lights!

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stenkamp

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ok how many lights should i have? I have one ceramic light fixture with the 100 watt Zoo Med PowerSun UV - UVB a self-ballasted mercury vapor lamp which emits UVA, UVB and heat all in one lamp. Do i need additional lights or heat sources? Oh i have a yellow foot tortoise. one that i bought and was told i could raise like the russians, which is not true. So i am starting all over on my research now that i bought a yellow foot.
 

NudistApple

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I like to have additional light than my heat source, but that is really just personal preference, I think.
MVBs are good while your tortoise is a baby, but they aren't the best for larger tortoises. The risk of burning themselves while they are trying to bask is high, and the heat gets spread very unevenly.

As your yellowfoot grows up (if he can't be outside 24/7) CHEs combined with florescent tube UVBs will be the best.
 

StudentoftheReptile

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One question: how cold does your house get at night? Lower then 75'F?

Here's the reason I ask...

The thing that makes Mercury Vapor Bulbs (MVBs) so convenient (the combo "heat+UV" all-in-one) is a two-edged sword. The downside is that you cannot run this bright basking bulb at night. If your house gets too cold, you will need an additional heat source to run at least at night when the MVB is off.

This is why I prefer to just use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) for basking heat, which stays on 24/7, and I have a standard T-8 tube florescent bulb for UV light that only is on for 12 hours. [this is the arrangement I have for my redfoots, cousins to the yellowfoots]

Bottom line: Unless you keep your house pretty warm, you are going to have two light fixtures either way you go.
 

stenkamp

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So I should add a fluorescent tube and light? Or another ceramic lamp and warming light? My house currently is that hot but not because I want it to. Its been in the high 90's here and I dont have a/c. Thank you very much for your reply!
 

Tom

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We need to define some terms here:
The fixture is what you screw the bulb into. It has a dome and should have a ceramic base with a heavy duty cord.

The bulb is what you screw into the fixture that makes light, heat or both.

I think a "lamp" could be defined as a combination of the bulb and the fixture.

A ceramic heating element (CHE) is a type of bulb that your screw into a fixture that makes heat, but no light. When set on a thermostat, these are great for maintaining heat day or night. Then you just need to decide what to use for light during the day. Many keepers of redfooted and yellowfooted tortoises prefer a more diffuse, less harsh light, like a long florescent tube over a spot bulb or MVB. Either can work, its more a question of preference and customizing to each individual set up.
 

stenkamp

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Thank you. I was getting confused with the ceramic heat emitter. I was thinking that was the fixture not a porcelain heating device that screws into a fixture. I found them online and get it now.
 
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