fluorescent light fixture

stinax182

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Aug 2, 2012
Messages
838
Location (City and/or State)
Springfield, Massachusetts
so i recently acquired 48" uvb tube fluorescent light bulbs. i currently have 36" but they are nearing their 6 month mark so i figured I'll use the larger ones. I've already bought the expensive fixture to hold the 36" and i don't want to have to buy the larger fixture. i do own a 48" fluorescent black light fixture that the bulbs fit. my question is can i use any fluorescent fixture for these bulbs? or what specifications do i need?
 

mikeh

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Jun 16, 2013
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As long as it is a T8 tube you can use any fixture that fits that tube. All T8 fixtures work with all T8 tubes. One can't mess things up with T8, if it fits it works.

If its T5HO tube it must be paired with T5HO fixture, not a T5 fixture.
 

Venutus1

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Oct 13, 2012
Messages
36
Location (City and/or State)
Yarmouth, Maine USA
so i recently acquired 48" uvb tube fluorescent light bulbs. i currently have 36" but they are nearing their 6 month mark so i figured I'll use the larger ones. I've already bought the expensive fixture to hold the 36" and i don't want to have to buy the larger fixture. i do own a 48" fluorescent black light fixture that the bulbs fit. my question is can i use any fluorescent fixture for these bulbs? or what specifications do i need?
What is the wattage of the black light bulb in that fixture?
(may be stamped on the end of it if you can read it)_

48" inch t8 fixtures are all over the place in wattage of bulbs that they can run....32w, 36w, 40w.

THAT may be the sticking point to find the right UVB bulb to go in it.

If it is old and takes a 40w flo tube... then it is a no go.

If it is a 36w 48" fixture, then get a 12% Arcadia T8 bulb.

If it is a 32w Fixture, then you have to go with a 32w Zoo Med 10.0 bulb.


Also if it has no reflector behind the bulb...
or a poor one, well...
thats another 30.00 ... to add in a polished aluminium reflector.

Otherwise you will be wasting well over half of the UVB and light because it will be going off in all directions.🥴😨

If it were me,
I would consider and look into to just buy a new t5 ho fixture w/ an arcadia bulb in it.

They are less than you may think. Bulb and all.

Since you are going to pay 30 - 40.00 + sh&h for a UV bulb to fit that IF you can match up the wattage.

a 48" t8 reflector to ADD on a 48 fixture w/ no reflector 30.00 +/-

along with

a 48" 12% UVB Bulb 32 or 36 watt 30.00 - 40.00

Thats 60.00 - 70.00 easy, rehabbing an old t8 fixture... that is way less effective than a new ho t5 fixture.

A whole new 48 (46" inch t5) t5 fixture and 10.0 or 12% bulb is only about 20.00 more ALL complete,
AND
has 50% more UV and LIGHT than an old t8 fixture.😉

Just giving folks something to consider.

ADDENDUM:

Just in GENERAL:

Choose 6% Or 5% UVB Bulb IF fixture is closer than say 10" - 12" to animal's top / head.
AND/ Or if animal is a forest tortoise... like red foot or asian hingeback.

Choose 10.0 or 12% bulb if fixture is 15" - 16" away from "top" of tortoise
and / or if tortoise is a desert or more "arid" species.
Like Leopard, sulcatta or greek.

If you want Sintax182,
post a pic of the set up here
or e/m it to me and so I can see exactly what you are working with and then I can give more specific options. [email protected]

AS ALWAYS

Please do not forget PROVIDE AMPLE *Useable* SHADE TOO... you would not like to sit out in the sun all day long either.
😁
Hope this helps...

Cheers.
Todd
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
What is the wattage of the black light bulb in that fixture?
(may be stamped on the end of it if you can read it)_

48" inch t8 fixtures are all over the place in wattage of bulbs that they can run....32w, 36w, 40w.

THAT may be the sticking point to find the right UVB bulb to go in it.

If it is old and takes a 40w flo tube... then it is a no go.

If it is a 36w 48" fixture, then get a 12% Arcadia T8 bulb.

If it is a 32w Fixture, then you have to go with a 32w Zoo Med 10.0 bulb.


Also if it has no reflector behind the bulb...
or a poor one, well...
thats another 30.00 ... to add in a polished aluminium reflector.

Otherwise you will be wasting well over half of the UVB and light because it will be going off in all directions.🥴😨

If it were me,
I would consider and look into to just buy a new t5 ho fixture w/ an arcadia bulb in it.

They are less than you may think. Bulb and all.

