I purchased 2 arcadia 24w pro t5 desert weeks ago. I revised my enclosure to include 2 separate tort areas. I was quite amazed at the “cheapness” of the arcadia units. So, i just received a 39w 12.0 made by ooibo off of amazon. I must say the quality is leaps and bounds better than the arcadia. I am wondering if the bulb itself will be the same as the arcadia bulb. Anyone out there have any comments about ooibo products.
Arcadia light quality
- Thread starter Mrgeez
- Start date
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
@Alex and the Redfoot might have some comments.
Common troubles with cheaper lamps are outlined here:
https://tomaskas.co.uk/what-we-know-about-bad-uvb-kits/ (this site also has some reviews of lamps by ReptiZoo and some other chinese brands).
A few things differentiate Arcadia, ZooMed, Leap and other recommended brands:
1. Phosphor coating formula. Hard to replicate, not widely available for purchase. It defines lamps output - band proportions, health safety. That's where chinese lamps lag behind. And it's not really possible to measure with hobby equipment. From what I've seen all lamps with good test results are made in Germany or US (probably, because of phosphors availability).
2. Correct geometry of the reflector. Arcadia and ZooMed lamps are well-tested and there are radiance charts for this lamps. You can be more or less sure about what UV level you get and where.
3. Predictable quality and lifespan. Even if Arcadia fixtures are flimsy and whatever, you get long-lasting ballast/lamp with predictable and safe UV output, quite stable between batches. That's not the case with chinese lamps, unfortunately.
Can you tell more what you dislike about Arcadia lamps (besides plastic mounting brackets
)?
https://tomaskas.co.uk/what-we-know-about-bad-uvb-kits/ (this site also has some reviews of lamps by ReptiZoo and some other chinese brands).
A few things differentiate Arcadia, ZooMed, Leap and other recommended brands:
1. Phosphor coating formula. Hard to replicate, not widely available for purchase. It defines lamps output - band proportions, health safety. That's where chinese lamps lag behind. And it's not really possible to measure with hobby equipment. From what I've seen all lamps with good test results are made in Germany or US (probably, because of phosphors availability).
2. Correct geometry of the reflector. Arcadia and ZooMed lamps are well-tested and there are radiance charts for this lamps. You can be more or less sure about what UV level you get and where.
3. Predictable quality and lifespan. Even if Arcadia fixtures are flimsy and whatever, you get long-lasting ballast/lamp with predictable and safe UV output, quite stable between batches. That's not the case with chinese lamps, unfortunately.
Can you tell more what you dislike about Arcadia lamps (besides plastic mounting brackets
)?I didn’t say i dislike them. I paid great attention to what this forum recommends, hence why I bought 2 arcadia lights. Arcadia fixture is not as rigid as the ooibo. Yes, I assumed bulb quality is not as good, but IF an arcadia bulb fits in the ooibo fixture….,,,
My long term goal is to have 1 male and 2 females to breed. I can partition my enclosure into 2 separate areas if the 3 don’t get along. The 39w ooibo light, along with 2 basking lights will provide for 2 separate basking areas, divided by a partition if necessary. Each section will also have a second basking area with the arcadia lights.
I just thought I’d give the ooibo a try since it was half the price of an arcadia.
Has anyone ever disassembled an arcadia light to explore where the ballasts actually are made?
My long term goal is to have 1 male and 2 females to breed. I can partition my enclosure into 2 separate areas if the 3 don’t get along. The 39w ooibo light, along with 2 basking lights will provide for 2 separate basking areas, divided by a partition if necessary. Each section will also have a second basking area with the arcadia lights.
I just thought I’d give the ooibo a try since it was half the price of an arcadia.
Has anyone ever disassembled an arcadia light to explore where the ballasts actually are made?
The lamp should fit if it's the same wattage/length. However, lamps in different fixtures have different irradiation patterns (https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/t5-uvi-comparison-arcadia-vs-sun-blaze-fixture.184441/), having a Solarmeter 6.5 for measuring UVI will be very important.
Maybe, @jaizei know what ballast Arcadia uses.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
I’m definitely not trying to put you off, but the problem with two separate areas is that then two of them would be together and pairs do not work for tortoises, even two females. You’d need three separate 8x4 areas.
May I ask what you plan to do with the babies? Because if I’m being honest, Russians are probably the worst kind of tortoise to breed in the current climate, as in they’re are a dime in a dozen, it won’t be profitable by any means and there’s no telling what kind of homes the resulting babies would end up in, hundreds if not thousands of Russians need rescuing into better homes each and every year, I really would re think bringing more into the world
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Look at it like this if you will, it’s generally frowned upon to let regular feral or domesticated cats breed these days because of how overrun shelters are, again they’re a dime in a dozen and millions need saving every year, theres no profit from selling a cat when you can many for free, its not much different to this situation.
