gisselle.b
New Member
How many watts should I be using for heat and uvb if I have a 20 gallon terrarium?
how many watts?
- Thread starter gisselle.b
- Start date
Hi Gisselle:
Have you bought the tortoise yet? If you're getting a russian like you proposed in previous posts, a 20 gallon aquarium is nowhere near big enough.
But to answer the question, you have to test it out to see. I would put a 100 watt regular household incandescent bulb over the aquarium and check the temperature at floor level in the tank. If it's too hot, try a 60 watt. You can also raise or lower the fixture to make it hotter or cooler.
But I'd want to make sure you understand, a 20 gallon aquarium isn't big enough for a tortoise. They need much more room to wander around in for their mental well-being. You can keep a lizard or a snake in a 20 gallon aquarium, but not a tortoise.
Have you bought the tortoise yet? If you're getting a russian like you proposed in previous posts, a 20 gallon aquarium is nowhere near big enough.
But to answer the question, you have to test it out to see. I would put a 100 watt regular household incandescent bulb over the aquarium and check the temperature at floor level in the tank. If it's too hot, try a 60 watt. You can also raise or lower the fixture to make it hotter or cooler.
But I'd want to make sure you understand, a 20 gallon aquarium isn't big enough for a tortoise. They need much more room to wander around in for their mental well-being. You can keep a lizard or a snake in a 20 gallon aquarium, but not a tortoise.
gisselle.b
New Member
This aquarium is just temporary, I have a family member who is going to make me a custom made one but in the meantime I bought a 20 gallon one. I tested out a 75 watt bulb for heat and it was perfect, I also bought an infrared bulb for heat at night. For uvb I bought a 26 watt bulb. However this bulb is coiled, the lady at petsmart recommended it but there's a lot of controversy on whether or not they're dangerous for tortoises, are they?
Do not use the coil bulb. Get a mercury vapor bulb or a tube flourescent UVB bulb. If you can return the aquarium, I recommend it and purchase a Christmas tree storage box or the largest storage tote box you can find, around a 50 gallon one or larger. It's cheaper and much better then an aquarium for a Russian
gisselle.b
New Member
I don't have the cage with me right now but I purchased a new UVB bulb but it's only 13 watts is that enough?
No, that's probably a compact fluorescent bulb (curly shape or 'u' shape?) Those are sometimes harmful to the tortoise's eyes.
gisselle.b
New Member
It says 10.0 uvb it has two U shaped bulbs.
What size and species are we talking about? Russian?
-Take back the 20 gal and go spend half that money at the hardware store for a 50 gallon tub, until your properly sized enclosures is ready.
-You should not use "infrared" or any other colored bulbs over tortoises. They see colors better than we do and the weird colors and bright nights can throw them off. Unless your house drops below 55-60 on a constant basis, you shouldn't need night heat for a russian tortoise. If you do need night heat, then buy a ceramic heating element and run it on a thermostat.
-None of the cfl type UV bulbs should be used. You'll need a long tube type for indoor UV. Not a screw in type cfl.
-If you haven't figured this out yet, pet stores are not good places to get tortoise care info or products. Did they sell you a ramped water bowl too?
Please read these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
We are not trying to give you a hard time. We are trying to help you avoid the common pitfalls that new people typically encounter, so that your first tortoise keeping experience is happy and fun, and so that your tortoise is healthy and stays that way. If you keep listening to the pet store and making these mistakes, you are not going to like the outcome. Lets us help you. Read and follow the advice in those threads.
-Take back the 20 gal and go spend half that money at the hardware store for a 50 gallon tub, until your properly sized enclosures is ready.
-You should not use "infrared" or any other colored bulbs over tortoises. They see colors better than we do and the weird colors and bright nights can throw them off. Unless your house drops below 55-60 on a constant basis, you shouldn't need night heat for a russian tortoise. If you do need night heat, then buy a ceramic heating element and run it on a thermostat.
-None of the cfl type UV bulbs should be used. You'll need a long tube type for indoor UV. Not a screw in type cfl.
-If you haven't figured this out yet, pet stores are not good places to get tortoise care info or products. Did they sell you a ramped water bowl too?
Please read these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
We are not trying to give you a hard time. We are trying to help you avoid the common pitfalls that new people typically encounter, so that your first tortoise keeping experience is happy and fun, and so that your tortoise is healthy and stays that way. If you keep listening to the pet store and making these mistakes, you are not going to like the outcome. Lets us help you. Read and follow the advice in those threads.
That is a UVB bulb
It doesn't provide the basking heat your tort needs and it is also the compact coil (CFL) type that we do not recommend as we keep seeing torts with bad eyes that are kept under them.
Your tortoise, assuming it will be a Russian, needs a basking lamp (household reflector bulb) of 60 Watts minimum to bask under at 95-100F. Without this it cannot digest food or be active.
Your tortoise also needs a UVB bulb, but a tube bulb is the safe option.
Alternatively you could use a Mercury Vapour Bulb (MVB) that combines UVB and basking in the same bulb. However the UVB output of these drops off very quickly, long before the bulb blows, and they should be replaced every 6-9 months
It sounds like you're trying to get off cheap. There is no cheap option when it comes to a GOOD UVB light. You have your choice of different brands, but only within these two options:
This is a Mercury Vapor Bulb. It gives off heat plus UVB. I've always bought the 100 watt. It costs a lot:
This is a fluorescent tube. Most people tell you to get the 10.0 It gives off UVB but not heat:
These are your two options. You can buy different brands, but these are the two choices that you have for UVB.
This is a Mercury Vapor Bulb. It gives off heat plus UVB. I've always bought the 100 watt. It costs a lot:
This is a fluorescent tube. Most people tell you to get the 10.0 It gives off UVB but not heat:
These are your two options. You can buy different brands, but these are the two choices that you have for UVB.
gisselle.b
New Member
Thanks so much, I didn't mean to go the cheap route I was just so confused and all the research I was doing wasn't really helping. So I went to the petstore and the woman that helped me recommended all those things. I'm going to return the infrared light today, any recommendations on a basking light?
