, high intensity 6500k LED grow bulb would be best. They have bulbs that fit in T5 fixtures. These are better than fluorescent tubes since LEDs do not produce harmful UVA that contributes to pyramiding.
 

jessepinkman

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
glasgow, scotland
Definitely do not leave them on during the night. Tortoises need darkness. As @ZenHerper said, red light is not great for tortoises.

I bought some of LEDs of this style once and they did not do well when I tried to use them for growing some tortoise food indoors. I started the plants (clover, radishes, etc) under a fluorescent 6500k grow lamp and they sprouted nicely, and switched to theses lights and they all died, even with the light very close to the sprouts. I do not think they are bright enough. If I were you, I would return them.

If growing plants in the enclosure is the goal, a high quality, high intensity 6500k LED grow bulb would be best. They have bulbs that fit in T5 fixtures. These are better than fluorescent tubes since LEDs do not produce harmful UVA that contributes to pyramiding.
I understand but what im confused about now is the basking light is a combi heat and uva/uvb, so does that mean the combi basking bulb is no use either then due to the uva in that bulb?
 

TeamZissou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
1,048
Location (City and/or State)
Albuquerque, NM
I understand but what im confused about now is the basking light is a combi heat and uva/uvb, so does that mean the combi basking bulb is no use either then due to the uva in that bulb?

This sounds like a mercury vapor bulb (MVB). These aren't great sources of UVB and have been shown to contribute to pyramiding as well. T5 HO tubes like those available from Arcadia are better for UV.

For basking, what you want is a regular incandescent flood bulb from a hardware store. 65 W is a good wattage to start with, but you will need to alter the height to dial in the basking temp. Your tortoise will do best in a closed chamber rather than this open topped enclosure you currently have.

Here is a great care sheet if you have not yet seen it:

 
Top