UVB Height and wattage

Pebbles2307

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Hi all, I am a relatively new owner to a 1 year old Russian tortoise called pebbles, but I am now unsure if my UVB tubes wattage is too high and is therefore too close to her.

I have the Arcadia 30 watt 12% UVB tube so I wanted to ask what height the UVB tube should be at or if there is a better UVB tube to have?

Sorry to ask questions which have probably been asked before and thank you for any help!
 

Yvonne G

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Mine is mounted appx. 12" above the actual tortoise.
 

Pebbles2307

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Mine is mounted appx. 12" above the actual tortoise.

If my UVB tube is currently fitted 6 inches above my tortoises back would there be a better UVB tube to have or am I best to move the UVB tube?

Sorry for all the questions and thank you for your help!
 

Tom

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Hi all, I am a relatively new owner to a 1 year old Russian tortoise called pebbles, but I am now unsure if my UVB tubes wattage is too high and is therefore too close to her.

I have the Arcadia 30 watt 12% UVB tube so I wanted to ask what height the UVB tube should be at or if there is a better UVB tube to have?

Sorry to ask questions which have probably been asked before and thank you for any help!
The Arcadia 12% HO tubes need to be mounted about 18-22 inches over the tortoise. They are very strong and produce high levels of UV.

The only safe bulb to use at your height would be a regular T8 ZooMed 10.0. Not an HO T5 model.

We are all just guessing here based on previous experience with bulbs, but there is a lot of variation from batch to batch, from bulb to bulb, and from each individual enclosure. The only way to know what is going on in your enclosure is to test it with a UV meter. This is the only way to ensure your tortoise is getting enough UV, but not too much. Over time the meter will save you money since you won't be replacing bulbs every 6 months unnecessarily. This is the one you need: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
 

Pebbles2307

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The Arcadia 12% HO tubes need to be mounted about 18-22 inches over the tortoise. They are very strong and produce high levels of UV.

The only safe bulb to use at your height would be a regular T8 ZooMed 10.0. Not an HO T5 model.

We are all just guessing here based on previous experience with bulbs, but there is a lot of variation from batch to batch, from bulb to bulb, and from each individual enclosure. The only way to know what is going on in your enclosure is to test it with a UV meter. This is the only way to ensure your tortoise is getting enough UV, but not too much. Over time the meter will save you money since you won't be replacing bulbs every 6 months unnecessarily. This is the one you need: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

I think I’ll look at trying to make something that can raise the UVB tube as I know people do recommend the Arcadia tube and I’ll look into getting that solar meter to test it. For now I’ve turned off the tube and she’s just getting her UVB from spending time outside

Thank you for all your help!
 
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Tom

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I think I’ll look at trying to make something that can raise the UVB tube as I know people do recommend the Arcadia tube and I’ll look into getting that solar meter to test it. For now I’ve turned off the tube and she’s just getting her UVB from spending time outside

Thank you for all your help!
That all sounds great to me. :)
 

Pebbles2307

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The Arcadia 12% HO tubes need to be mounted about 18-22 inches over the tortoise. They are very strong and produce high levels of UV.

The only safe bulb to use at your height would be a regular T8 ZooMed 10.0. Not an HO T5 model.

We are all just guessing here based on previous experience with bulbs, but there is a lot of variation from batch to batch, from bulb to bulb, and from each individual enclosure. The only way to know what is going on in your enclosure is to test it with a UV meter. This is the only way to ensure your tortoise is getting enough UV, but not too much. Over time the meter will save you money since you won't be replacing bulbs every 6 months unnecessarily. This is the one you need: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

Sorry to bother you with another question however I’ve realised my Arcadia uvb tube is a t8, would this still make the recommended height 18-22inches? I just want to double check as I’m currently building a new stand.

Many thanks for your help!
 

Tom

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Sorry to bother you with another question however I’ve realised my Arcadia uvb tube is a t8, would this still make the recommended height 18-22inches? I just want to double check as I’m currently building a new stand.

Many thanks for your help!
No. I don't know what the mounting height would be for that one. Only a UV meter can answer that question for you. Without a UV meter we are just guessing. I've used the T5 HO bulbs from Arcadia, so I have some info with which to make an educated guess about mounting height. I didn't even know they made a T8 regular version, and I've never measured UV output from one of those.
 

Pebbles2307

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No. I don't know what the mounting height would be for that one. Only a UV meter can answer that question for you. Without a UV meter we are just guessing. I've used the T5 HO bulbs from Arcadia, so I have some info with which to make an educated guess about mounting height. I didn't even know they made a T8 regular version, and I've never measured UV output from one of those.

I have ordered a uv meter to try and help solve the problem now. Thank you for all your help though!
 
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