billiondollars
New Member
I got 2 10.0 UVB lights in the tank, for how many hours should I keep them on?
Thank you
Thank you
For how many hours of UVB?
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Thomas tortoise
Well-Known Member
What size of tank is it? What kind of tortoise is it? Also you will have to be a little more specific than 10.0 UVB light. Maybe a picture would help.if its the kind of UVB I'm thinking about then 4-6 hours a day.
billiondollars
New Member
It’s 40 Gallons tank. I have installed UVB 10.0 Zoo Med Reptisun at each end and it is set to work 8 hours for now. I am not sure if that’s too much as I read an article where it says give 15 minutes if real sun a day or 8 hours of UVB light. There’s a huge difference between 15 minutes and 8 hours of UVB, but I don’t much about it, so I’d rather ask on forum where it has people growing sulcatas for years - they know for sure!
What type of bulb? Is it a cfl type that you screw in, or is it a long tube that clicks in to a fixture? Is it a T5HO or a T8? What distance is it mounted over the tortoise? These details will determine how much UV you are getting to the tortoise, and how long you should run the bulb.
billiondollars
New Member
Thank you for response.
It is this lamp: (2 Pack) Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 Uvb Mini Compact Fluorescent https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WQXYB9L/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
It is screw in like you see on the pic. I guess it’s very basic. It is about 20 CM above the tortoise.
Those sometimes burn tortoise eyes and should never be used. They are also not an effective UV source. I would turn them off ASAP, and 20 CM is too close.
I'm sorry this is not a quick easy answer to your question. Most of the care info given for sulcatas is all wrong. Its been wrong for decades and most people don't even know it yet. We are trying to turn that tide here.
Here is a breakdown of the lighting info for you:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
- Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
- Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
- Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
- UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.
The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...
tortoiseforum.org
Questions are welcome.
billiondollars
New Member
Those sometimes burn tortoise eyes and should never be used. They are also not an effective UV source. I would turn them off ASAP, and 20 CM is too close.
I'm sorry this is not a quick easy answer to your question. Most of the care info given for sulcatas is all wrong. Its been wrong for decades and most people don't even know it yet. We are trying to turn that tide here.
Here is a breakdown of the lighting info for you:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
Here is the current and correct care info:
- Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
- Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
- Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
- UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.
The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...
Questions are welcome.
Thank for a quick response!
I have the 65 watt bulb and the ceramic bulb in the dome for 2 bulbs. I have a long stick LED lamp (3x) to provide the light.
The bulb is working till it’s 31 Celsius, and then it turned off automatically, the LED works from 8 am till 9pm, the ceramic works 24/7 also, set to the same temperature.
The UVB is set to 8 hours now, but I guess it needs replacing based on your suggestion, and I have 2 of them. The link you shared gives 404 error.
I have a huge fenced balcony size of a backyard and it’s 27C in NY today, so I guess I can be taking him/her outside from now on, and during next 4-5 months till it’s cold again.
Please suggest in a better bulbs just in case.
Thanks again!
Basking bulb needs to be around 36C. Ambient temp set by the thermostat controlling the CHE should be no lower than 27 day or night, and its good if ambient climbs to 29-34 during the heat of the day with the heat lamp on.
In the sulcata section of the forum scroll down to "The Best way to raise a sulcata..." for the thread that I linked.
The best UV tubes are the HO tubes. ZooMed makes one and I prefer the Arcadia 12% HO tubes.
billiondollars
New Member
I was originally setting it to 33-35 and I noticed that tortoise spends more time in water. I thought shes cooling down and probably it’s too hot.
The basking bulb needs to stay on all day. It should not be shutting off at 31-35C. It is meant to simulate an indoor "sun". Set the thermostat to 27 on the CHE. Raise or lower the basking bulb to get it around 36C directly under it. You can also use a different wattage bulb if needed, or run the bulb trough a rheostat to control the temp, but the basking bulb should be on a timer, not a thermostat.
Sulcatas like it hot. Mine still bask when ambient is 33-34C. They just bask less, which is good.
Also, a 40 gallon is that absolute minimum size for a tiny hatchling sulcata. Its only god for a couple of months tops. They need something much larger after that. Closed chambers work best instead of open topped tanks.
billiondollars
New Member
That was my next question, what should I get once it’s get bigger in size and kg?
billiondollars
New Member
I guess this is the one I am looking for?
Question - this is just the bulb, but how to power it? They sell ‘hoods’ but I guess I am not looking for the hood as I would need to install it inside, below the cover. Not sure how to do that.
That would be the ZooMed version. You'll need an HO fixture for it.
