UVB tube for Russian tortoise

[Timmythetort8]

I have been using coil uvb bulbs for my Russian tortoise for a long time without knowing they are bad so I am looking to get a uvb tube to replace it. I am looking at getting the REPTI ZOO T5 HO UVB tube and hood. Is this a good brand and choice or should I go with something else? Also, can I keep the tube on the same light cycle as my tortoises heat lamp or should the uvb tube be on for longer or shorter than 10 hours?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I have been using coil uvb bulbs for my Russian tortoise for a long time without knowing they are bad so I am looking to get a uvb tube to replace it. I am looking at getting the REPTI ZOO T5 HO UVB tube and hood. Is this a good brand and choice or should I go with something else? Also, can I keep the tube on the same light cycle as my tortoises heat lamp or should the uvb tube be on for longer or shorter than 10 hours?

Hello! Glad you’re switching up, coil bulbs are definitely no good.

Is it the t5 zoo med reptisun you mean? I see plenty of members use that brand here so that’s definitely fine to use, the brand we personally use is Arcadia, both are reputableI’ll attach examples of both to make sure we’re on the same page

As for the timing, pop the the uv on a separate 4 hour timer from noon. There’s lots of confusion out there on uv needing to be on the same night/day cycle the basking lights are, but in the wild, they don’t get blasted with that many hours of uv, it peaks around midday and reduces late afternoon, so save your bulb life and stick it on a 4 hour

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I have been using coil uvb bulbs for my Russian tortoise for a long time without knowing they are bad so I am looking to get a uvb tube to replace it. I am looking at getting the REPTI ZOO T5 HO UVB tube and hood. Is this a good brand and choice or should I go with something else? Also, can I keep the tube on the same light cycle as my tortoises heat lamp or should the uvb tube be on for longer or shorter than 10 hours?

Hello!
I would not recommend getting Repti Zoo if you have other options. Arcadia and ZooMed make high quality lamps and fixtures. They are more expensive but proven to be safe and last for years.

Repti Zoo lamps are relatively safe in terms of UVB, but have some quality issues with fixtures (very unstable and sometimes they mess up with reflector positioning so you won't know if it's in high output position or not). I've seen reports of blowing up fixtures but it wasn't specified if voltage was correct (e.g. 110V or 220V). Also, no reports on longetivity of this lamps.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello!
I would not recommend getting Repti Zoo if you have other options. Arcadia and ZooMed make high quality lamps and fixtures. They are more expensive but proven to be safe and last for years.

Repti Zoo lamps are relatively safe in terms of UVB, but have some quality issues with fixtures (very unstable and sometimes they mess up with reflector positioning so you won't know if it's in high output position or not). I've seen reports of blowing up fixtures but it wasn't specified if voltage was correct (e.g. 110V or 220V). Also, no reports on longetivity of this lamps.

Lol here was me thinking it was a typo for zoomed reptisun! I’ve not heard of the repti zoo brand

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Lol here was me thinking it was a typo for zoomed reptisun! I’ve not heard of the repti zoo brand

There is a version, that it's an intentionally confusing naming. Like Adibas...

 

[Tom]

I have been using coil uvb bulbs for my Russian tortoise for a long time without knowing they are bad so I am looking to get a uvb tube to replace it. I am looking at getting the REPTI ZOO T5 HO UVB tube and hood. Is this a good brand and choice or should I go with something else? Also, can I keep the tube on the same light cycle as my tortoises heat lamp or should the uvb tube be on for longer or shorter than 10 hours?

I agree with Alex. Get ZooMed or Arcadia.

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.

 

[Timmythetort8]

I got him the zoomed UVB 10.0 T5 HO tube bulb and hood and im setting it up today.

 

[Timmythetort8]

Is it ok to run the uvb on the same timer as the basking bulb? I don't have enough plugs and space to run multiple cords and timers. I read on the tortoise info that it's unnatural but will it affect his health in anyway? Is too much uvb a thing?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Is it ok to run the uvb on the same timer as the basking bulb? I don't have enough plugs and space to run multiple cords and timers. I read on the tortoise info that it's unnatural but will it affect his health in anyway? Is too much uvb a thing?

In theory, excessive UVA emitted by UV lamp (they output around 30% of light as UVA) can have ageing effect on shell keratin (and provoke pyramiding as such). Also, this means that you have to replace UVB lamp more often which is more expensive than a power strip and a timer.

 

[Timmythetort8]

What if he tends not to sunbathe very long? He typically will sunbathe from like 9-10 o clock after eating and then will hang out in the cool side of his enclosure with the uvb not on it and might sunbathe a bit in the afternoon like 4 o clock for 30 min to an hour.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

What if he tends not to sunbathe very long? He typically will sunbathe from like 9-10 o clock after eating and then will hang out in the cool side of his enclosure with the uvb not on it and might sunbathe a bit in the afternoon like 4 o clock for 30 min to an hour.

That's pretty normal tortoise behaviour - they usually don't bask under midday fierce sun. You just need to adjust UVB lamp timer that morning basking is supplemented with UV. Also, such basking behaviour hints that ambient temperatures are spot on (when it's too hot they hide and don't bask, when it's too cold they hang out all day under the lamp).

 

[Timmythetort8]

I found an extra plug and timer, now the uvb is running from 830 to 1130. Does that sound good? Also, I'm glad to hear his ambient temperature is good because although I have a thermometer sometimes I worry if it's too hot or cold for him especially because it is more than 100 degrees outside right now where I live which makes his enclosure hotter

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I found an extra plug and timer, now the uvb is running from 830 to 1130. Does that sound good? Also, I'm glad to hear his ambient temperature is good because although I have a thermometer sometimes I worry if it's too hot or cold for him especially because it is more than 100 degrees outside right now where I live which makes his enclosure hotter

Yes, sounds good to me. Just don't forget to adjust schedule from time to time as his basking behaviour may change.