Arcadia bulb

Sunshine82

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Anyone with an Arcadia D3 reptile lamp 12% T5?

How long do you leave it on for during the day?

Thanks
 

xMario

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Anyone with an Arcadia D3 reptile lamp 12% T5?

How long do you leave it on for during the day?

Thanks
I have the Arcadia t5 12% with the arcadia mirrored reflector mounted at 18 inches from the shell level of my tort and I leave it on for 8 hours a day (sulcata tortoise). But my sulcata has enough space to go out of the light and can hide from it if he wants.
 

Tom

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Anyone with an Arcadia D3 reptile lamp 12% T5?

How long do you leave it on for during the day?

Thanks
My bulbs are very strong. At a distance of 20" I get a UVI of 6-7. This being the case, I only run the bulbs 3-4 hours a day mid day, to simulate the UV spike that happens outside. I've seen other people with these bulbs that get lower readings at that height, so they run theirs longer. You really need a meter. With out it, we are all just guessing. Different bulbs from different batches can perform differently, even though they are all Arcadia 12% HO tubes in a reflector hood.

Click here: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
 

Yvonne G

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I don't think the brand of the bulb makes any difference. You leave the light on for 12 to 14 hours a day. Some people take the time to add different timers so the UVB bulb only comes on for an hour or two in the middle of the day, and the basking bulb is on for 12 to 14 hours a day. That's too much fiddling around for me. My tube type UVB bulbs are on a timer set to come on at 7a and go off at 7p. In other enclosures, the MVBs are on timers and are set to come on at 7a and go off at 7p.
 

Sunshine82

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Sep 13, 2018
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Location (City and/or State)
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My bulbs are very strong. At a distance of 20" I get a UVI of 6-7. This being the case, I only run the bulbs 3-4 hours a day mid day, to simulate the UV spike that happens outside. I've seen other people with these bulbs that get lower readings at that height, so they run theirs longer. You really need a meter. With out it, we are all just guessing. Different bulbs from different batches can perform differently, even though they are all Arcadia 12% HO tubes in a reflector hood.

Click here: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Joined
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Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
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I don't think the brand of the bulb makes any difference. You leave the light on for 12 to 14 hours a day. Some people take the time to add different timers so the UVB bulb only comes on for an hour or two in the middle of the day, and the basking bulb is on for 12 to 14 hours a day. That's too much fiddling around for me. My tube type UVB bulbs are on a timer set to come on at 7a and go off at 7p. In other enclosures, the MVBs are on timers and are set to come on at 7a and go off at 7p.
Some of the new HO bulbs make UV as strong as mid day summer sun. If mounted a little too close, they might be even stronger than mid day summer sun. Outdoors there is almost no UV in the early morning and late evening. I don't think it is a good idea to leave a 12% HO bulb on for 12-14 hours a day. I think on all day is fine for regular 10.0 bulbs, which produce low levels of UV, but not for bulbs that produce high levels of UV.
 

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