Opinions on this lamp, please...?

[TaraMaiden]

Could someone just let me know whether this lamp is suitable for my tortoise, if I have an indoor enclosure?
I purchased it on Amazon UK, and it came highly recommende4d, but the instructions indicate it should only be on for a few hours a day, whereas from everything I have read, it should be on for the day's duration...

 

[jaizei]

Could someone just let me know whether this lamp is suitable for my tortoise, if I have an indoor enclosure?
I purchased it on Amazon UK, and it came highly recommende4d, but the instructions indicate it should only be on for a few hours a day, whereas from everything I have read, it should be on for the day's duration...
View attachment 346215View attachment 346216View attachment 346217

Recommended by who?

This picture is a few years old, but it's generally still applicable.

 

[TaraMaiden]

Recommended by who?

This picture is a few years old, but it's generally still applicable.


View attachment 346218

Oh. Shoooot For want of a better word...

 

[TaraMaiden]

In that case, I may well return it.
Thank you for the heads-up. All the reviews on Amazon seemed favourable...

 

[Tom]

@TaraMaiden

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

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.

 

[TaraMaiden]

@TaraMaiden

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

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.

Thanks Tom. I would say that's useful information, but it would be an understatement. Terrific know-how.

(Oh and I saw your message about sphagnum moss causing compaction...? It's now illegal in the UK to sell sphagnum moss. In a little country such as ours, excessive harvesting has caused serious environmental problems. So, it wouldn't necessarily apply, but as some avid enthusiastic UK gardeners may have some put by, it's still really good to know!)

 

[TaraMaiden]

Just a heads-up: Have returned the lamp and received a full refund. Now set to purchase a more suitable appliance. Thanks to all.

 

[TammyJ]

Have fun and good luck!