UV light recommendation?

[Plaido_thesulcata]

After hours of reading through sulcata care sheets and food recommendations and other info that you wonderful people have posted, I know more about tortoises than I ever thought I would need to know (or more than I ever hoped I would need to know lol). But after ordering what I thought were the essentials I cancelled part of my Amazon order because I think I ordered the wrong UV light, I’m afraid it might have been the could type that is bad for tortoises? Anyways, it sounds light the mercury vapor bulb is the type that I need to be ordering but they have such terrible reviews on Amazon, is there a particular type that anyone reccomends? I had hoped to get something a little more energy friendly to appease my husband, but maybe that is not a viable possibility for tortoises?

Thanks for any advice! And thank you so much for all that have taken the time to put together all the wonderful care sheets and information for a reptile idiot! 3 days ago I didn’t even know the difference between a tortoise and a turtle until my son brought one home from a reptile show

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome.
Get a strip florescent lamp. A 10.0 reptile UVB tube. DO NOT purchase one of those coiled CFL bulbs for UV.
This will not provide heat. But it will take care of your UVB needs.
For heat, either an MVB or a CHE.
Mercury vapor (light) or Ceramic heat emitter.(Provides no light)
And you need high humidity for your baby. It's very important and not what one would naturally think about an arid species tortoise.
I'd seek out threads by @Tom
He's kind of our resident Sulcata guru. One of them anyway.

 

[Plaido_thesulcata]

Welcome.
Get a strip florescent lamp. A 10.0 reptile UVB tube. DO NOT purchase one of those coiled CFL bulbs for UV.
This will not provide heat. But it will take care of your UVB needs.
For heat, either an MVB or a CHE.
Mercury vapor (light) or Ceramic heat emitter.(Provides no light)
And you need high humidity for your baby. It's very important and not what one would naturally think about an arid species tortoise.
I'd seek out threads by @Tom
He's kind of our resident Sulcata guru. One of them anyway.

I have the ceramic heater on order (it should arrive today. I’m using a red heat lamp temporarily because we weren’t anticipating the arrival of Plaid-o. So the tube light is ok? Just not the compact fluorescents?

I have read through lots of Tom’s posts the last couple of days since this hatchling came home and we are doing the best to get his environment perfect! Including soaking and deep subtrate and a make-shift humid hide, still dialing in the heat without the correct lamps and I don’t have thermometers yet.

 

[ClarenceTort]

Does anyone like the power sun bulb in a ceramic fixture? If so is there a similar cheaper option or place to purchase

 

[ClarenceTort]

Does anyone like the power sun bulb in a ceramic fixture? If so is there a similar cheaper option or place to purchase

Also what wattage do
You get and is it just a UV or mercury vapor bulb. It’s so confusing. Right now I have the coil. I read they can go blind so I turned it off now I’m cso fused as to what to use.