Josh howard
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Are there any options out there for either growing plants indoors or more importantly using leds for uvb?
LED options
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Josh howard
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- Feb 22, 2017
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My primary goal would be the uvb. The plant growth would be an after thought
UVB light comes in different wavelengths. That used by plants is not the same as that used by torts. The sun emits all wavelengths; lamps are more specific.
Lamps sold for plants are for plants. Your tort will need a reptile specific UVB bulb.
Lamps sold for plants are for plants. Your tort will need a reptile specific UVB bulb.
Josh howard
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Well I know about that. The tort does have a specific reptile uvb bulb. I was just wondering if there was a) a way to give it to him via leds to make hydro cheaper and if I could grow plants with the same light then that'd be just a bonus
I say experiment. This will mainly be concerning the types of plants you're wanting to grow. Put the plant in a raised position so that your tortoise can't eat on it so you can control as much of the experiment that you can.
From what I'm reading here is you would like to grow plants using the same light you are using for your tortoise, correct? Your tortoise needs both uva and uvb but for the health of your tortoise it needs the short uv wavelength of uvb. This enables your tortoise to produce vitamin D3 which binds with calcium for absorption of calcium which is very much needed by your tortoise. Longer wave uva is also needed but more for the mental stability of your tortoise.
Regular household windows block out shortwave uvb. Even window screens do. But we've all seen how well houseplants do in a bright, sunny window.
This all is why I recommend, keep your uvb tortoise light and see what happens with the plants. And remember, coil compact light are bad even when called reptile lights.
Keep us up to date. I'd enjoy knowing the results of this experiment.
There are a few LED bulbs on the market claiming some uvb output now, but I have not heard any recommendations yet and as far as I know, no public testing of the technology has really occurred. They're still too new for me to sink the money into finding out if they really work - and last long enough as uv emitters to be cost effective. Fluorescent tubes aren't too bad wattage wise - the LED options to give you enough light to properly illuminate your enclosure will leave you with a pretty similar electric bill than if you just used long tube fluorescents.
LED grow lights are on the market and do work for plant growth, but I wouldn't recommend using them in a tortoise enclosure. Since they're going for efficiency, they really only put out the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that plants need - that light happens to be blue through red visible light. Tortoises don't seem to fare too well under coloured lights (everything looks purpley/red under grow lights and that's the colour of food in tortoise world). I would only look at full spectrum lights for a tortoise enclosure (full spectrum grow bulbs are generally the super high wattage ones).
LED grow lights are on the market and do work for plant growth, but I wouldn't recommend using them in a tortoise enclosure. Since they're going for efficiency, they really only put out the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that plants need - that light happens to be blue through red visible light. Tortoises don't seem to fare too well under coloured lights (everything looks purpley/red under grow lights and that's the colour of food in tortoise world). I would only look at full spectrum lights for a tortoise enclosure (full spectrum grow bulbs are generally the super high wattage ones).
Yup. What Sarah said. But it's ultraviolet waves not electromagnetic waves we're after here. For way many years, I've only used the Power sun bulbs manufactured and sold by ZooMed for producing the uvb needed for any reptile I've had that wasn't a snake. They do have a limited lifespan and should be checked every 6 months or at least replaced every 12 months. Unfortunately, they continue to produce visible light even while no longer producing uvb waves. Readers are in the $150.00 range here in the states, but you may be able to find a reader at a vets office and for a couple dollars they may check them for you.
As of now, there are no UVB producing LED lights. There are some LED blacklights, but even those produce a bit higher spectrum UVA than the best true black lights. So developing a good LED that produces light in anything less than about 365nm is something we are not seeing, at least reliably, yet.
I do however, like the option of going with a double fixture. One with a good quality, plant growing, LED. I combine that with a good T5 HO fluorescent UVB bulb. Together they create a really good, full spectrum light for the enclosure. LED lights are becoming great options for plant growth because of the specific wavelengths each type of diode will produce. So you need a combination of different diodes to produce good lighting. So the good ones are not cheap. Sarah mentions the red and blue parts of the spectrum that are needed to stimulate plant growth, photosynthesis, and flowering better in plants. Those same wavelengths seem to also provide good circadian rhythm, activity, and health benefits to tortoises along with their need for UVA for those things as well. These better LEDs do produce a much fuller spectrum that just red and blue, however. So I think you will be happy with the addition of a good quality plant growth LED light in the enclosure. But you will need to add a good fluorescent UVB as well. This should dramatically improve your ability to grow plants as well as keep your tortoises happy.
And remember - you will still need to provide a heat sourced light for basking. So that added incandescent will really give a wide range to your lighting solutions with all combined.
I do however, like the option of going with a double fixture. One with a good quality, plant growing, LED. I combine that with a good T5 HO fluorescent UVB bulb. Together they create a really good, full spectrum light for the enclosure. LED lights are becoming great options for plant growth because of the specific wavelengths each type of diode will produce. So you need a combination of different diodes to produce good lighting. So the good ones are not cheap. Sarah mentions the red and blue parts of the spectrum that are needed to stimulate plant growth, photosynthesis, and flowering better in plants. Those same wavelengths seem to also provide good circadian rhythm, activity, and health benefits to tortoises along with their need for UVA for those things as well. These better LEDs do produce a much fuller spectrum that just red and blue, however. So I think you will be happy with the addition of a good quality plant growth LED light in the enclosure. But you will need to add a good fluorescent UVB as well. This should dramatically improve your ability to grow plants as well as keep your tortoises happy.
And remember - you will still need to provide a heat sourced light for basking. So that added incandescent will really give a wide range to your lighting solutions with all combined.
Josh howard
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Thanks everyone. I will definitely try some different stuff. I'm currently using the coil uvb bulbs. I'm thinking of going back to the tube style tho. They make them in the t5 style bulb now?
The compact fluorescents normally put out lower levels of UVB, and in a pretty tight circle beneath - and I find not really a good fit for tortoises where I want a larger UVB "footprint" for the basking area.
The best fluorescent UVBs are available in T8 and T5 now. I go with the T5 HO bulbs for their high output and good UVB production.
