Bulb questions

Viewtiful_Jon

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Jul 14, 2020
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Newport, Wales
Hi, this is my first post and I'm about to get my first and most likely only Tortoise, unless I become addicted.

I made the mistake of going to the local Reptile shop and buying all the stuff the lady recommend, Vivarium etc... I have since done a bunch of research and order a tortoise table the correct substrate and got myself a day/night dimming thermometer. Side note: I don't plan on revising the shop despite being a 5 minute walk away.

This brings me to lighting, She sold me a Komodo fluorescent T8 uvb10 15w bulb along with the Komodo controller that prevent flickering, but the more I research the more everyone recommends T5. The heat bulb is a 60W red bulb, forgot the brand as box has been thrown away.

I'm planning on getting a Hermann's Tortoise and want everything perfect first.

1. Are the T8 really so much less effective than T5 despite claiming to have the same UV output?

2. Another thing mentioned about these bulbs is the effective range, the sweet spot everyone mentions seems to be just a couple of inches. How do you get the Tortoise to hang out in this narrow area?

3. How should my T8 be mounted? On the side wall seems like it would be to close 8inch high walls minus the substrate height and tortoise height means it would be extremely close but all the lamp arms only seem designed for the spot bulbs.

4. Where in the enclose should it be? I'm thinking at the basking spot as this might solve my second question.

5. Is the red type bulb okay or should I replace it with something else, the lady mis-sold me quite a few items so I'm doubting everything she provided.
 

Markw84

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Unfortunately your suspicion is correct. Most everything the pet store sold you just isn't suitable for a tortoise. I feel proper lighting is a very key element to allow a tortoise to thrive. Here is what I would recommend:

Ambient Lighting: You want nice, bright, daylight simulating light in the enclosure. I use LEDs that are rated in the 5000k - 6000k color range. Then provide places of natural shade to give the more shaded areas. I use live plants. I feel they are naturally where a tortoise would seek cover and spend the bulk of its time. SO very natural and reduces the low-grad stress most tortoises live under forced to live in barren enclosures.

Basking Light: A flood type incadescent bulb is best for this. I use 65 watt bulbs and then adjust the height to get the basking temperature correct. This is the main way a tortoise will heat both their body temperature for metabolism and their skin for D3 synthesis.

UVB: Needed for D3 synthesis. And I feel essential for anyone keeping a tortoise that lives above 40° latitude. Outdoor time is fine in the summer midday, but that far north the sun doesn't get high enough for a great part of the year to really give your tortoise the UVB needed. As you noted, the T8 gives a very narrow band of correct UV. When you place a fixture that close to a tortoise, it can easily get its face and eyes too close to the bulb and cause a snow-blindness type burn to the eyes. That is why I prefer the T5 HO bulbs. I feel the Arcadia pro T5 fixture with a 12% bulb is the best on the market currently. You can mount this about 20" above substrate and create a nice wide and effective UV zone for your tortoise. This should be placed with the basking light in the middle of this basking zone. The proper UVI level plus the heat from the basking light is what you want. The combined color of the 7000k UV light and the 2500k basking light creates a very nice balance of light for basking.

Heat: You do not want that red light. You want it dark at night. A Ceramic heat bulb or a radiant heat panel is best for maintaining a minimum temperature. A simple on/off thermostat is all you need connected to that to kick on the heat when every enclosure temp drops below your desired level. This will be on always and never off, The thermostat will control it. No need for a proportional or dimming thermostat for that. It will work fine, but no need to spend the extra for dimming for ambient heat.

I like to set my lighting to simulate a daily, natural cycle to the lighting. As a suggestion to make your tortoise very happy:
Have the incandescent basking light go on first in the morning at perhaps 7AM. This warm, softer light will simulate a more dawn/early morning type light and stimulate morning basking to warm up for the day as most tortoises will naturally do.
Set the Ambient lights to go on about an hour later - perhaps 8AM. Simulating full daylight hours.
Have the UVB go on about 11AM. With a good T5 HO bulb, the nice 3.5 - 4.0 UVI in the basking zone will be plenty of UV and simulates the midday spike in UV the sun produces when higher in the sky.
Then reverse the process for turning lights off:
UVB off at about 3-4PM
Ambient lights off around 7:30PM
Basking light off around 8:30

You do need 3 timers for this. I use a smart power strip with 4 outlets, each individually controlled by your smart phone with an app. Easy to set up and much less clutter. Also less expensive than buying separate timers.
 

Viewtiful_Jon

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Newport, Wales
Thanks for the reply, luckily I have a lot of Amazon gift cards so can replace the stuff I got. I'm presuming pretty shops just sell a generic kit regardless of animal.

So how does the T5 bulb attach? Would it be along the length of the arm holding the ceramic heat bulb?
 

Markw84

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Thanks for the reply, luckily I have a lot of Amazon gift cards so can replace the stuff I got. I'm presuming pretty shops just sell a generic kit regardless of animal.

So how does the T5 bulb attach? Would it be along the length of the arm holding the ceramic heat bulb?
I don't know what type of setup you have. With a herman's I assume a table of some sort. The UVB linear fixture needs to be hung from above. Some type of support above the enclosure is needed to hang it from and next to the basking light. I use closed chambers and hang things from the ceiling of the enclosure.
 

Tom

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Hi, this is my first post and I'm about to get my first and most likely only Tortoise, unless I become addicted.

