Ugh, I'm going crazy.
I have a Greek (newly rescued) in an indoor tort table - nearly 3'x6' (with a new larger table when I can find something bigger to repurpose or find the supplies to build). She'll likely spend several of our wet/cold/rainy months inside every winter and even a good portion of the damp and cool spring and fall. I'm going to be pretty heavily reliant on supplemental uv for her.
Monday, I was moving things around a bit and my uv (T5 HO 10.0) suddenly stopped working. Assuming that I had somehow damaged the bulb, I ordered two replacements (in case one arrived broken and so I'd have a back up if both arrived fine). They came today and after trying both, it's still not working. So apparently the problem is my fixture. I have no idea why - I'm always careful with my lamps. So now I have bulbs and no fixture. My fixture is a Zoo Med. Its still under warranty for another month, but the paperwork says it'll take 4-6 weeks for repair or replacement.
So my question first is how long can she safely be without her uv? It's already been 2 days. Worst case scenario, I can go buy a MVB at petco, but I really don't want to because I would rather use a long tube fixture and separate basking. It's an emergency measure if I need to - but I really can't afford it if I can safely wait a bit.
I don't think waiting for a replacement is an option (at best if they send a replacement, I'll have a back up). I have the two bulbs now, but I could return them if I wanted to.
Then, separate questions - what would be the ideal set up be, if I were to start from scratch? T5? T8? Arcadia bulbs? (My only issue with them is cost - the way I understand it, ideally it would only be on 4ish hours of the day for a uv spike, requiring a second tube fixture and bulb for a regular daytime light...) Zoo Med bulbs? Something else? If I didn't start from scratch and just kept the Zoo Med bulbs, would a Home Depot fixture work just as well? Any ideas that balance my budget with her welfare as the priority would be greatly appreciated.
A uv meter is on my wishlist but financially that can't happen any time in the near future, so if you recommend a particular set up, I'd love to hear your ideal mounting distances too.
Thanks so much!
I have a Greek (newly rescued) in an indoor tort table - nearly 3'x6' (with a new larger table when I can find something bigger to repurpose or find the supplies to build). She'll likely spend several of our wet/cold/rainy months inside every winter and even a good portion of the damp and cool spring and fall. I'm going to be pretty heavily reliant on supplemental uv for her.
Monday, I was moving things around a bit and my uv (T5 HO 10.0) suddenly stopped working. Assuming that I had somehow damaged the bulb, I ordered two replacements (in case one arrived broken and so I'd have a back up if both arrived fine). They came today and after trying both, it's still not working. So apparently the problem is my fixture. I have no idea why - I'm always careful with my lamps. So now I have bulbs and no fixture. My fixture is a Zoo Med. Its still under warranty for another month, but the paperwork says it'll take 4-6 weeks for repair or replacement.
So my question first is how long can she safely be without her uv? It's already been 2 days. Worst case scenario, I can go buy a MVB at petco, but I really don't want to because I would rather use a long tube fixture and separate basking. It's an emergency measure if I need to - but I really can't afford it if I can safely wait a bit.
I don't think waiting for a replacement is an option (at best if they send a replacement, I'll have a back up). I have the two bulbs now, but I could return them if I wanted to.
Then, separate questions - what would be the ideal set up be, if I were to start from scratch? T5? T8? Arcadia bulbs? (My only issue with them is cost - the way I understand it, ideally it would only be on 4ish hours of the day for a uv spike, requiring a second tube fixture and bulb for a regular daytime light...) Zoo Med bulbs? Something else? If I didn't start from scratch and just kept the Zoo Med bulbs, would a Home Depot fixture work just as well? Any ideas that balance my budget with her welfare as the priority would be greatly appreciated.
A uv meter is on my wishlist but financially that can't happen any time in the near future, so if you recommend a particular set up, I'd love to hear your ideal mounting distances too.
Thanks so much!