UVB Lighting

sophia.roberto

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
1
Location (City and/or State)
Pennsylvania
Hello all! How much UVB light does a young Russian tort need? Right now I have one Reptisun 10.0 T5 bulb. The box says 15 watt and that sounds low to me, but I am also reading that a 10.0 is adequate without mention of the wattage. Should I use more than one of this bulb to increase the wattage? Kind advice is appreciated!
 

KarenSoCal

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
5,749
Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
These UVB tube lights are not rated by wattage. The box is labelled, but we go by the other designations...T5 10, and others. You should not need a second bulb.

Just keep in mind that those bulbs, according to the manufacturer, need to be changed at 6 months of use. They stop producing UVB around then. The only way to know if the bulb is still good is to measure it with a solarmeter 6.5.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hello all! How much UVB light does a young Russian tort need? Right now I have one Reptisun 10.0 T5 bulb. The box says 15 watt and that sounds low to me, but I am also reading that a 10.0 is adequate without mention of the wattage. Should I use more than one of this bulb to increase the wattage? Kind advice is appreciated!
What type of bulb? CFL or long tube? What is the mounting distance over the tortoise?
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,938
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
The wattage changes with the length of the tube.
But a 5.0 is still a 5.0 if it's 12" or 48".
And so forth.
A Russian tortoise can use a 10.0 or 12%.
A UVB "BULB" is not acceptable.
You need a UVB Linear florescent tube. And your Russian tortoises needs a UV level of about 3 to 3.5.
This can only be adjusted with a UVB meter.
We can help you with the placement if you can include photos of your enclosure.
Don't be concerned with the wattage. Each. Florescent tube has a transformer for that length tube. And each length has a different wattage.
 

Attachments

  • 20200219_145404.jpg
    20200219_145404.jpg
    597.9 KB · Views: 10
Last edited:

Kingkeeper

New Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2021
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
Philadelphia
Hello all! How much UVB light does a young Russian tort need? Right now I have one Reptisun 10.0 T5 bulb. The box says 15 watt and that sounds low to me, but I am also reading that a 10.0 is adequate without mention of the wattage. Should I use more than one of this bulb to increase the wattage? Kind advice is appreciated!
Let’s go kiddo get these lights hooked up already
 

New Posts

Top