UVB Help!

kr1202

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Jan 5, 2021
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27
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NC
Hi everyone!
I know this is a common question asked often, but I am wanting a little help/opinion on UVB option for my leopard.

He is in a 40 gallon tank with all normal temps and humidity needed. We are starting to get consistently cold here in NC so going outside for sunlight is not much of an option anymore. Therefore, i am wanting to find a safe option for some UVB for the winter. I have been eyeing zoomed powersun bulbs, especially now they have an 80 watt option now which I believe will be best for the distance between him and the lamp. I also like the idea of it also providing heat so this would be a money saver to have this running for the winter months. He is also on a 12/12 hour day/night schedule. He is also getting zoomed calcium in his food 3x/week.

Any thoughts, opinions, or advice is appreciated! :)

PS: I am super excited to see his shell change!! Leopards are so cool!
 

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Tom

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Hi everyone!
I know this is a common question asked often, but I am wanting a little help/opinion on UVB option for my leopard.

He is in a 40 gallon tank with all normal temps and humidity needed. We are starting to get consistently cold here in NC so going outside for sunlight is not much of an option anymore. Therefore, i am wanting to find a safe option for some UVB for the winter. I have been eyeing zoomed powersun bulbs, especially now they have an 80 watt option now which I believe will be best for the distance between him and the lamp. I also like the idea of it also providing heat so this would be a money saver to have this running for the winter months. He is also on a 12/12 hour day/night schedule. He is also getting zoomed calcium in his food 3x/week.

Any thoughts, opinions, or advice is appreciated! :)

PS: I am super excited to see his shell change!! Leopards are so cool!
MVBs cause pyramiding. They are too desiccating to the carapace. Better to use a 65 watt flood for basking, and a separate HO tube for UV. I prefer Arcadia HO tubes, but the ZooMed HO tubes work too. DOn't waste your money on any of the old T8 tubes. They produce very little UV.

A new option that recently hit the market is the ZooMed LED UV bulb. It only uses 9 watts of electricity, and produces very little heat. If you mount one of those next to the basking bulb, your tortoise will have plenty of UV.

Your calcium routine sounds pretty good for a growing baby. I think twice a week is enough with a good diet, but three times a week won't hurt anything.

A 40 gallon is okay for the first few weeks with a tiny hatchling, but you need something much bigger now. Tortoises need lots of room to roam inside their enclosures. Go BIG! Might as well bite the bullet and just get the 8 foot closed chamber now. I like the ones from @Markw84 . They are as perfectly designed and built for a tortoise as you can get.
 

kr1202

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Joined
Jan 5, 2021
Messages
27
Location (City and/or State)
NC
MVBs cause pyramiding. They are too desiccating to the carapace. Better to use a 65 watt flood for basking, and a separate HO tube for UV. I prefer Arcadia HO tubes, but the ZooMed HO tubes work too. DOn't waste your money on any of the old T8 tubes. They produce very little UV.

A new option that recently hit the market is the ZooMed LED UV bulb. It only uses 9 watts of electricity, and produces very little heat. If you mount one of those next to the basking bulb, your tortoise will have plenty of UV.

Your calcium routine sounds pretty good for a growing baby. I think twice a week is enough with a good diet, but three times a week won't hurt anything.

A 40 gallon is okay for the first few weeks with a tiny hatchling, but you need something much bigger now. Tortoises need lots of room to roam inside their enclosures. Go BIG! Might as well bite the bullet and just get the 8 foot closed chamber now. I like the ones from @Markw84 . They are as perfectly designed and built for a tortoise as you can get.
Thanks Tom!
Any idea on where to purchase the LED UV bulb? With some searching I cannot find any except one website where it is going for around $150... I have also looked at some T5 options which was recommend previously.
 

Markw84

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Thanks Tom!
Any idea on where to purchase the LED UV bulb? With some searching I cannot find any except one website where it is going for around $150... I have also looked at some T5 options which was recommend previously.
There are 2 currently out that I feel have "passed the test" to see if they are producing the right wavelengths with no harmful UVC, yet enough UVB.

One is the ZooMed you probably have seen from the price you mention. The other is VivTech's SurSun which retails for around $95. They are expensive, but last for years as opposed to flourescents that last 1-3 years (depending upon how you use them). They also put out little heat so are great in an enclosed chamber where controlling heat is important.
 