Since you are going to pay 30 - 40.00 + sh&h for a UV bulb to fit that IF you can match up the wattage.

a 48" t8 reflector to ADD on a 48 fixture w/ no reflector 30.00 +/-

along with

a 48" 12% UVB Bulb 32 or 36 watt 30.00 - 40.00

Thats 60.00 - 70.00 easy, rehabbing an old t8 fixture... that is way less effective than a new ho t5 fixture.

A whole new 48 (46" inch t5) t5 fixture and 10.0 or 12% bulb is only about 20.00 more ALL complete,
AND
has 50% more UV and LIGHT than an old t8 fixture.😉

Just giving folks something to consider.

ADDENDUM:

Just in GENERAL:

Choose 6% Or 5% UVB Bulb IF fixture is closer than say 10" - 12" to animal's top / head.
AND/ Or if animal is a forest tortoise... like red foot or asian hingeback.

Choose 10.0 or 12% bulb if fixture is 15" - 16" away from "top" of tortoise
and / or if tortoise is a desert or more "arid" species.
Like Leopard, sulcatta or greek.

If you want Sintax182,
post a pic of the set up here
or e/m it to me and so I can see exactly what you are working with and then I can give more specific options. [email protected]

AS ALWAYS

Please do not forget PROVIDE AMPLE *Useable* SHADE TOO... you would not like to sit out in the sun all day long either.
😁
Hope this helps...

Cheers.
Todd
Todd, This is great info and super helpful, but did you notice the date on the post you were responding to?

I'm glad you are posting here, please continue!

P.S. Arcadia bulbs rock!
 

Venutus1

Member
TFO Sponsor
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 13, 2012
Messages
36
Location (City and/or State)
Yarmouth, Maine USA
Todd, This is great info and super helpful, but did you notice the date on the post you were responding to?

I'm glad you are posting here, please continue!

P.S. Arcadia bulbs rock!
Hi Tom.

Ha ha no...
I probably should have looked at the date.

But the question is more or less a universal one:
of re-purposing Flo. fixtures that folks have hanging around.
As you know.

I know how much solid and reliable UV advice is *needed* out there with reptiles, including tortoises.

Now, the older I get,
the more I think that I need to get some more info and help out there to folks who's animals it could benefit.

Maybe this is some weird legacy to that first leopard tortoise I got in 1976 ?

I did almost EVERYTHING wrong with that animal.

The one good thing was that I was able to get it outside in the summer months in Maine.

But in Maine, we are lucky to have even 3-4 months that going outside is even an option!

So sadly, he, and his friend. the pancake tortoise, had to stay inside the other 8 months of the year.

Then in 1979, I "discovered" UV light!

After reading some Zoo keepers publications and Ditmars reptile books from the 30's and 40's (!!) in the old University of Maine library.

They were talking about the benefits of UV and naural sunlight on captive reptiles, specifically applying to larger Zoo set ups.

I went out and bought a GE "Time -a -Tan" Mercury Vapor bulb designed for PEOPLE.
Why?
Because there were ABSOLUTLY NO products for lighting reptiles available at that time.

While trying to SAFLEY figure out how to use this "People Tanning Unit" over a tortoise table...
I tested it on MYSELF!
Because there was no such thing as a Solarmeter.
And I got a real bad sunburn!😡LOL

But I did find out that because it was SO STRONG, (and DANGEROUS)
it had to be hung from the ceiling-- at least 5 or 6 feet away.
And only be on for like 20 - 30 min. at a whack.
And only on for like 2 times a day.
(Also enter the creative use of the old dial light timers!)

But this UV light made all the difference in the world!

The results were MAGICAL and the animal started eating on it's own again in the dead of winter.


And so it began....
from that point on over the 43+ years,
I have been trying to spread the word about using Natural Lighting and Correct UV over indoor reptiles (and all animals).

Where does the time go??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tortoise keepers face their own set of challenges in properly lighting and UV-ing their pets!

In part due to the fact that most need (should!)
be kept in larger enclosures than many other pet reptiles.
Larger than the usual assortment of pet reptiles.

And the focus of about 99% of the cage / UV / lighting market is more geared towards things like bearded dragons or crested geckos... ot chameleons...
Animals kept in a totally different cage environments.*

As we know,
tortoises are limited to mostly HORIZONTAL environments.
Thus,
they have limited ability and can not go "up or down" to regulate heat and UV
by using vertical distance in the cage.*
Like many of these other reptiles can in their set ups.

So one challenge I think tortoise keepers face is that:
When they are trying to make sense of all the UV information out there,
they have a hard time "translating" it to what will work with THEIR tortoises cage set ups.