I made the mistake of going to the local Reptile shop and buying all the stuff the lady recommend, Vivarium etc... I have since done a bunch of research and order a tortoise table the correct substrate and got myself a day/night dimming thermometer. Side note: I don't plan on revising the shop despite being a 5 minute walk away.

This brings me to lighting, She sold me a Komodo fluorescent T8 uvb10 15w bulb along with the Komodo controller that prevent flickering, but the more I research the more everyone recommends T5. The heat bulb is a 60W red bulb, forgot the brand as box has been thrown away.

I'm planning on getting a Hermann's Tortoise and want everything perfect first.

1. Are the T8 really so much less effective than T5 despite claiming to have the same UV output?

2. Another thing mentioned about these bulbs is the effective range, the sweet spot everyone mentions seems to be just a couple of inches. How do you get the Tortoise to hang out in this narrow area?

3. How should my T8 be mounted? On the side wall seems like it would be to close 8inch high walls minus the substrate height and tortoise height means it would be extremely close but all the lamp arms only seem designed for the spot bulbs.

4. Where in the enclose should it be? I'm thinking at the basking spot as this might solve my second question.

5. Is the red type bulb okay or should I replace it with something else, the lady mis-sold me quite a few items so I'm doubting everything she provided.
Hello and welcome.

There is nothing wrong with a viv. Those are actually better for starting babies since it makes it easier to maintain the correct temperatures and humidity. Open tables are okay for adults and the large size afforded by a table is necessary.

Your questions:
1. Yes. Huge difference. No contest. T8s are a waste of money.
2. Mark addressed this one perfectly. I have nothing to add.
3. Make an over head beam with 2x4s or with PVC pipe.
4. UV over the middle. Basking bulb to one side, preferably near the end of the UV tube.
5. No colored bulbs. White light for day time and darkness for night.
 

Pastel Tortie

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I like to set my lighting to simulate a daily, natural cycle to the lighting. As a suggestion to make your tortoise very happy:
Have the incandescent basking light go on first in the morning at perhaps 7AM. This warm, softer light will simulate a more dawn/early morning type light and stimulate morning basking to warm up for the day as most tortoises will naturally do.
Set the Ambient lights to go on about an hour later - perhaps 8AM. Simulating full daylight hours.
Have the UVB go on about 11AM. With a good T5 HO bulb, the nice 3.5 - 4.0 UVI in the basking zone will be plenty of UV and simulates the midday spike in UV the sun produces when higher in the sky.
Then reverse the process for turning lights off:
UVB off at about 3-4PM
Ambient lights off around 7:30PM
Basking light off around 8:30

You do need 3 timers for this. I use a smart power strip with 4 outlets, each individually controlled by your smart phone with an app. Easy to set up and much less clutter. Also less expensive than buying separate timers.
If you don't mind sharing the info... What power strip are you using with the timer functions built in?
I'd really like to know what a good, reliable one is going to cost. Although I'm going to be surprised if the answer isn't painful... Just telling myself it should be more affordable than a Solarmeter 6.5... :)
 

Markw84

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10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
5,042
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento, CA (Central Valley)
If you don't mind sharing the info... What power strip are you using with the timer functions built in?
I'd really like to know what a good, reliable one is going to cost. Although I'm going to be surprised if the answer isn't painful... Just telling myself it should be more affordable than a Solarmeter 6.5... :)
Not painfull at all! I buy a dozen at a time and install them in all my Smart Enclosures I build.

Smart power strip.jpg
 

Viewtiful_Jon

New Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2020
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Newport, Wales
Okay thanks for all the replies the table I have is a 2x4 one as seen here https://www.happytortoisehabitat.co.uk/product/model-361/ but with an arm for a light and a cover to stop the cat getting in

I also have the Habistat digital dimming day and night timer and one smart switch So can effectively have 1 timer that I can set a day and night temperature to, and 2 on-off timers.

So does this look like a good starting shopping list.

UVB STUFF -

Arcadia ACE1U5 Electronic T5 Controller, 24 - 39 Watt
Arcadia FD3P39T5 T5 D3+ Reptile Lamp, 39 Watt <- 34 inches,
iQuatics T5 Aluminium Reflector-Increased output by up to 100%, 39W Single Pack <- 80cm Which is just 2 inches shorter

I cannot see if its High Output from the packaging but the images are small and cannot zoom the only ones I found that I can see have HO are 10% Reptisun lights

BASKING STUFF -

Exo Terra PT2057 Light Dome Fixture, 18 cm
ProRep ES Basking Spotlamp, 60 Watt <- could not see any 65 Watt ones
--- These would go on the arm I Already have included.

GENERAL HEAT STUFF -

KINOEE 100W 2 Pack Infrared Ceramic Heat Lamp,Black Reptile Emitter Bulb <- they all seem to be generic brands
E27 Pet Ceramic Heating Lamp Heater Holder <- cage for it
Komodo Light Stand/Adjustable Height -- Second arm to hold this

Ambient lighting I will leave until after I get this and see the general brightness in the enclosure.

For the UVB light would it be a good idea to get a second Komodo Light Stand/Adjustable Height and have it between the two? It might be possible to have it between that and the existing arm but that is not Height adjustable


Then I should, adjust the basking bulb height until the basking spot stays at the correct temperature and set this to just a timer.

Heat bulb near the other end of the enclosure, presumably a lower heat than the basking spot, and set on the thermostat timer.

UVB bulb suspended across the top somehow, about 20" / 50cm high whilst getting good coverage of the basking spot. Set on the second timer normal timer.


Does everything look correct here?

Thanks in advance, I think this will be the last few items I have to purchase before I am ready.
 
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