ILikeTortoises
New Member
Hi all -
I'm setting up a terrarium for Egyptian tortoises, and was wondering if my lighting set-up is adequate. My terrarium is 48"Lx24"Dx16"H with an interior 36" lighting ballast w/ aluminum reflector housing an Arcadia 34" 6% UVB T5 HO bulb, which sits about 12" from substrate. This gives me a UVI measuring of about 4-7 maximum directly beneath the light bulb, decreasing to about 0.5-1 in the periphery of the enclosure (I tried the 12% UVB arcadia bulb that's listed for "desert species", but at this proximity to the substrate it gave me UVI readings of 8-14). For spots, I currently have two 50w fluorescent bulbs though this gave me surface temp readings of 113-133F, so I've ordered 25w to replace them (these are full-spectrum though only 3% UVB). Will that amount of UVB be adequate for these guys?
Any tips or advice much appreciated - thanks!
I'm setting up a terrarium for Egyptian tortoises, and was wondering if my lighting set-up is adequate. My terrarium is 48"Lx24"Dx16"H with an interior 36" lighting ballast w/ aluminum reflector housing an Arcadia 34" 6% UVB T5 HO bulb, which sits about 12" from substrate. This gives me a UVI measuring of about 4-7 maximum directly beneath the light bulb, decreasing to about 0.5-1 in the periphery of the enclosure (I tried the 12% UVB arcadia bulb that's listed for "desert species", but at this proximity to the substrate it gave me UVI readings of 8-14). For spots, I currently have two 50w fluorescent bulbs though this gave me surface temp readings of 113-133F, so I've ordered 25w to replace them (these are full-spectrum though only 3% UVB). Will that amount of UVB be adequate for these guys?
Any tips or advice much appreciated - thanks!