UVA/UVB light question

[flyingpenguin]

I am setting up a tank for a Mississippi Map turtle, I bought this light kit https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-aquatic-turtle-uvb-heat/dp/154845
This seems like a silly question, but do I leave both lights on all the time? Or turn all lights off at night? Does one stay on all the time?
Again, sorry if this is silly, but I'm new to this and am trying to get everything perfect.
Thanks

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Lights off at night. 12 hours on 12 hours off.

 

[Markw84]

Mississippi Map turtles are temperate turtles that do brumate (hibernate). So will all my temperate species I like to use a 14 hour daylight period for their photoperiod to keep them most active and growing. So I have lights go on about 7AM and off at 9PM.

I'm constantly wondering what reptile manufacturers are really thinking with the supplies they market to us. I really don't like those dual domes. The deep dome causes the basking light to burn hotter and heat is the first thing to shorten the life of a light bulb. That looped UVB bulb is designed to be used and placed horizontally. If you actually check with a meter, by mounting it hanging down, very little UVB is being emitted down in the direction of the basking area. The reflective dome does help this, but that bulb is designed to be horizontal over the basking area for best effective UVB. Just be careful of how you set it up as these compact bulbs put out a fairly low amount of UVB and normally have to be about 6" away to get an effective UVI reading. The problem is that with it that close, if you get 1-2" closer, the UVI level doubles. So without being able to control if the turtle can get a few inches closer to the bulb, you are risking possible eye damage to the turtle. I prefer the smaller long tube fluorescents that I can mount higher to give a broader UVI effective range. And with it higher for the proper UVI level, a few inches closer makes very little difference.