Tom

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Thanks Tom!
Any idea on where to purchase the LED UV bulb? With some searching I cannot find any except one website where it is going for around $150... I have also looked at some T5 options which was recommend previously.
I think normal price on the new LED UV is around $170, so $150 is pretty good. Seems a little steep, but if these last like any other LED, they should work for years and years. Might be the only one you ever buy. In a few years, we will know the answer to this question. This beats buying new bulbs year after year. A T5 HO fixture and bulb is around the same price depending on size, but those generate some heat (good for some housing situations, bad for others), and they burn a lot more electricity too.
 

kr1202

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Location (City and/or State)
NC
There are 2 currently out that I feel have "passed the test" to see if they are producing the right wavelengths with no harmful UVC, yet enough UVB.

One is the ZooMed you probably have seen from the price you mention. The other is VivTech's SurSun which retails for around $95. They are expensive, but last for years as opposed to flourescents that last 1-3 years (depending upon how you use them). They also put out little heat so are great in an enclosed chamber where controlling heat is important.
Are you referring to VivTech "SurSun First Call UV LED"? Or the Mid-day one? Looks like the 3 watt for both. @Markw84
 

Sharfova

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Minsk.Belarus
В настоящее время есть 2, которые, как мне кажется, «прошли испытание», чтобы увидеть, производят ли они волны нужной длины без вредного УФ-излучения, но при этом достаточно УФ-В.

Один из них - это ZooMed, который вы, вероятно, видели по названной цене. Другой - SurSun от VivTech, который продается по цене около 95 долларов. Они дорогие, но служат годами, в отличие от флуоресцентных красок, которые держатся 1-3 года (в зависимости от того, как вы их используете). Они также излучают мало тепла, поэтому отлично подходят в закрытой камере, где важно контролировать тепло.
U can use t5 arcadia kit. 14% uvb. It cost near 100$ in my country. This kit works 3 years. After this time u must cange only bulb
 

kr1202

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NC
I'm guessing that soon those LED UVB lights will take over where the T5 left off and the T8 did before that.
From going through the forum, I was thinking that is where we are at! But I am happy to see there are other options are trying to make their way in.
 

Rstalder

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Joined
Aug 29, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
CA
Hi everyone!
I know this is a common question asked often, but I am wanting a little help/opinion on UVB option for my leopard.

He is in a 40 gallon tank with all normal temps and humidity needed. We are starting to get consistently cold here in NC so going outside for sunlight is not much of an option anymore. Therefore, i am wanting to find a safe option for some UVB for the winter. I have been eyeing zoomed powersun bulbs, especially now they have an 80 watt option now which I believe will be best for the distance between him and the lamp. I also like the idea of it also providing heat so this would be a money saver to have this running for the winter months. He is also on a 12/12 hour day/night schedule. He is also getting zoomed calcium in his food 3x/week.

Any thoughts, opinions, or advice is appreciated! :)

PS: I am super excited to see his shell change!! Leopards are so cool!
prefer no tank..as the reflection is not good..why not a plastic sweater container until yu can find him suitable tortoise table..wood..I use the smaller uva/uva as you dont want him too hot..Is he hiding in the shade for a moderate spot? Im in the Idaho area..our weather is 30s now..and Mojo is doing well..of course I have the heater on at night for everyone. Red heat lamp on always..check with vet to be safe or the other on the site
 

kr1202

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Joined
Jan 5, 2021
Messages
27
Location (City and/or State)
NC
prefer no tank..as the reflection is not good..why not a plastic sweater container until yu can find him suitable tortoise table..wood..I use the smaller uva/uva as you dont want him too hot..Is he hiding in the shade for a moderate spot? Im in the Idaho area..our weather is 30s now..and Mojo is doing well..of course I have the heater on at night for everyone. Red heat lamp on always..check with vet to be safe or the other on the site
We have the tank blocked to where there is no reflection (we def experienced the reflection issue when we first got him) and after many trials our tank has done well and he is a happy fella. But looking into the future to make sure he has the best home when he is bigger is already being planned! :) He has a great gradient of temps and two different spots to hide from light/heat in different areas of the tank along with a CHE at night for heat. Only problem is getting this UV situation perfect. Def looking into the LEDs mentioned above as they do not produce heat and will give the right UV for him.
 

kr1202

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Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
NC
I believe i should put a disclaimer that maybe the picture posted may make him look bigger than what he is...which is why a 40 gallon tank does not sound ideal. But he will soon have a much bigger set up when we move next year!:)
 
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