And it becomes so confusing with ALL this conflicting info...
that I fear about 80% of all INDOOR tortoises are not getting "lit" & UV-ed properly....
AT ALL.😮🤯💥


Because of this,
I have come the feel that many keepers just give up and do not light or "UV" the animals they way they that should be done.

And the animals health can SUFFER GREATLY.🥺

Education is the answer.

Cheers!
Todd
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hi Tom.

Ha ha no...
I probably should have looked at the date.

But the question is more or less a universal one:
of re-purposing Flo. fixtures that folks have hanging around.
As you know.

I know how much solid and reliable UV advice is *needed* out there with reptiles, including tortoises.

Now, the older I get,
the more I think that I need to get some more info and help out there to folks who's animals it could benefit.

Maybe this is some weird legacy to that first leopard tortoise I got in 1976 ?

I did almost EVERYTHING wrong with that animal.

The one good thing was that I was able to get it outside in the summer months in Maine.

But in Maine, we are lucky to have even 3-4 months that going outside is even an option!

So sadly, he, and his friend. the pancake tortoise, had to stay inside the other 8 months of the year.

Then in 1979, I "discovered" UV light!

After reading some Zoo keepers publications and Ditmars reptile books from the 30's and 40's (!!) in the old University of Maine library.

They were talking about the benefits of UV and naural sunlight on captive reptiles, specifically applying to larger Zoo set ups.

I went out and bought a GE "Time -a -Tan" Mercury Vapor bulb designed for PEOPLE.
Why?
Because there were ABSOLUTLY NO products for lighting reptiles available at that time.

While trying to SAFLEY figure out how to use this "People Tanning Unit" over a tortoise table...
I tested it on MYSELF!
Because there was no such thing as a Solarmeter.
And I got a real bad sunburn!😡LOL

But I did find out that because it was SO STRONG, (and DANGEROUS)
it had to be hung from the ceiling-- at least 5 or 6 feet away.
And only be on for like 20 - 30 min. at a whack.
And only on for like 2 times a day.
(Also enter the creative use of the old dial light timers!)

But this UV light made all the difference in the world!

The results were MAGICAL and the animal started eating on it's own again in the dead of winter.


And so it began....
from that point on over the 43+ years,
I have been trying to spread the word about using Natural Lighting and Correct UV over indoor reptiles (and all animals).

Where does the time go??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tortoise keepers face their own set of challenges in properly lighting and UV-ing their pets!

In part due to the fact that most need (should!)
be kept in larger enclosures than many other pet reptiles.
Larger than the usual assortment of pet reptiles.

And the focus of about 99% of the cage / UV / lighting market is more geared towards things like bearded dragons or crested geckos... ot chameleons...
Animals kept in a totally different cage environments.*

As we know,
tortoises are limited to mostly HORIZONTAL environments.
Thus,
they have limited ability and can not go "up or down" to regulate heat and UV
by using vertical distance in the cage.*
Like many of these other reptiles can in their set ups.

So one challenge I think tortoise keepers face is that:
When they are trying to make sense of all the UV information out there,
they have a hard time "translating" it to what will work with THEIR tortoises cage set ups.

And it becomes so confusing with ALL this conflicting info...
that I fear about 80% of all INDOOR tortoises are not getting "lit" & UV-ed properly....
AT ALL.😮🤯💥


Because of this,
I have come the feel that many keepers just give up and do not light or "UV" the animals they way they that should be done.

And the animals health can SUFFER GREATLY.🥺

Education is the answer.

Cheers!
Todd
I feel your pain Brotha'. We are on the same page and I am very glad we have people like you to advise and guide us through this quagmire. You helped me tremendously years ago when I got my first Arcadia bulbs.

I can still remember when the first "Vita-Lites" came out, and then the "Active UV Heat" MVBs. I brought an iguana and a beardie back from MBD with those first MBDs that hit the market. I was sold on them until I realized all the issues they had.

I've talked to a lot of people that have talked to you, and I can tell you with certainty that your efforts are making a difference. I thank you.
 

Venutus1

Member
TFO Sponsor
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 13, 2012
Messages
36
Location (City and/or State)
Yarmouth, Maine USA
I feel your pain Brotha'. We are on the same page and I am very glad we have people like you to advise and guide us through this quagmire. You helped me tremendously years ago when I got my first Arcadia bulbs.

I can still remember when the first "Vita-Lites" came out, and then the "Active UV Heat" MVBs. I brought an iguana and a beardie back from MBD with those first MBDs that hit the market. I was sold on them until I realized all the issues they had.

I've talked to a lot of people that have talked to you, and I can tell you with certainty that your efforts are making a difference. I thank you.

OH yes!

And I am glad I could help you !

