Uv light

[Brett dee]

Hi all I want to get a Arcadia T5 pro kit but don’t know wether to get a desert 12% or a dragon 14% tube ? Could you advise please

 

[Tom]

Hi all I want to get a Arcadia T5 pro kit but don’t know wether to get a desert 12% or a dragon 14% tube ? Could you advise please

Either is fine, and you will need a meter to set the height correctly for either. The 14% bulb will simply sit a little higher than the 12% bulb.

Either one should on be run for about 2-3 hours mid day, and you'll need good ambient lighting and a basking lamp too, in addition to the UV tube.

 

[Brett dee]

Either is fine, and you will need a meter to set the height correctly for either. The 14% bulb will simply sit a little higher than the 12% bulb.

Either one should on be run for about 2-3 hours mid day, and you'll need good ambient lighting and a basking lamp too, in addition to the UV tube.

I all ready have 100w Mercury vapour bulb for basking and uv-b but the rest of the enclosure is dark just wanted it for additional lighting and to make sure he is getting as much uv-b as he needs.

 

[Tom]

I all ready have 100w Mercury vapour bulb for basking and uv-b but the rest of the enclosure is dark just wanted it for additional lighting and to make sure he is getting as much uv-b as he needs.

I wouldn't use a mercury vapor bulb over a tortoise. They are expensive, delicate, and fail early and often. Many of them stop producing UV prematurely and without a meter you wouldn't even know this.

I would not use a UV tube for ambient lighting. Its too much and it is very unnatural. There is very little UV in the morning or afternoon outside. There is a mid day spike where its high. It ramps up to this spike and down from it in just a few hours. Its best to simulate this indoors too. High UV levels from sun up to sun down can do damage and alter their behaviors negatively.

Here is a simplified break down of heating and lighting:
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. 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.
3. 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 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

I realize this is more than just a simple answer to your question of which bulb to get, but I hope this info will help you make your tortoise's life even better than it already is.

 

[Brett dee]

I wouldn't use a mercury vapor bulb over a tortoise. They are expensive, delicate, and fail early and often. Many of them stop producing UV prematurely and without a meter you wouldn't even know this.

I would not use a UV tube for ambient lighting. Its too much and it is very unnatural. There is very little UV in the morning or afternoon outside. There is a mid day spike where its high. It ramps up to this spike and down from it in just a few hours. Its best to simulate this indoors too. High UV levels from sun up to sun down can do damage and alter their behaviors negatively.

Here is a simplified break down of heating and lighting:
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. 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.
3. 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 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

I realize this is more than just a simple answer to your question of which bulb to get, but I hope this info will help you make your tortoise's life even better than it already is.

Thank you that is sound advice just what I needed ?

 

[Brett dee]

This is my set up 4 foot x 2 1/2 foot. He’s a Herman’s tortoise we have had him just over a year so on the second Mercury vapour bulb. I am going to take your advice and change the heating and lighting. Thanks Tom

 

[Brett dee]

This is my set up 4 foot x 2 1/2 foot. He’s a Herman’s tortoise we have had him just over a year so on the second Mercury vapour bulb. I am going to take your advice and change the heating and lighting. Thanks Tom