UVB Distance
- Thread starter Jsarab
- Start date
The old style T8 bulbs are not effective. They need to be about 10 inches away from the tortoise to receive very low level of UV. Using it at 21 inches will light up the enclosure nicely, but it will not get any UV to your tortoise.
The newer HO type T5 tubes make good UV and some of those can be used effectively from 18-21 inches away.
No matter which bulb you get, you need a UV meter to set the height. Every bulb, fixture, reflector hood, and enclosure is different and the same type and brand of bulb can vary dramatically from one enclosure to the next. We can give you guesstimates based on our own previous experience with a given bulb, but without a meter under it, we are just guessing.
The newer HO type T5 tubes make good UV and some of those can be used effectively from 18-21 inches away.
No matter which bulb you get, you need a UV meter to set the height. Every bulb, fixture, reflector hood, and enclosure is different and the same type and brand of bulb can vary dramatically from one enclosure to the next. We can give you guesstimates based on our own previous experience with a given bulb, but without a meter under it, we are just guessing.
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At 21"?
The 10.0
the 5.0 produces very little UV. I wouldn't buy those for any application. 10.0 is the way to go, and you only need to run it for 2-3 hours mid day.