Vita-lites were good,
but basically they were just maybe a 3% UVB out-put.... AT BEST...
so even though the spectrum of "Daylight" was very good on them...
the UVB "umph" they had was weak.

We have come a LONG way,
the problem is to be able to get the right information out the masses!

Let's do this.
If you like the idea.

I will start a simple lighting thread and HELP to dispense advice,
although anyone qualified would be DEFINATLY welcome and should chime in.

(I will be mindful of the forum etiquette so as not to advertise - or you can slap me. LOL😮)

I feel the key is to first educate folks on HOW to ASK for the advice or "tips" they need.

And this is where a picture is worth a thousand words!

As I am sure you well know!


I personally do not like to dispense any advice without knowing exactly what the people are working with as far as:

a.
set up distances to UV light

b.
species they are working with

c.
size, square feet needing to be illuminated

d.
types of fixtures they currently have ... etc.

(they may not need to spend money - just apply what they currently have better!)


Someone may be wintering huge sulcatta in the basement,
and they need a whole different approach
then someone who has a 5" greek tortoise in a 50 gal. tank.

I think that if folks are seeking tips on improving their UVB & lighting,
they should POST A PICTURE OR TWO of what they currently have as far as set up goes.

Because, again,
due to the number of variables,
I think this is where even the best meant lighting advice can go sideways and confuse the HECK out of many well meaning owners.

And it It just makes their heads explode!

💥🐢🤯🐢💥

"Pictures tell a thousand words."


I know there are many great husbandry & lighting threads, etc. on this forum!

This thread's advice could be geared to
focus on each forum member SPECIFIC set up.
TO TARGET the needs of the specific species the have in these set ups.

Let's sleep on this tonight....
and if you like the idea,
I will start a lighting "Tips & Advice Thread" tomorrow.
Open for all,
and we can see if it is a help in getting the message out to the masses!
I can check it once a day.

LET THEM SEE THE LIGHT! Right Tom !!?
ha ha
😁👍


Sincerely, Todd
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
OH yes!

And I am glad I could help you !

Vita-lites were good,
but basically they were just maybe a 3% UVB out-put.... AT BEST...
so even though the spectrum of "Daylight" was very good on them...
the UVB "umph" they had was weak.

We have come a LONG way,
the problem is to be able to get the right information out the masses!

Let's do this.
If you like the idea.

I will start a simple lighting thread and HELP to dispense advice,
although anyone qualified would be DEFINATLY welcome and should chime in.

(I will be mindful of the forum etiquette so as not to advertise - or you can slap me. LOL😮)

I feel the key is to first educate folks on HOW to ASK for the advice or "tips" they need.

And this is where a picture is worth a thousand words!

As I am sure you well know!


I personally do not like to dispense any advice without knowing exactly what the people are working with as far as:

a.
set up distances to UV light

b.
species they are working with

c.
size, square feet needing to be illuminated

d.
types of fixtures they currently have ... etc.

(they may not need to spend money - just apply what they currently have better!)


Someone may be wintering huge sulcatta in the basement,
and they need a whole different approach
then someone who has a 5" greek tortoise in a 50 gal. tank.

I think that if folks are seeking tips on improving their UVB & lighting,
they should POST A PICTURE OR TWO of what they currently have as far as set up goes.

Because, again,
due to the number of variables,
I think this is where even the best meant lighting advice can go sideways and confuse the HECK out of many well meaning owners.

And it It just makes their heads explode!
💥🐢🤯🐢💥

"Pictures tell a thousand words."


I know there are many great husbandry & lighting threads, etc. on this forum!

This thread's advice could be geared to
focus on each forum member SPECIFIC set up.
TO TARGET the needs of the specific species the have in these set ups.


Let's sleep on this tonight....
and if you like the idea,
I will start a lighting "Tips & Advice Thread" tomorrow.
Open for all,
and we can see if it is a help in getting the message out to the masses!
I can check it once a day.

LET THEM SEE THE LIGHT! Right Tom !!?
ha ha

😁👍

Sincerely, Todd
Yes, yes and yes. I don't need to sleep on it.

As far as advertising goes, you should take credit. I recommend your company, lightyourreptiles.com, to people all the time. This lighting equipment is hard to find right now, so part of what we do here is directing people where to find the best stuff. No different than when I tell people to go get terra cotta saucers and digital thermometers at Home Depot, instead of pet store crap that costs too much and will kill your tortoise. (Speaking of ramped water bowls from the pet store here...) I don't think there is any rule against it. If there is, I will go to the vendor review section and start a thread there. I'm running several of your fixtures and bulbs right now.
 
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