I understand tortoise breeding might be a hobby you want to get into, I just think there some ethical reasons as to why it might not be the best idea, you could end up with many babies on your hands if you can’t sell them, and if you do sell them you could well be adding to the current problem with most captive kept Russians and they end up in less than ideal homes, there isn’t enough good homes vs the amount that need them, it’s been that way for quite some time now unfortunately
just something to consider..
I understand tortoise breeding might be a hobby you want to get into, I just think there some ethical reasons as to why it might not be the best idea, you could end up with many babies on your hands if you can’t sell them, and if you do sell them you could well be adding to the current problem with most captive kept Russians and they end up in less than ideal homes, there isn’t enough good homes vs the amount that need them, it’s been that way for quite some time now unfortunately
just something to consider..
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
This might *hopefully* change as the exporting of Russians via the CITES system might be banned.Because if I’m being honest, Russians are probably the worst kind of tortoise to breed in the current climate, as in they’re are a dime in a dozen, it won’t be profitable by any means and there’s no telling what kind of homes the resulting babies would end up in, hundreds if not thousands of Russians need rescuing into better homes each and every year, I really would re think bringing more into the world
Russian Tortoises CITES update
Just thought I’d throw an interesting article into people’s feeds today. It looks like the last country who still legally exported Russians (said they were farm raised but pretty much admitted they were still wild caught) has now stopped the export for Russians entirely. This could mean that we...
tortoiseforum.org
I am really not in this endeavor to make money. I like torts and consider it a rewarding pleasure to succeed in breeding a pair, one time. Raising hatchlings appears to be yet another challenge in this hobby. I hope to raise the entire hatch for at least 3-4 years, maybe more, in an outdoor enclosure probably in my greenhouse. I would surely give any away to someone i personally know for free. My 10 year plan is to “educate myself” while enjoying the challenge. Then i would like to try a much more rarer or difficult species. Maybe western hermanns or the Egyptian species.Look at it like this if you will, it’s generally frowned upon to let regular feral or domesticated cats breed these days because of how overrun shelters are, again they’re a dime in a dozen and millions need saving every year, theres no profit from selling a cat when you can many for free, its not much different to this situation.
I understand tortoise breeding might be a hobby you want to get into, I just think there some ethical reasons as to why it might not be the best idea, you could end up with many babies on your hands if you can’t sell them, and if you do sell them you could well be adding to the current problem with most captive kept Russians and they end up in less than ideal homes, there isn’t enough good homes vs the amount that need them, it’s been that way for quite some time now unfortunately
I guess just a pair will be my plan. I thought i read somewhere that a 1.2 usually gets along together.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Yeah cheaper off brands aren’t worth it, though the Arcadia may appear light weight, it really is one of the highest quality brands you can get
CCC. Cheap Chinese Cra... Well, you know...
NO NO NO!!! This is the opposite of what we want! WILD CAUGHT Russians are a dime a dozen because they keep importing them for cheap. We want as much captive breeding of this species as possible to make it pointless and unnecessary to remove them from the wild and ship them across the world. Captive breeding should be strongly encouraged.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Actually this is a very valid take Tom! I do appreciate it, I think it’s the part of me that sees all these Russians both captive bred and wild caught that need better homes, there just doesn’t seem enough good homes out there for how many there are
but I’m not gonna pretend I know how to tackle the ultimate solution to that
I think it's different in the UK. Most of the Russians in the UK appear to be CB from what I have seen, whereas over here, most are WC. CB adults over here are seldom seen for sale or adoption.Actually this is a very valid take Tom! I do appreciate it, I think it’s the part of me that sees all these Russians both captive bred and wild caught that need better homes, there just doesn’t seem enough good homes out there for how many there are
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Oh that’s interesting, yeah we do have a lot of CB’s in the uk , looking on rehoming sites here is honestly heartbreaking
Breeding more of them in the UK seems like it might not be necessary or beneficial. Breeding more of them here would be HIGHLY beneficial. It would be nice if there were so many healthy quality CB babies available that no one would want to buy a WC anymore. When there are tons of CB baby Russians available, the price will come down a bit and they will be as cheap as the WC ones.Oh that’s interesting, yeah we do have a lot of CB’s in the uk , looking on rehoming sites here is honestly heartbreaking
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Yeah that definitely makes sense, I guess my location has kind of warped my perception on breeding them, Russians and hermans are in abundance here, going cheap/free, just seems to be far too many needing homes with more and more babies being born, such a shame.
But definitely see where you’re coming from with CB in the US though, appreciate that prospective!
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Check this out, just a quick 5 minute search, all on the first page of many, more and more added everyday, these are all very typical listings/housing here, so sad
don’t even get me started on species like leopards, red foots and sulcatas here.. I can’t cope with those onesAttachments
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