How far away for a UVB bulb

[CourtneyAndCarl]

I just ordered a 24" Reptisun 10.0 bulb from Zoomed and it should be arriving in about a week. I have him in a 40 gallon tank, and my wonderful father told me he'd build me some sort of structure thing so I can hang the 30" fixture from the ceiling and have it as close or far as I want from little Carl.

If it was right at the lip, it'd be 18 inches from the soil on the bottom. I assume it can also be too close, do I want it to maybe be like 12 inches or so away?

 

[Neal]

Use the manufacturers suggestions (which off the top of my head, I believe is 18 inches...give or take a few).

Don't measure based on the distance from the bulb to the soil. Instead measure it from the bulb to about the height of your tortoise carapace.

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

Thanks! I am always a little leery about following manufacturerer's instructions. Especially when Zoomed says on it's forest tortoise diet that it's okay to mix it with iceburg lettuce and their food mixed with lettuce can and should be their primary diet -_-

 

[Neal]

I think with bulbs, it's generally accepted that the manufacture'rs suggested distances are the way to go.

 

[JoesMum]

I think with bulbs, it's generally accepted that the manufacture'rs suggested distances are the way to go.

I agree. Feed your tort in rangeof the bulb and then you know he's getting the benefit

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Question: is there a screen top or no top?

If no screen top, I would say 16-18"

If there is a screen top, perhaps a few inches closer.

 

[Tom]

I don't know the answer from personal experience. About a year ago I was on a job with a guy who owns and runs a chain of reptile stores. This guy has a ton of practical experience. We were talking reptiles (big surprise, huh?) and the conversation got into UV bulbs. He told me that he has seen problems with the cfl bulbs, but the manufacturers claimed to have solved the issue, but I wanted to know how he felt about the tube types. He said they were fine. I said, well fine is good, but do they work? Does the reptile get enough UV to make D3 and utilize dietary calcium and prevent MBD? I told him that in the past I had seen them fail. He said that, Yes they work now, but they have to be close, like 12" or so. More than that and they aren't all that effective. Through a screen top, they aren't effective. And the bulbs need to be changed every six months or so if you are relying on them for UV. He recommended that they be replaced every Fall, so that the reptile would have a fresh one all winter, and that it didn't matter much if it lost effectiveness by spring or summer since the reptile should be getting some real sunshine by then. For an always indoor animal he suggested every six month replacement.

I don't know what the mfr. recommends, but this guy uses dozens of them and sells 100's of them to his customers, and this was his opinion.

On the occasion that I use a MVB I start at the mfr. recommended height and adjust up or down to get the temp right.

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

I took the screen top off so that I could get the light closer. And I looked into it a lot and decided on the Reptisun 10.0 because it's got the best reviews by far. I am getting it now and plan on only needing it when Carl is cooped up inside for winter. But we do have a pretty random and sometimes kind of long winter here, so would keeping it closer make it okay for me to use one bulb for maybe 7 or maybe even 8 months if I need it? I'd hate to buy another bulb for two months.

 

[Madkins007]

Thanks! I am always a little leery about following manufacturerer's instructions. Especially when Zoomed says on it's forest tortoise diet that it's okay to mix it with iceburg lettuce and their food mixed with lettuce can and should be their primary diet -_-

There is really nothing majorly wrong with that advice. The chow has all the vitamins and nutrients, the fresh food is meant for variety and flavor.

Of course, it can be argued that fresh food diets are better in many ways, but most clinical studies I have seen seem to support the idea that chow-only diets can be healthy all on their own.

To be perfectly fair, what is the difference between giving a tortoise chow and raising cats and dogs on chow?

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

Dogs and cats have been eating manufactured food for quite some time and they have "perfected" the science of it. As a bird owner, I know that scientists still don't know the exact diets of most exotics so saying that a manufactured product can be a complete diet for them might not be true, since they might miss a nutrient that scientists overlooked.

 

[JoesMum]

[QUOTE="futureleopardtortoise"}. But we do have a pretty random and sometimes kind of long winter here, so would keeping it closer make it okay for me to use one bulb for maybe 7 or maybe even 8 months if I need it? I'd hate to buy another bulb for two months.[/QUOTE]
Keep it the distance recommended by the manufacturer the whole time.

It is pretty unlikely your tort won't be able to go outside at all in the extra 2 months in which case he'll get natural UVB... the best kind. You will have days (or hours) in and days out. Gradually the proportion will change until your tort is out full time.

The power will diminish, but not stop completely in that time. My vet told me I only needed a 3.0 - 5.0 rated tube when I had to keep Joe up last winter. He also told me not to bother replacing towards the end of the indoor season.

 

[Madkins007]

As far as the 'right' distance- because of the way the UVB is emitted, it really does make a difference- quite a big one in fact. You either need a good chart like the UK UVGuide site used to offer, or your own meter, or trust that the maker is steering you right.

 

[mattgrizzlybear]

How about the zilla 24" forest strip bulb?