Uvb lighting

[geeD11]

I'm so confused. Are the coil bulbs good or not? I want to know before I have to return the lighting I got and invest in a hooded light. My heating is fine . I'm just worried about my uvb . I have the fluckers sun glow 10.0 uvb bulb. Thanks!

I have a male sub adult russian tortoise btw.

 

[Josh]

unfortunately coil bulbs are not ideal. they tend to produce UV "hot spots" which can be harmful.

 

[Josh]

p.s. welcome to the forum and thanks for joining! @geeD11

 

[geeD11]

Thank you so much! I love my tort so far!!!

Do you have a recommendation on what would be best for my indoor encourse. I was going to go get the hood light fixture with the t5 buld. Reptisun? I just know that it's expensive and also is that too big for my little guy or is that just fine ?

 

[geeD11]

p.s. welcome to the forum and thanks for joining! @geeD11

This buld with the hooded fixture. I just don't know of it will be too big is all.

 

[Josh]

in *my* experience, you're probably fine with the reptisun 5.0. the length will depend on the length of your enclosure. it doesn't need to exceed that length but it should cover 80%+ and be within i think it's 12-18" for maximum benefit

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thank you so much! I love my tort so far!!!

Do you have a recommendation on what would be best for my indoor encourse. I was going to go get the hood light fixture with the t5 buld. Reptisun? I just know that it's expensive and also is that too big for my little guy or is that just fine ?

Hello!
Josh is probably right about 5.0 lamp, but just to be sure - what is the distance between substrate and the mesh (I suppose you just want to put the hood on the mesh)? Just in case, every inch matters.

 

[geeD11]

Hello!
Josh is probably right about 5.0 lamp, but just to be sure - what is the distance between substrate and the mesh (I suppose you just want to put the hood on the mesh)? Just in case, every inch matters.

It's 9inchs exactly so if you can give me any suggestions on size and watts that would be great. My heat side is 94 and it's still pretty humid in there . I am just worried about my coil buld on the left.... I am also worried that the hooden light fixture is tooooo big for my little guy rightnow. I am just not sure what to do . Are the screw in uvb bulbs good? Like the powersun one by zoo med?

 

[Josh]

this one oughta work
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MDWFQMK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[geeD11]

Thank you alot!

 

[geeD11]

this one oughta work
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MDWFQMK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

But one more question before I stop bothering you 😆 I just want to get it right.

Would a buld like this be okay?? I don't really want to have to buy a new fixture .

 

[Josh]

Those can be ok but like the coils they really just have one relatively small area with focused UV. the tubes cover more ground. If you have a larger T5 fixture that would hang off the edge that's ok too. it's all about the distance from the glass of the bulb to the animal.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

But one more question before I stop bothering you 😆 I just want to get it right.

Would a buld like this be okay?? I don't really want to have to buy a new fixture .

I wouldn't agree with Josh on this one. With all-in-one lamps it would be challenging to tweak temperature of the basking zone without changing UVB strength. Also, these lamps have to be changed every 6 months, on average, because UVB output fades. And you have no option to lower it a bit to adjust UV level (because it will affect temperature and area of the basking zone). Reptisun T5 UVB tubes keep acceptable UVB output around 10-12 months (and if you limit its working time to 4-6 hours a day, even more). So in the long run a combination of T5 UVB tube and incandescent basking lamp will be cheaper and it's more flexible.

You can get the shortest 14" version of the terrarium hood, it's cheaper. However, I would recommend a 24", because 22" replacement lamps are more common. Also, check that the hood includes a free T5 lamp (and it's not T8, but T5 HO).

At the distance of 9 inches even a 5.0 lamp will be a bit stronger than needed, you will need to raise it a little bit to get a distance of 11-12 inches.

 

[Josh]

Agreed the combo bulb doesn't eliminate the need for a basking bulb

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I wouldn't agree with Josh on this one. With all-in-one lamps it would be challenging to tweak temperature of the basking zone without changing UVB strength. Also, these lamps have to be changed every 6 months, on average, because UVB output fades. And you have no option to lower it a bit to adjust UV level (because it will affect temperature and area of the basking zone). Reptisun T5 UVB tubes keep acceptable UVB output around 10-12 months (and if you limit its working time to 4-6 hours a day, even more). So in the long run a combination of T5 UVB tube and incandescent basking lamp will be cheaper and it's more flexible.

You can get the shortest 14" version of the terrarium hood, it's cheaper. However, I would recommend a 24", because 22" replacement lamps are more common. Also, check that the hood includes a free T5 lamp (and it's not T8, but T5 HO).

At the distance of 9 inches even a 5.0 lamp will be a bit stronger than needed, you will need to raise it a little bit to get a distance of 11-12 inches.

I’d definitely go with what Alex suggested here😊

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much! I love my tort so far!!!

Do you have a recommendation on what would be best for my indoor encourse. I was going to go get the hood light fixture with the t5 buld. Reptisun? I just know that it's expensive and also is that too big for my little guy or is that just fine ?

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.