Heating bulbs / tubes

[Missmoore]

Hi everyone,

I am in the UK and have a Russian tort who I love dearly! I have been doing some research on the correct temperatures and bulbs for his table. I have recently increased his table (48 cm, x24 x8 - he’s 2 years old) and I am keen to keep him as warm as possible, especially due to the weathers we have here in the UK. My house is relatively cold, so I’m currently using basking bulbs and heat lamps to keep the temperatures between 30-35 degrees. However, I have recently come across a lot of bad press on mercury heat bulbs and the one I am using is a 100w mercury Vapour bulb as it gave off a UVB and UVA (if you can’t tell already, I am a new owner). Anyway, I have had a lot of comments advising that the T5 12% tube is the best to buy. I’m a little bit confused on the watts for these tubes as the strongest I have found seems too be 54w and only provides a UVB not UVA??

Could someone shine a little light on this for me? I’m not bothered about costing, just looking for the best heat lamps/ basking lights to get him, whilst keeping him toastie.
Any and all advise welcome

 

[Missmoore]

Sorry 48 inch’s not cm ?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome!
Those T5 uvb tubes really ARE the way to go. Each length has a different wattage. Don't be concerned about that.
As for MVB. They don't do anything very well. They're dessicating. They're expensive and they don't last very long.
I suggest that for heat both day and night you use a CHE on a thermostat.
These provide warmth without any light.
I'm not sure what exact types or brand names you'll find in the UK

 

[Missmoore]

Thank you, that is actually really helpful! I was going to look for a flood bulb but I actually have x2 CHE already. 1 = 100w and another 150w that I could potentially rotate through the summer and winter months.
May be a stupid question but do I need to worry about the lack of UVA my tort will be getting from the tube? Not sure how true/right this is but I was told to opt for something that contains both UVA and UVB for healthy tort growth. From what I can see the tubes only promote UVB.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thank you, that is actually really helpful! I was going to look for a flood bulb but I actually have x2 CHE already. 1 = 100w and another 150w that I could potentially rotate through the summer and winter months.
May be a stupid question but do I need to worry about the lack of UVA my tort will be getting from the tube? Not sure how true/right this is but I was told to opt for something that contains both UVA and UVB for healthy tort growth. From what I can see the tubes only promote UVB.

UVA is required for growing plants.
It's not a requirement for the tortoise at all.
UVB is required to promote calcium D3 into the animal.

 

[Markw84]

Thank you, that is actually really helpful! I was going to look for a flood bulb but I actually have x2 CHE already. 1 = 100w and another 150w that I could potentially rotate through the summer and winter months.
May be a stupid question but do I need to worry about the lack of UVA my tort will be getting from the tube? Not sure how true/right this is but I was told to opt for something that contains both UVA and UVB for healthy tort growth. From what I can see the tubes only promote UVB.

The Fluorescent tubes do put out BOTH UVA and UVB. A 12% tube puts out 12% of its energy as UVB, about 30% as UVA and the rest as light we can see.

UVB is needed for vitamin D3 production. UVA is also needed though for proper vision and overall health of the tortoise. UVA is one of the main cues for cirdadian rhythms and stimulating good activity levels.

I would suggest you go ahead and get that flood style incandescent bulb for basking heat. The combination of both heat and light stimulates better basking. It should be place right next to the UVB tube. A 50 watt - 75 watt should be perfect. Use the CHEs on a thermostat to control minimum temperature for the enclosure. The incandescent bulb will also add a lot of the longer wavelength light (yellow-reds) that will improve the tortoise's overall well-being. Otherwise with just the UVB tube for light, the light is too dim plus way too much in the blue spectrum. The UVB bulbs have a color rating of about 7000K. The incandescent will help balance that back.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thank you Mark

 

[Missmoore]

The Fluorescent tubes do put out BOTH UVA and UVB. A 12% tube puts out 12% of its energy as UVB, about 30% as UVA and the rest as light we can see.

UVB is needed for vitamin D3 production. UVA is also needed though for proper vision and overall health of the tortoise. UVA is one of the main cues for cirdadian rhythms and stimulating good activity levels.

I would suggest you go ahead and get that flood style incandescent bulb for basking heat. The combination of both heat and light stimulates better basking. It should be place right next to the UVB tube. A 50 watt - 75 watt should be perfect. Use the CHEs on a thermostat to control minimum temperature for the enclosure. The incandescent bulb will also add a lot of the longer wavelength light (yellow-reds) that will improve the tortoise's overall well-being. Otherwise with just the UVB tube for light, the light is too dim plus way too much in the blue spectrum. The UVB bulbs have a color rating of about 7000K. The incandescent will help balance that back.

Thank you Mark, it’s safe to say I had definitely been fed some misinformation regarding the best lighting/heat source, when I first had him.

I’ll definitely go out and get him the tube and flood bulb and set it as you’ve said. ??

Thanks both for your help on this!