Uvb lamps

[philipgreece]

Hello again all! I used for 6 months my uvb lamps and I ordered new ones! My first lamps were arcadia t5 pro 12%! I received today my new lamps but they are different! Lamps are 12% from arcadia but it says for desert reptiles HO -T5! I wonder it these lamps are the correct ones like the previous ones! My problem is that I can't find the exact lamps like my first ones because I live in Greece! We have small amount equipment for tortoises!

 

[wellington]

They are fine.

 

[philipgreece]

They are fine.

Ok thank you! 😊

 

[Tom]

Hello again all! I used for 6 months my uvb lamps and I ordered new ones! My first lamps were arcadia t5 pro 12%! I received today my new lamps but they are different! Lamps are 12% from arcadia but it says for desert reptiles HO -T5! I wonder it these lamps are the correct ones like the previous ones! My problem is that I can't find the exact lamps like my first ones because I live in Greece! We have small amount equipment for tortoises!

12% HO is 12% HO. The marketing words don't matter as much.

If you are using the bulb for only a few hours mid day, as you should be, your tube will last for years. I hope you didn't throw the old one away, as it is probably still working great. You need a Solarmeter 6.5 to tell you the UVB output of your bulbs. That is the only way to make sure your tortoise is getting enough UV, but not too much.

 

[philipgreece]

12% HO is 12% HO. The marketing words don't matter as much.

If you are using the bulb for only a few hours mid day, as you should be, your tube will last for years. I hope you didn't throw the old one away, as it is probably still working great. You need a Solarmeter 6.5 to tell you the UVB output of your bulbs. That is the only way to make sure your tortoise is getting enough UV, but not too much.

I keep the old ones! I have them! All I hear is that after 6 months you have to change lamps for better result! I use these bulbs for 8 hours per day in winter! But I'm lucky because in Greece we have sun almost all winter so when I see sun I immediately release them out in sun! At least I give them sun 2 hours per day!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I keep the old ones! I have them! All I hear is that after 6 months you have to change lamps for better result! I use these bulbs for 8 hours per day in winter! But I'm lucky because in Greece we have sun almost all winter so when I see sun I immediately release them out in sun! At least I give them sun 2 hours per day!

With that meter, you can see exactly where (how high up) to mount the tube for optimum useful uv levels.
In most cases as a T5 gets older, you can just move it a little closer and it can still be used just fine.
The $200 meter (USA) would eventually pay for itself

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

It's closer to 300USD on european Amazon And it's one of the cheapest radiometers available (Fluke and co are 1K+), excluding some "beach-grade" ones
I guess free Greek sun is the best option. Considering that a few hours a week is enough.

 

[philipgreece]

With that meter, you can see exactly where (how high up) to mount the tube for optimum useful uv levels.
In most cases as a T5 gets older, you can just move it a little closer and it can still be used just fine.
The $200 meter (USA) would eventually pay for itself

I have putted the lamps 22 inches! I don't know if it's the proper height! I can't find solarmeter 6.5 in Greece! Can I find something similar? What can I buy to check it?

 

[Tom]

I have putted the lamps 22 inches! I don't know if it's the proper height! I can't find solarmeter 6.5 in Greece! Can I find something similar? What can I buy to check it?

ZooMed sells the same meter with their own sticker on it. Do any places near you carry ZooMed products? They can special order one for you. If not, these meters and Zoomed products are sold in neighboring European countries.

 

[philipgreece]

ZooMed sells the same meter with their own sticker on it. Do any places near you carry ZooMed products? They can special order one for you. If not, these meters and Zoomed products are sold in neighboring European countries.

Thank you! Is 53 cm or 22 inches height good?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thank you! Is 53 cm or 22 inches height good?

Should be enough for the first few months, then could be placed lower. You can use this link for checking: https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/medium-uv-species/

You can look for Solarmeter on Amazon.de (it was 280 eur + shipping) or UK. And sometimes ordering from US might be cheaper.

 

[Tom]

Thank you! Is 53 cm or 22 inches height good?

Probably, but know way to know without a meter. At that distance you should not have a problem with too much UV. Because your tortoise gets real direct sunshine on a regular basis, it will be no problem if there is not enough UV from the tube because it is mounted too high. I would leave it where it is until you can get a meter under it.

They can go weeks or months with no UV at all and be fine because they store it when times are good. So even if you get some cooler winter weather and your tortoise doesn't go outside for a couple of weeks, it will be totally fine, even if you had zero indoor UV.

In your case, because of all the sunshine, I think it is better to mount it too high than too low. I don't think 22 inches is too high, but I wouldn't go lower until you have a UV meter.

 

[philipgreece]

The

Should be enough for the first few months, then could be placed lower. You can use this link for checking: https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/medium-uv-species/

You can look for Solarmeter on Amazon.de (it was 280 eur + shipping) or UK. And sometimes ordering from US might be cheaper.

The tube is 22 inches length! I think its ok!

 

[philipgreece]

Probably, but know way to know without a meter. At that distance you should not have a problem with too much UV. Because your tortoise gets real direct sunshine on a regular basis, it will be no problem if there is not enough UV from the tube because it is mounted too high. I would leave it where it is until you can get a meter under it.

They can go weeks or months with no UV at all and be fine because they store it when times are good. So even if you get some cooler winter weather and your tortoise doesn't go outside for a couple of weeks, it will be totally fine, even if you had zero indoor UV.

In your case, because of all the sunshine, I think it is better to mount it too high than too low. I don't think 22 inches is too high, but I wouldn't go lower until you have a UV meter.

Thank you so much Tom! You help me a lot! I will leave it as it is for now! I gibe them sun almost every day so I think it will be ok! ☀️😊