Please advise on lighting controllers and lamps.

[CB11]

Hello
This thread is about my families tortoise Terry. He is meditaranean and I think Greek. I can find his detail soon by talking to my mum. Recently we have been having trouble with the uv lights. We regularly let him roam the house and sometimes outside in summer.

What we have:
Infra red heat and basking light. Very bright in pics as I have been Trying to fix lights and it has gotten a little cold.
15 watt fllpurescent tubes t8(26mm) which are about 45 cm long. About 35cm up from substrate. It is two floors which he likes to switch between. So one tube in each. They are 10 or 12 percent uvb.
We were using an exotic terra 2x30w light controller but apparently it stopped working due to a power surge.
There is also an old acadia one we had that we used in the past. Is it 30 Watts.

The issues:
After the controller stopped working we got a new one which is a 2x40w exo terra light controller. This worked for about 30 mins before stopping. The controller was too hot so I think it damaged itself or the lights were damaged.

The advise sought:
Is the differential between two 15 watt bulbs and the double 40 watt light controller cause the issues?
If so is it apporiate to buy a new 2x15 watt controller or will this not provide the right uvb and lighting for Terry.
I could also try looking for higher 30 or 40 watt bulbs but I feel like they would be too powerfull for the size of the terrarium.
Also what are good controller products as there is quite a range with different prices. I have been looking at these as potential 15 watt controllers:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FIF5I6C/?tag=


Pictures are attached of lighting and packaging.

Thankyou for reading this and please advice on what you think would be appropriate.

 

[jaizei]

Hello
This thread is about my families tortoise Terry. He is meditaranean and I think Greek. I can find his detail soon by talking to my mum. Recently we have been having trouble with the uv lights. We regularly let him roam the house and sometimes outside in summer.

What we have:
Infra red heat and basking light. Very bright in pics as I have been Trying to fix lights and it has gotten a little cold.
15 watt fllpurescent tubes t8(26mm) which are about 45 cm long. About 35cm up from substrate. It is two floors which he likes to switch between. So one tube in each. They are 10 or 12 percent uvb.
We were using an exotic terra 2x30w light controller but apparently it stopped working due to a power surge.
There is also an old acadia one we had that we used in the past. Is it 30 Watts.

The issues:
After the controller stopped working we got a new one which is a 2x40w exo terra light controller. This worked for about 30 mins before stopping. The controller was too hot so I think it damaged itself or the lights were damaged.

The advise sought:
Is the differential between two 15 watt bulbs and the double 40 watt light controller cause the issues?
If so is it apporiate to buy a new 2x15 watt controller or will this not provide the right uvb and lighting for Terry.
I could also try looking for higher 30 or 40 watt bulbs but I feel like they would be too powerfull for the size of the terrarium.
Also what are good controller products as there is quite a range with different prices. I have been looking at these as potential 15 watt controllers:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FIF5I6C/?tag=


Pictures are attached of lighting and packaging.

Thankyou for reading this and please advice on what you think would be appropriate.

Does the Arcadia have a label on it with it's model number? Here's a list of the different models and the lamps they work with:

Controllers - Arcadia Reptile

Magnetic Controllers Fluorescent Lighting Controllers For use with T8 Arcadia Reptile Lamps. For dry vivariums and wet terrariums. 5 Year Guarantee. Lamp Diameter: T8 – Ø26mm Code: RACR / RACUP Lighting Guide Facebook Youtube Instagram IP64 Wet Vivariums / Terrariums Supplied with IP64 ‘Splash...

www.arcadiareptile.com

Putting the 15w bulbs on a 40w controller could have blown the bulbs or damaged the controller. Even though it says 2x 40w max on the box, the controller itself says 2x36w or 2x40w. It'd probably work with 32w or 34w since those are also typical wattages for 4ft lamps.

If you're buying a new controller, you might be better off buying a T5 version; Arcadia also makes those:

Electronic Controller - Arcadia Reptile

Electronic Controller Featuring High Frequency Electronic Ballast Incorporates an electronic ballast (IP20) designed for use with high output T5 lamps. Independent lamp circuits – if one lamp fails the other will continue to run. IP67 lamp holders can be used in vivariums with misting systems...

www.arcadiareptile.com

 

[Tom]

Hello
This thread is about my families tortoise Terry. He is meditaranean and I think Greek. I can find his detail soon by talking to my mum. Recently we have been having trouble with the uv lights. We regularly let him roam the house and sometimes outside in summer.

What we have:
Infra red heat and basking light. Very bright in pics as I have been Trying to fix lights and it has gotten a little cold.
15 watt fllpurescent tubes t8(26mm) which are about 45 cm long. About 35cm up from substrate. It is two floors which he likes to switch between. So one tube in each. They are 10 or 12 percent uvb.
We were using an exotic terra 2x30w light controller but apparently it stopped working due to a power surge.
There is also an old acadia one we had that we used in the past. Is it 30 Watts.

The issues:
After the controller stopped working we got a new one which is a 2x40w exo terra light controller. This worked for about 30 mins before stopping. The controller was too hot so I think it damaged itself or the lights were damaged.

The advise sought:
Is the differential between two 15 watt bulbs and the double 40 watt light controller cause the issues?
If so is it apporiate to buy a new 2x15 watt controller or will this not provide the right uvb and lighting for Terry.
I could also try looking for higher 30 or 40 watt bulbs but I feel like they would be too powerfull for the size of the terrarium.
Also what are good controller products as there is quite a range with different prices. I have been looking at these as potential 15 watt controllers:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FIF5I6C/?tag=


Pictures are attached of lighting and packaging.

Thankyou for reading this and please advice on what you think would be appropriate.

We don't have "controllers" over here. We run our tubes in fixtures that are made for that size bulb. I would switch to that. Arcadia makes a terrific ProT5HO kit in several lengths.

You should also not be using any colored bulbs. No infrared. Here is the correct lighting info:
Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. 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).
2. 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. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. 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.
4. 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.

More helpful info here:

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[ZEROPILOT]

Don't be confused by florescent tube wattage.
The different length tubes have different wattages. It's dictated by the length. Not just by the type of lamp.