UVB index question about Reptisun 10.0 HO

[RussianTortMan]

Hello everyone..... My question is about the Reptisun t5 10.0 high output uvb. I have a 36" about 12.5 inches above substrate. My russian tortoise seems to love his new bulb and fixture. How long should I have the uvb on each day? I dont have a uvi tester. I did some research and I believe the bulb new puts out between 3.3 to 3.9 uvi at 12 " but I am not sure. I saw some youtube videos and read many posts on forums. I plan on keeping the lights on for 4 hours and a LED to provide light when the uvb is not on. For a total of 12 daylight hours. 4 UVB 8 LED. Any help about what the uvi is at 12 inches would be great in addition to letting me know if 4 hours is enough or to much at 12".

His shell is about 4 inches or so. Very active and loves his zoo med grasslands and mazuri mixed with his escarole and other greens. BTW I have enjoyed reading this forum. I learned alot about my russian and all of your setups and tortoises.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
1. 4 hours of UVB exposure is enough (if UV levels are correct and the lamp is new enough).
2. I would run LEDs for 14 hours a day. No need to turn them off.
3. For a new lamp 12" is a correct mounting height, in a couple of weeks it could be lowered to 10" (new lamps have higher output, which stabilises around labeled value and then slowly fades for months). However, I didn't research much, looked only on their UV chart: they have conflicting charts for inches and centimeters
4. Every lamp has some difference from labeled UV level and life span. If you plan to keep your tortoise mostly indoors and don't brumate it, then try to get a Solarmeter 6.5 before the next lamp change.

 

[Tom]

Hello everyone..... My question is about the Reptisun t5 10.0 high output uvb. I have a 36" about 12.5 inches above substrate. My russian tortoise seems to love his new bulb and fixture. How long should I have the uvb on each day? I dont have a uvi tester. I did some research and I believe the bulb new puts out between 3.3 to 3.9 uvi at 12 " but I am not sure. I saw some youtube videos and read many posts on forums. I plan on keeping the lights on for 4 hours and a LED to provide light when the uvb is not on. For a total of 12 daylight hours. 4 UVB 8 LED. Any help about what the uvi is at 12 inches would be great in addition to letting me know if 4 hours is enough or to much at 12".

His shell is about 4 inches or so. Very active and loves his zoo med grasslands and mazuri mixed with his escarole and other greens. BTW I have enjoyed reading this forum. I learned alot about my russian and all of your setups and tortoises.

Every bulb is different. You need a meter to set the height correctly and monitor the UV output as the months go by.

The LEDs should be on all day along with the UV. Use two different timers. LEDs on for 12-13 hours, and UV tube on for 2-3 hours mid day.

Don't forget the incandescent flood lamp for basking and ambient heat, if needed.

 

[RussianTortMan]

I actually have 4 heat lamps. When the temps go back up in the spring I use 2 total. 2 uvb lights a 36" and a 24".

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I'd like to be able to post about a BLACK FRIDAY sale on a solarmeter 6.5....
But they never seem to go on sale.