UVB lighting

[jeninak907]

hello, I bought a repti glo 5.0 UVB light today for my russian tortoise. Is it good enough to use?The box says tropical trarraium lamp. 26w 5.o, But it dont say anything about a tortoise. Almost got the dessert one but didnt want to burn the tortoise, I have it about 1 foot from the basking spot and she seems to like it- its set up next to a ceramic heat lamp. thanks!!

 

[ascott]

http://www.petsolutions.com/C/Fluor...rrarium Lamp&gclid=CK_9urbcnbECFWYbQgoddjY8gQ

Is this the bulb you have? If it is I would not recommend using it...the reason is that these style of bulbs have been known to not burn correctly and there fore have been known to cause damage to the eyes of the tort....

 

[AustinASU]

Even the 10.0? And do you have a link to show evidence cuz i just bought one and was going to try it out but would like to know beforehand.

 

[Tortoise Hub]

Yes the coil ones can blind your tortoise. Its been mentioned many times on the forum but I dont have the links.

 

[AustinASU]

mmk ill def be getting that fixed

 

[Atra42o]

Hey Austin, I bought the same exact bulb yesterday... Did u take it back? I'm getting mixed opinions. Some say it will do if MVB isn't an options, others say don't use it.

 

[AustinASU]

Yeah I'm taking mine back, I'm not going to risk damaging my tortoises eyes////too risky.

 

[Atra42o]

Yeah I'm taking mine back, I'm not going to risk damaging my tortoises eyes////too risky.

I agree, I tried taking it back the same day I bought it, but the girl at the store said some users "over reacted" and were "a bit extreme". I'm not taking any chances and I totally trust this forum, they have always been helpful and ALWAYS present the facts... I'm so glad someone recommended this forum =)

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I ment some users in the "turtle forums"

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I can also personally attest that the Zilla t-5 tube florescent bulbs will cause blindness.

My personal preference is 5.0 repti-glo tube florescents (not compact florescents).

 

[Atra42o]

Are these ok?

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Ahhh I get it, no compacts... Lol I'm a little dense sometimes lol

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I wouldn't use them.

 

[Atra42o]

Will the tube type fit into the tank fixture that it originally came w/it or do I need to buy a whole new fixture

 

[RosieRedfoot]

Can someone post a picture of the ideal light? I have one of the repi UVB bulbs as well and will be replacing it, just want to know exactly what I should keep an eye out for!

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

You want a light fixture somewhat like this: http://neptuneaquariums.com/images/products/detail/Aqueonlight.jpg

http://di1-2.shoppingshadow.com/ima...+ALL+GLASS+AQUARIUM+16+inch+FLUORESCENT+B.jpg
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It doesn't have to be something you buy at a petstore; after all, it is just a standard flight fixture. It's the type of bulb that counts. Just make sure the length of the bulb matches the length of the fixture.

 

[jeninak907]

OK peoples thanks for the resoponses!! Its good to know about the compact bulbs.

 

[Atra42o]

You want a light fixture somewhat like this: http://neptuneaquariums.com/images/products/detail/Aqueonlight.jpg

http://di1-2.shoppingshadow.com/ima...+ALL+GLASS+AQUARIUM+16+inch+FLUORESCENT+B.jpg
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It doesn't have to be something you buy at a petstore; after all, it is just a standard flight fixture. It's the type of bulb that counts. Just make sure the length of the bulb matches the length of the fixture.

Perfect, I have the black one... Looks exactly the same... Should I take out the reflector? (it was originally an aquarium light... I'm planning to use this bulb in the 30" fixture. If so, do u know how far away it should be?

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I would keep the reflector in. If you're using a 5.0 repti-glo bulb, approximately 12-14" away should be fine.

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And just FYI, a standard 30" florescent aquarium fixture will take a 24" bulb.

 

[Atra42o]

I would keep the reflector in. If you're using a 5.0 repti-glo bulb, approximately 12-14" away should be fine.

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And just FYI, a standard 30" florescent aquarium fixture will take a 24" bulb.

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Great! This type of fixture and UVB light will be perfect for my set up. Thank u so much! =)

 

[tobithetortoise]

I'm in the same situation, but all this blindness talk scares me in general, could I just replace uvb lighting with vitamins?

 

[Atra42o]

Ok, so I was reading up on the reptisun 5 and it says that it's only effective up to 12" but it's 18" from the light to the substrate. The reptisun 10 is effective up to 20" but I don't have a screen on top his enclosure. Will the 10 be too strong? Here's a picture of the fixture I'm using. The second is a close up, is the white part a reflector? It's not metal, just plastic